Pinking Shears Problems
 

My non-sewing friend gifted me with a pair of 9" Wiss pinking shears from a neighbor's home after the lady passed away and my friend helped the son disperse her belongings. Although they are heavy and obviously good quality (Wiss no longer in business), there is a slight rusting on the blades and the shears are very tight and uncomfortable to use. Can the tension be adjusted? Should they be oiled where the blades form a V? Use a simple de-rusting product? THX for any help.

well I think they should be taken in to be sharpened. they would be cleaned at the same time. Most places that sell sewing machines have or can recommend someone to you.

contact a local quilt or sewing shop and ask if they have a professional scissor sharpener--sometimes the local shops contract with someone to go in every now & then to sharpen shears...good pinking shears are wonderful tools and if cared for will last for generations- they deserve professional care. I have/use the ones my great grandmother had (and I[m in my 50's.,..these are OLD! I take them in & have them sharpened, cared for about every 2 years- depending on how much I use them- sometimes they are used a lot, sometimes only a couple times in a year---just depends. but they can be fixed, sharpened, and passed on to the next generation. :)

Finding someone who can really professionally sharpen pinking shears is like finding a needle in a haystack( at least where I live)! Many places won't even attempt to sharpen them, or charge so much its cheaper to buy new. I would try cutting through some cotton cloth with some sewing machine oil on the cloth, to remove rust and season the metal. Also take the cloth( with a bit of the oil) and rub the shears going away from the blade bottom to remove any bits of rust. A tiny bit of sewing machine oil on the screw might help to free up the blades, but you might have to work it through by opening and closing the blades. Once the rust is removed and the blades move more freely you can evaluate if its worth the cost of sharpening.

You may try some eucalyptus oil. among its many uses is loosening tight screws and removing rust, so I think it would do the trick. You can get it in a health food store. It lasts a very long time because you only use a tiny bit each time, but it is a natural cleaner. Apply a small amount of the oil to the scissors and let soak in for a few minutes, Then brush with a toothbrush or rub with a rag and rinse until all of the rust is off. Finish drying with a hair blower or out in the sun until completely dry. (Also works great on removing glue from labels on glass, etc--I use it on my car window to remove last year's stickers.)

Thanks for the info using eucalyptus oil for removing rust. I have my mom's pinking shears but have not been able to use them and now I can get the shears working again. Thanks a bunch.

[QUOTE=Lori S;6427242]Finding someone who can really professionally sharpen pinking shears is like finding a needle in a haystack( at least where I live)! Many places won't even attempt to sharpen them, or charge so much its cheaper to buy new. "

I think I agree. I have a pair of pinking sissors that i bought at a garage sale for $5 and they are very dull and heavy. I have not been able to find a place to sharpen them that is not expensive. It seems to be cheaper to buy a cheaper new pair at joann or hobby Lobby with 40% off coupon then to spend the money to get these sharpened. I have also heard that you can sharpen pinking sears by cutting a piece of tin foil. This sort of works but is not te same as sharpening. At this time I am still struggling with these sissors since I am too cheap to buy another pair and I do not use them often.

You know, men love a challenge. What about taking them to a lawn and garden place that sharpens 'Manly' tools like lawn mower blades and chainsaw chains and Skil saw blades? All they can tell you is "no" or that they will try their best for you.

That is what I was thinking of doing, lawn & garden center. I brought 3 knives there on Tuesday, he sharpened them on the spot for me. And for a good price.

I've taken my shears and (pinking shears bought from an estate sale for $3) to our local hardware store (not a big bx store) They have a person who comes in once a week. About $8 for both. They came back like little razors! I hope you can find someone to do it. I had not noticed how dull my everyday shears were!

My father was a scissor polisher at Wiss for many years until he had a heart attack in 1951. I have several pair of Wiss pinking shears and even if they stop cutting, I would never part with them. Hope you can get your in working order.

I love love love mine I had them since the 70sand appreciat and respect them today more then ever my anut gave me the pinking and the other pr was my first pr I bought

I have a pair of pinking shears which had gotten too dull to cut fabric but I kept them. Co Workers in my office were planning a party and needed a decorative edge scissors to cut invitations. I loaned them my PS and they cut a lot of paper. When I got them back, they were sharp enough to cut fabric again.So....try cutting paper with them after you loosen up the mechanism

Regarding the rust, I just read something today on the internet about 10 things you might not know about using vinegar, and one had to do with removing rust. I think there was a picture of a knife or something. Sorry to be so vague but I just skipped over it, I think it was on AOL.

Sharpening pinking shears is an art, so find someone who Knows about them, not a lawnmower repairman. My Mom sharpened hers by cutting Very fine sandpaper. Another woman I knew used emery cloth- same principle. Sandpaper grit and emery are made from ground garnet. Can't recommend it unless someone here knows if this is good to do. A drop of sewing machine oil (Not 3-in-1) or TriFlow would benefit the screw. Work the scissors several times, then let them set a few hours and wipe off the excess.

WD-40 to remove the rust, then wipe it off very well.

JoAnn Fabrics has a sharpener come in periodically if you are near one. Sometimes they do it while you wait.

I have Ginger pinking shears I bought as a set on ebay --- they are so stiff and hard to use. I wish I had my cheap Fiskars pinking shears.

I've been told they loosen up with use.

They have not.

Regardless -- they are guaranteed, Gingher will sharpen them if you send them to them. The address is on the box.

I don't know if there is a similar thing for your Wiss shears.

I think you can loosen the set screw a little. That worked for a pair of my scissors that were still and hard to use. I thought it was worth a try anyway.

I just broke down and bought a pair of pinking shears at Joann this weekend- $25 pair for about $11. the new ones are Sharp and so much lighter. I did not really know how dull my older shears were. I use them frequently so this will be a while investment. the old shears were not really giving a clean cut on the fabric and it was still raveling. Also I has asked my local Joanns and they no longer offer sissors sharpening.

I took a pair to a scissors vendor at a large quilt show where they sharpen scissors. He commented that the angles of the teeth make sharpening a pair of pinking shears a special skill and the workman needs to know what he is doing or the shears can be permanently damaged.

Shear Repair
 

I mailed mine out to a company that has offices in TX & WI
They are called" Simply Sharper". They quoted me reasonable prices & said if they can't be repaired that they won't charge me.