Knives blunt with constant use. This usually happens unexpectedly: the day before the device was cut normally, and suddenly at the next attempt to straighten hair it starts to cut badly. The easiest way out of the situation is to replace the blades yourself or entrust all the work of sharpening them to a specialist. But these methods are costly and not always feasible in practice: there is no workshop nearby or the necessary spare parts are missing. All the work can be done with your own hands, using for this purpose available in almost all homes handy tools. There are quite a few options, how to sharpen hair clippers yourself.
Signs of sharpening blades
The clipper has stainless steel knives, often covered with titanium or diamond coating. Despite this, they become dull over time. The first signs of this are as follows:
- there are problems with the alignment of the contour of the hair;
- irritation of the skin occurs more than usual, up to cuts;
- blades crumple or break hair, and do not cut them, which causes unpleasant (painful) feeling.
The manufacturers recommend sharpening the blades periodically. Regularity depends on the quality of the material of the cutting part and the intensity of use of the device. But usually these measures are postponed until a strong enough blunting. To return the blades to their former sharpness, you will need to sharpen them.
Methods of sharpening knives for haircutting machines at home
In the workshops, professionals use special machines for sharpening blades of various devices. If turning is rare, then there is no point in buying them. You can deal with the problem with your own hands, using the following devices to work:
- professional sharpening kit;
- grinder or typewriter;
- emery;
- bar;
- lathe.
The quality of work when using these tools depends on the skills of sharpening specialist.
Sharpening on a grinder
Use a professional sharpening kit
When you have to cut people's hair or pets every day, it is necessary to sharpen the tool for work very often. In such cases, the best solution is to purchase a professional kit to solve the problem. Use of this set allows to sharpen a cutting part of the car quickly and well. There is nothing complicated about handling it, the main thing is to know that, how to do the job properly.
Set, in most cases, consists of such components:
- machine with a cover;
- aluminum disk;
- inks;
- cleans the composition;
- magnet;
- laser pointer.
To sharpen the blades with a professional kit, come in this way:
- disassemble the machine, using a screwdriver to remove the knives;
- prepare an aluminum disk for work: wipe off dust, lubricate it with oil, included in the kit and apply abrasive powder;
- securely fix the laser and knife, to fasten the latter use a magnetic clamp);
- set the required speed of rotation of the aluminum disk;
- turn on the machine;
- pressing the blade to the disk, revolving, sharpen it;
- than smoothly move from the center to the edge of the disk;
- stop the machine;
- remove and demagnetize the knife;
- using a special composition from the kit, wash the blades in this liquid, at the same time small particles of metal and abrasive are removed;
- additionally, the knives are cleaned with a brush and wiped dry before installation;
- make assembly of the typewriter.
It is recommended to take pictures of the device disassembly process, if the work is done for the first time - it will help to collect it properly. So as not to lose small bolts and other details, they should be folded into a pre-prepared box. An important point when sharpening the cutting part is that, that the blades must be directed against the direction of rotation of the aluminum disk.
Performing sharpening, do not rush. The average working time with one knife is from 1,5 to 2 minutes. Carelessness can damage the tool. After assembly, the device is ready for further use.
Execution of work by means of the grinding machine
To sharpen the cutting part of the cutting tool, you can use a stationary grinder or hand machine. The following algorithm is followed in the work:
- disassemble the product, removing knives;
- include the device;
- sharpen blades, pressing them to the working part of the machine (grinders);
- then wash them and collect the product.
Grinding machine
This method of sharpening is not recommended by a number of specialists, but the whole process is faster, than when using a bar.
Using a grinder, safety precautions must be strictly observed. To avoid injuries, work carefully.
Turning blades on a lathe
If there are houses lathe, then you can use it. Its use greatly simplifies the workflow. You just need to have some skills to handle this equipment. But the work will not take much time and will not require much effort.
Bench lathe
The following materials will be required for work:
- abrasive paste or powder;
- aluminum disk.
