While on my second trip to the USA I trained with Jason Pintel and his business partner Alex Lee. Together they designed the Katoku flat hone. There is the single head and the Dual head version.
I have the dual head Katoku. Jason and Alex have a convexing clamp that holds Left or Right handed Salon scissors. The machine can run clockwise for right handed scissor sharpening or anti clockwise for left handed scissor sharpening.
Hairdressing scissors sharpening is the most complex of all the scissors. Hairdressing scissors need to be disassembled to sharpen correctly. This is so that the ride line that is on the inside of the scissors can be honed. The salon shear is sharpened on the flat hone and then the burr is pulled up and off on 9 micron film and then refined on 3 micron film. Many sharpeners use whetstones for this process. There are advantages and disadvantages of both. As I have a mobile van I use film. I have perfectly flat glass plates that are secured in stone holders and the film on top. The benefit of film is that it only needs a spray of water on top and remains perfectly flat. The downside is that it needs to be replaced. The downside of whetstones in a mobile van is that upon arrival at the salon they need to be immersed in water. That creates the need to carry water and something non spill to store it in. Whet stone also need to be levelled at the end of every workday.
After the burr is pulled up and the ride line worked on the film the scissor is returned to the flat hone for polishing. Polish compound is added to a felt polish pad. This process also creates a very fine burr.
The hairdressing scissors is reassembled, ensuring to keep the blades apart. The burr is then cut off on wet 1 ply toilet paper. Wet Toilet paper will highlight tips that snag or any imperfections in the blade. The salon scissors is then tested on human hair for cut.
Salon scissors can also be bevelled edged. Different manufactures put different edges on their
scissors. Beveled edge scissors can also be sharpened on the Katoko. The process is exactly the
same.
SETT
The sharpness of the blade is on part of what makes scissors cut. In the sharpening world the other
part is called “sett”. The sett is how the 2 blades interact with each other. Metal can suffer from
metal fatigue and the blades can loose sett. With the scissors assembled it is held up to the light to
see if there is a gap between the blades from the pivot to just before the tip. If the blades touch at
any point then sett may need to be added or removed. The scissors is then pulled apart and each
blade held against a check plate. The check lace is machined perfectly flat. The scissor blade is held
up to the light. Again there should be light from pivot to just before the tip. Then the blade is
pressed down on the check plate. There should be no light coming through. If there is light then sett
needs to be added or removed until the blade is perfect on the check plate.
Forged or cast shears
Forged scissors are more durable and are much easier to add or remove "sett" Cast shears are more brittle and it is much, much harder to adjust the sett. There is a risk that a cast scissors will break or shatter.
Trained in the USA.
If you have any questions about my hairdressing scissors sharpening service you can contact me via:
Ph:
0402 469 976
Email: enquiries@asharpblade.com.au
Thinning Shears sharpening (diamond polish) |
$20 |
Hairdressing Scissors sharpening (diamond polish) |
$30 |
Salon Scissors sharpening (diamond polish) |
$30 |
Hand sharpening of salon shears |
$40 |
$30 Travel fee + sharpening
mobile service only
no drop ins