welcome

the sharper edge

welcome

the sharper edge

hairdressing scissors and shears - sharpening and repair, that is what i do

if you’re a hair stylist, whether still training or an international professional, you have one thing in common - the tools of your trade, scissors, or hairdressing shears as some would refer to them apart from anything else, your looks, your personality, the ambience (or lack thereof) of your salon etc. what the client will remember is not only the result of your craftsmanship but HOW it was achieved. this is where your scissors can make or break you

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16

A speciality Sharpening hairdressing scissors is a specialized niche market. You need patience, ingenuity, experience and a passion for doing it. Obviously you need the right tools, and if you don’t have them you have to buy or manufacture them - plain and simple. I’ll not go into techniques as this is not a scissor sharpening course - take note that although hairdressing scissors might look more or less the same, and even if they are the same brand and model, they still all are different and unique. Especially taken into account that they are all used by different people in different ways - so, no pair is the same, neither do I approach them as such. An Art, a Passion Sharpening scissors, especially hairdressing scissors, is an art. It involves much more than going on a course or two, getting certificates with strange and exotic names on them, buying some equipment, acquiring the sales talk and glib mannerisms. You do not need expensive gadgets with fancy names, the lights, the bells, the whistles - repairing scissors is NOT a salon skill, it is a worshop skill! What you need is primarily a passion for sharpening and a lot of common sense. What you need is a knowledge of the material you work with. What you need are the right and best tools to do the job at hand. What you need is the ability to listen and respond to the needs of the client - who, after all has been said and done, must use the scissors to earn his/her living. What you need is experience and patience, there are no short-cuts! And most important, as in everything, you need Jesus Christ - trust me! No short-cuts! The bottom line is that sharpening salon scissors is not just a job. In my case I started off by sharpening knives on oil stones at the age of 13 (and I am 60 plus now :-). Throughout my life I have tried many sharpening tools which I would classify as gadgets as they are aimed to do what is primarily an exact discipline the easy and fast way - as there are no short-cuts in life, there are none with sharpening! There are different techniques, but all of them focussed on a quick fix are really non-events and will in the long run (or even in short term) lack quality and will be expensive by ruining your scissors! The same applies to most ‘sharpeners’ you will encounter! Techniques Just as a stylist will have to apply his/her talents and use different techniques during a session in order to achieve the required result - which, although having used slightly different movements and cuts - results in a new, unique and beautifully satisfying creation, in the same way every scissor will have to be approached as something unique and different techniques will have to be used in getting it not only exceedingly sharp but also well balanced , ‘tuned’ and set. Our ‘workshops’ Remember, there is no such thing as professional sharpening being done at your salon, for professional scissor sharpening has to be done in a workshop equipped for the work. Just as professional hairdressing requires the equipment and know-how which can only be found at a professionally equipped salon, your ‘workshop’. Scissor myths Myths and urban legends abound in the salon industry and having been around for some time I’ll mention some: • Self-sharpening scissors - they don’t exist, for the friction of cutting results in blunt, not sharp blades. • Special hardened steel, never needs sharpening - they don’t exist - or have you ever seen special tyres which keep their running surface? • Special steel will never rust - I’ve seen the best stainless steels being pitted and eroded, same destruction rust would do. • Special steel, can’t be sharpened - show me. • My scissors don’t need oil - neither does your car??? • Ceramic scissors can’t be sharpened - they needed it, trust me! • Scissors must be sent to factory to be sharpened - 3 months and R900 later you get them back and they are not perfect, or worse than they were, what do you do, complain to an unknown fictional Japanese guy? At least you can phone me! • Pakistani, Indian, Chinese and Korean scissors are inferior - false, look at the price/quality factor and they work out more cost-effective - in fact odds are you already have one!! • I have to purchase new scissors, mine are too old... - I’ll most probably be able to restore them better than new! • I have a genuine .... - could be, but I’ve seen brand name imitations mostly from the East and some are sold via Europe/USA! • Big Dealers in SA ensure quality purchases - sorry, I’ve seen fakes and second hand products been sold to naive stylists in South Africa. Don’t forget, the price for repairing your scissors will most probably be far less than buying new ones!

