Dull Nippers! Sharpen your own?

appellativo · Dull Nippers! Sharpen your own?

What does everyone do when their nippers get dull? I've had mine a year, they are GE brand, and they are beginning to get dull, I think..... if I send them back to GE, they charge $90 to 'rebuild' them (sharpen), if I send them back to where I bought them, (well-shod.com), it's $70. It takes eight weeks.

On Centaurforge.com, they sell a 6" Buffing / Sharpening Wheel with Universal Bushing for $66. Is this for knives only or can you sharpen your own nippers? If so, is it recommended for an inexperienced person in sharpening anything to go this route?

For ease sake, I was just going to order a second nipper, then send off my original one for sharpening (so I don't have to go without a nipper for eight weeks) What do you guys do who have been trimming longer than myself? I have a couple clients, so I don't necessarily want to go with just my rasp because I'm not there to 'do touchups' on time...

PasoBaby_CarolU

My farrier sharpens his own with a file. Have you tried a dremel tool head for sharpening chainsaws? I love my dremel..actually have two of them now. I use them for everything.

I would think any grinding stone for hard metal would work.

appellativo

what a blessing, I just got Pete's 'tools of the trade' videos in the mail today from giddyupflix, and he shows how to sharpen your own on there! I MIGHT give it a try! I have a dremel. Although, he does use a flat file to do it. I don't have one of those yet.

Newfman

I just use a flat file.

appellativo

yeah that's what he says to use, its called mill file and he says to get a nicer file from a farrier supply

becdubie

YouTube...example of how to, just found this this morning.....I found it helpful, maybe you will too.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKCz8ntJ0X0
Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5LpJgX29z4

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DngD5bo8W0Y

ErinR76

I discovered that I didn't need to sharpen the actual nipper surfaces, but the 'stopper' surface on one side. Now the nippers make full contact and cut well. Well, this was like a year and a half ago, but still. I did use the mill file and I was verrrry careful of what I was doing so as not to take off too much and mess it up!

I did order a second pair of nippers, also, so I could send one pair to be rebuilt and still have another pair.

JackPNH

As ErinR76 said, check that the cutting edges of your nippers are actually touching otherwise take just a little of the stoppers so that you get proper contact, be careful don't take too much, the cutting edges should only just kiss each other.

Steve