Tailor's scissors , or as they are called tailor's scissors, are a very remarkable and useful tool in everyday life. They are easy to distinguish by their appearance. They are much larger than other similar tools, have thick metal blades, as well as the characteristic sharpening and shape of the handles. Previously, in order not to make a mistake in choosing, it was enough to take the largest scissors in the store, today everything is more difficult.
A large number of stationery scissors appeared on sale in appearance very reminiscent of tailor's scissors, but without their properties and characteristics. We will now try to tell you about how to distinguish tailor's scissors from stationery scissors, which ones are better, and about many other things.
Differences of tailor's scissors
The most important difference between tailor's scissors has always been that one ring of the handle was smaller than the other. The large handle was made to be wrapped around with four fingers. This allows you to apply much more force when cutting the material. This is very important, as fabrics often have a high density and thickness, which not every tool can handle. Yes, and this scissors is used not only for fabrics, but also for leather and similar materials.
The handles of tailor's scissors are made of plastic by injection molding directly during production and it is impossible to separate them from the blades. The industry has always produced different scissors of this variety, both for right-handed and left-handed people.
As mentioned above, at present, a huge amount of a similar type and size of stationery scissors has appeared on sale, and it has become difficult to distinguish one type from another by the appearance of the handles and size. In this case, one more sign of tailor's scissors will help us. In the described type of scissors, the blades have a characteristic sharpening feature, namely, a smooth decrease in thickness.
You can compare this sharpening with sharpening hunting knives with a thick blade. In contrast, all clerical scissors have a rectangular sharpening, since it is enough to cut material such as paper or cardboard, but when trying to cut leather or fabric, the blades can simply disperse and jam the material without cutting.
Characteristic for tailor's scissors and the shape of the blades. As already mentioned, their blades are much more massive and without fail have sharp tips, and are not cut off like those of stationery counterparts. This is dictated by the peculiarity of use. With sharp tips it is easy to notch the corners of the fabric, and exactly along the drawn line, and also to cut the lines not from the edge, but directly in the middle of the piece of material. The blades themselves are longer. The length of the blades of tailor's scissors can reach 40 cm. For clerical scissors, this length is not needed. After all, sheets of paper are much smaller in size than fabric cuts.
As a material for the blades of tailor's scissors, stronger steel grades are used.
Due to the use of higher quality materials, the price of tailor's legs is much higher than those sold in stationery stores, and you need to look for them where they sell fabrics and accessories for tailoring.
In addition to describing the classic tailor's scissors, it is worth noting some specialized types of tailor's scissors. The most striking such tool is zigzag scissors. Previously, they were very common, since cuts from heavy drape or woolen fabrics with these scissors did not require additional processing. Now it is easier to use automatic scissors in production, and then process the edge with an overlock.
Nevertheless, at home, in needlework, zigzag scissors can greatly help with decorative leather processing. You can also find scissors with curved blades, for the convenience of cutting fabrics with uneven lines.
How to sharpen tailor's scissors
Everyone knows that it is very difficult to work with a “blunt” tool. Firstly, much more effort is required, and the result leaves much to be desired. The cutting line is uneven. If the scissors are blunt, then they need to be sharpened. At the same time, sharpening scissors requires a special tool and, of course, a sharpening master. Sharpening is done using a special machine that fixes the sharpened tool. If this is not done, it is impossible to achieve uniform sharpening so that the scissors cut well along the entire length of the blades. If the master has a “full” hand, then he can do it on the “weight”, but it is very difficult to find such a person.
Well-sharpened tailor's scissors should cut thin single-layer fabrics such as silk or chiffon with ease and ease in any direction, including oblique or curved lines.
Any "folk" ways of sharpening scissors can slightly improve their condition, but they cannot really sharpen them.
Why do scissors cut badly?
The first reason that scissors do not cut well is that they are dull. This may be due to the fact that they were not used for their intended purpose. Very often, tailor's scissors cut paper, cardboard, thin plastic and even thin tin. In no case should you do this if you want the tool to work as it should. Especially watch out for children who love to use these scissors because they have long blades and make it easier to cut paper in a straight line.
Also, the reason that the scissors began to cut worse may be the loosening of the screw connecting the blades. If there is a screw, tighten it enough to reduce the distance between the blades. In some designs, rivets are used instead of screws. In this case, it is best to contact the master to rivet the rivet a little. The fact is that if you try to do it yourself, you can easily ruin the tool - “re-riveting”. Because of this, the scissors will be difficult to cut due to insufficient clearance.
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