scissors.co.za

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16

welcome!

the sharper edge

hairdressing scissors and shears -

sharpening and repair, that is what i do

If you’re a hair stylist, whether still training or an international professional, you have one thing in common - the tools of your trade, scissors, or hairdressing shears as some would refer to them Apart from anything else, your looks, your personality, the ambience (or lack thereof) of your salon etc. What the client will remember is not only the result of your craftsmanship but HOW it was achieved. This is where your scissors can make or break you

scissors.co.za

welcome

A speciality Sharpening hairdressing scissors is a specialized niche market. You need patience, ingenuity, experience and a passion for doing it. Obviously you need the right tools, and if you don’t have them you have to buy or manufacture them - plain and simple. I’ll not go into techniques as this is not a scissor sharpening course - take note that although hairdressing scissors might look more or less the same, and even if they are the same brand and model, they still all are different and unique. Especially taken into account that they are all used by different people in different ways - so, no pair is the same, neither do I approach them as such. An Art, a Passion Sharpening scissors, especially hairdressing scissors, is an art. It involves much more than going on a course or two, getting certificates with strange and exotic names on them, buying some equipment, acquiring the sales talk and glib mannerisms. You do not need expensive gadgets with fancy names, the lights, the bells, the whistles. What you need is primarily a passion for sharpening and a lot of common sense. What you need is a knowledge of the material you work with. What you need are the right and best tools to do the job at hand. What you need is the ability to listen and respond to the needs of the client - who, after all has been said and done, must use the scissors to earn his/her living. What you need is experience and patience, there are no short- cuts! And most important, as in everything, you need Jesus Christ! No short-cuts! The bottom line is that sharpening salon scissors is not just a job. In my case I started off by sharpening knives on oil stones at the age of 13 (and I am 60 plus now :-). Throughout my life I have tried many sharpening tools which I would classify as gadgets as they are aimed to do what is primarily an exact discipline the easy and fast way - as there are no short-cuts in life, there are none with sharpening! There are different techniques, but all of them focussed on a quick fix are really non-events and will in the long run (or even in short term) lack quality and will be expensive by ruining your scissors! The same applies to most ‘sharpeners’ you will encounter! Techniques Just as a stylist will have to apply his/her talents and use different techniques during a session in order to achieve the required result - which, although having used slightly different movements and cuts - results in a new, unique and beautifully satisfying creation, in the same way every scissor will have to be approached as something unique and different techniques will have to be used in getting it not only exceedingly sharp but also well balanced and ‘tuned’. Our ‘workshops’ Remember, there is no such thing as professional sharpening being done at your salon, for professional scissor sharpening has to be done in a workshop equipped for the work. Just as professional hairdressing requires the equipment and know-how which can only be found at a professionally equipped salon, your ‘workshop’. Scissor myths Myths and urban legends abound in the salon industry and having been around for some time I’ll mention some: • Self-sharpening scissors - they don’t exist. • Special hardened steel, never needs sharpening - they don’t exist. • Special steel will never rust - I’ve seen the best stainless steels being pitted and eroded, same destruction rust would do. • Special steel, can’t be sharpened - show me. • My scissors don’t need oil - neither does your car??? • Ceramic scissors can’t be sharpened - they needed it, trust me! • Scissors must be sent to factory to be sharpened - 3 months and R900 later you get them back and they are not perfect, or worse than they were, what do you do? At least you can phone me! • Pakistani, Indian, Chinese and Korean scissors are inferior - false, look at the price/quality factor and they work out more cost-effective - in fact odds are you already have one!! • I have to purchase new scissors, mine are too old... - I’ll most probably be able to restore them better than new! • I have a genuine .... - could be, but I’ve seen brand name imitations mostly from the East and some are sold via Europe/USA! • Big Dealers in SA ensure quality purchases - sorry, I’ve seen fakes and second hand products been sold to naive stylists in South Africa. Don’t forget, the price for repairing your scissors will most probably be far less than buying new ones!