How to Sharpen Scissors

Find a sheet of aluminum foil. Fold a sheet of aluminum foil about 20 – 25 cm long lengthwise several times to get a stack of thick laminated aluminum foil.

• Multiple layers of aluminum foil will help sharpen the blade several times after each cut.

Cut a stack of aluminum foil. Use scissors to cut the entire stack of aluminum foil. Cut the length from the base of the scissors to the tip of the scissors.

• Depending on the width of the aluminum strip, you can either sharpen the blade multiple times (by cutting many narrow strips) or make only a few cuts (by cutting a few wider strips).

Clean scissors. Wipe along the blade with a tissue moistened with warm water. This step will help remove aluminum particles that may cling to the blade as you cut through the aluminum foil.

Buy a sharpening stone. A sharpening stone, available at most hardware stores, is used to sharpen all cutlery and knife blades. Grindstones usually have two faces: a coarser and rougher side and a finer side. ^[3]

• If the scissors are too blunt, you should start with the rough side of the sharpening stone first, then use the smooth side to finish sharpening the scissors.
• If the scissors are not very blunt, you can probably just use the smooth side of the whetstone.

Prepare the grindstone. Place a towel under the whetstone and lubricate the whetstone with water or oil.

• Stores often sell “grinding oil” in the same place as the whetstone, but you can use any oil, even water, to smooth the whetstone.

Remove the scissors. Remove the screws that secure the two blades. You need to do this to be able to sharpen each blade separately and easier to manipulate.

• Usually, you can use a small flat oil screwdriver that fits the screw head to remove the two blades.

Sharpen the inner edge of the blade. Place one blade on the whetstone, the inner edge of the blade (the flat part inside the blade in contact with the object to be cut and facing the inside of the other blade) facing down. You need to create a right and close angle between the inside of the blade (the part you are sharpening) and the cutting edge (the top edge of the inside of the blade). The junction of these two edges is the part that needs to be sharp to cut. Grasp the blade’s handle and slowly slide the blade over the whetstone toward you, keeping the edge of the blade flat against the whetstone. ^[4]

• Repeat this movement slowly and carefully until the blade has been sharpened. Do about 10-20 times.
• Repeat with the other blade.
• You should practice with some old scissors until you’re good at sharpening the blades.

Sharpen the cutting edge of the scissors. Grasp the blade handle and lean toward your body until the cutting edge (beveled edge abutting the blade’s inner surface) is close to the whetstone. Adjust the angle as closely as possible and continue to slide the blade forward. Repeat this action until the blade is sharpened.

• If you’re starting with the rough side of the whetstone, you’ll need to make a few more strokes on the smooth side to get a smoother blade.
• If you’ve never sharpened your scissors like this, it can be difficult to tell when the edge of the blade is completely sharp. Use this trick: before you start sharpening, paint an indelible brush line over the edge of the blade. Start sharpening the scissors, and when the marker ink has worn off, you’re done. ^[5]

Remove metal burrs on two scissors. When you’ve finished sharpening, you may notice metal ridges along the sharp edges of the blade. You will easily remove these ridges when you attach the two blades together and open and close the scissors a few times. ^[6] Next, use your scissors to cut something like paper, cardboard, or fabric to make sure the metal burrs on the blades are removed.

• If the scissors are sharp as expected, it means that your task of sharpening your scissors is complete. If you want to sharpen it even more, repeat the process above.

Clean scissors. Use a damp paper towel to wipe along the blades and remove any grit that may be on the blades during sharpening.

Place the glass vial between the two extended blades. Open the two blades to the full aperture and place them around the side of the glass jar.

• The glass vial should be placed close to the center of the two scissors. You need to use one hand to hold the jar, the other to hold the scissors.

Cut into a glass jar. Hold the scissors to the glass jar so that the jar slides out between the blades. ^[7] This is similar to cutting paper or fabric. Cut with light force and let the sharpened glass jar pull for you.

• Repeat this process until the edges of the scissors are smooth and sharp.
• Be sure to use a glass jar that you won’t regret if damaged, as the scissors can leave scratches on the jar.

Clean scissors. Use a damp paper towel to wipe along the blade to clean the microscopic glass beads that stick to the blade as you cut into the jar.

Find a pin. This method has the same principle as using a glass jar but using a smaller tool.

Cut into the pin. Cut into the pin so that the nail slides between the blades. This movement is similar to cutting paper or fabric. Cut with light force and let the sharpening nail pull for you.

• Repeat this process until the edges of the two blades become smooth and sharp.