Why you should not drop or toss scissors?

When you buy dress making shears it is important to follow two simple rules:

1) Use your scissors only for cutting fabric (not paper or anything else)

2) Don’t drop or toss your scissors when putting them down

Why are fabric scissors only for fabric? The reason is straightforward - scissors will dull quickly.

However, with dropping the reason is not that obvious.

 Dress making shears are made of steel, and often when you buy scissors a RC scale grading can be found in the product insert leaflet. Have ever heard of Rockwell hardness scale? The Rockwell scale is a hardness scale based on indentation hardness of a material. The steel hardness ratings follow a predetermined chart which is commonly called the Rockwell C scale. The scale has values from 20RC to 67RC. The higher the number on the RC scale, the harder the steel is. Conversely, the lower the RC scale number is, the softer the steel. A Rockwell Hardness measurement of 58-60 RC indicates a high-quality steel that's ideal for shears and scissors.

The harder the steel the more fragile it is. When falling from a height, the blades experience a load and may get deformed, as a result microcracks may appear (invisible to the eye) affecting negatively scissors performance.

In addition, the screw or rivet in the center is finely tuned. A slight deviation in settings may result in scissors start “chewing” the fabric.

Can be scissors get sharpened?

Manufacturers do not recommend sharpening dress making shears because each scissors model has its own sharpening angle (bevel angle), which is made by special factory equipment. In practice you can sharp your scissors 1 – 2 times. If you do sharp your scissors use professional sharpening services. However, keep in mind that each sharping will reduce lifespan of your scissors. New scissors will serve you years while sharpened one will act up after a few months of work.

Myth: Sharpening shears with aluminum foil. Do not use this method on dress making shears. This method will not give you a result you look for.

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