The workflow goes through a number of stages:
- after removing the knives, they are fixed on the work surface with a magnet;
- feed power to the machine and turn it on;
- perform sharpening;
- wash off the paste and wipe the blades;
- assemble the device.
When working with the machine, personal safety rules come first. Goggles should be worn over the eyes, and gloves on his hands. It is also necessary to keep a certain distance from the equipment. Be sure to position the knives correctly before sharpening, so as not to damage them and get a high quality result.
Application of bar and sandpaper
When the clipper is rarely used, you can do with a grinding wheel. Adjustment of sharpness of knife cloths occurs after their removal. The key to obtaining a quality result in this case is to comply with the initial angle of sharpening of the cutting edge, which was specified by the tool manufacturer.
In the process, the blade is pressed against the surface of the bar and move on it. The steps are repeated until the desired result. The duration of the operation depends on personal skill. At the end of the parts are washed, wipe and assemble the product.
In the same way come, using sandpaper instead of a bar. The material is used in the order of reducing the grain size of abrasive inclusions: № 80, 120, 180. Fix it in any convenient way, some do not remove the blades and insert paper between them, then turn on the device. In this way there is an exacerbation.
The use of sandpaper and a bar is the safest, simple methods of sharpening knife blades of a hair clipper.
Sharpening of blades by means of the emery machine
The process of using an emery machine to restore the sharpness of the cutting blades is similar to the use of the above devices. Setting it up for work is not particularly difficult: it is enough to lower the protective glass, apply power and turn on. Sharpen the blade is held against the direction of rotation of the circle.
It is necessary to work accurately and to watch attentively the processed detail: emery can quickly erase a larger layer of canvas, than required to obtain a quality result. Do not touch the moving emery wheel with your hands while working, to avoid injuries. At the end, the parts are cleaned and the device is assembled.
Is it possible to sharpen knives on sheep shearing machines?, dogs
Ordinary machines are not suitable for shearing sheep and dog wool. It has to do with that, that their fur is stiffer, than human hair. Animals are sheared with devices of a different design. Therefore, there may be a question about the possibility of sharpening knife blades from such devices yourself at home. This problem is especially relevant for owners of flocks and a number of dog breeds. In such cases, a lot of work on the haircut, and every time you buy new blades or turn to specialists, it is costly and simply inconvenient.
It is possible to sharpen cutting parts of the device independently by means of the equipment considered above. At the same time on a grinder, emery, brusku, sandpaper should be a fine abrasive.
It is not recommended to make various sharpening devices independently, because in them the great accuracy of assembly of a design is important, to get the result of appropriate quality
The process of sharpening knife blades for cutting animals is almost no different from sharpening machine blades, intended for people. Some difficulties may arise with the excellent shape of the cutting parts. The quality of work will depend directly on personal skills.
Tips for using the tool
Each device, to make it work well, requires proper operation and care. The clipper is no exception. The following recommendations will help to extend its service life without repair:
- the appliance should only be used for its intended purpose;
- excessive mechanical impact on the cutting parts must be avoided;
- lubricate the work units regularly, it is better to use light oil, and not dark;
- after sharpening it is necessary to clean the blade abrasive residues well;
- cutting wet hair accelerates the loss of sharpness of the canvases;
- after the haircut should be removed the remaining hair on the cutting edge;
- the machine must be kept in dry conditions;
- abrasive quality cannot be saved during sharpening, because the end result will depend on it.
When shearing animals, the important point is the cleanliness of their wool. If it is dirty, then the device will quickly blunt. Working with animals, the blades should be cleaned through each 5 haircuts, removing them and rinsing from dirt and grease, only then lubricating with oil.
It is relatively easy to sharpen knives from Philips and other models with your own hands. It is important to always take precautions, so as not to injure yourself. If you need constant sharpening of cutting blades, it is better to buy a professional kit, and one-time work can be easily done with a grinder or sandpaper. Achieve high quality sharpening, perhaps, not work, but useful experience will appear for sure, and next time the result will be better.