What do you think appeals to things as simple as hair clippers? It is their tough, edgy and sharp blades. Manufacturers often tell you that these blades are self-sharpening. But guess what, that’s totally bogus! Even the most advanced clippers need you to either replace the blade or the clipper altogether, both of which are costly options. This is why you need to know some quick ways on how to sharpen your hair clipper blades.
In a matter of 15 minutes,
Things you will need
The first thing that you need is a whetstone or a honing stone. If your blade is really old, get a sharpener. If it is comparatively new, a honing stone should do the trick. Next, you will need a screwdriver to unscrew the blades from the clipper. If you can’t manage blade wash, you can do with vinegar to clean the blades. You will also need a small bowl and hot water. A blotting paper or dry cloth will help you dry the blades. You can use a toothbrush to dust off debris too.
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How To Sharpen Hair Clipper Blades
We divided the whole process into 3 steps: tasks that you need to do before the actual sharpening process, taste that you need to do during sharpening, and taste that you need to do after you have sharp blades at hand. Follow-through:
Before Tasks
Before you sharpen your blades:
Clean
Given that these are old blades, these have become dull with use and possibly have buildups on them. So, you will need to start the entire process by cleaning dirt and debris buildup on the blades. One interesting thing is that sometimes blades may feel dull and blunt simply because of buildups. Getting rid of that can make the clipper work as right as before. At this point, you can recheck the sharpness of the blade. If you realize that things are still downhill, carry on with the next steps.
Detach
Now, you will need to take the blades off the clipper. If you have an electrical clipper, make sure that it is unplugged before you take out the blades. Now, unscrew the edges. Usually, the blade is connected with the clipper at two points with screws. Check the instructional manual to find how your blades are attached if you do not see any such connection points. Then, detach them. In case you don’t want to handle them with bare hands, use tweezers.
Brush
You had brushed off the clippers once, time to brush off debris from the detached blades once again. A ball of steel wool or toothbrush may help you in the process.
Wash
Other than regular debris, your blades may have become rusty with use. While you may think it is better to replace rusty blades, you may try your luck cleaning it. Replacing a blade costs a good lot, you know! Anyway, you can soak the blades in water for a couple of minutes. If it is a strong layer, blade wash can help you clean the rust. Wipe it down with a soft cotton ball.
Dry
After you are done washing, it is time to dry your blades. You had better dry them with a towel or blotting paper instead of letting them air dry. Now that your blades are clean, you can move on to the actual sharpening process. But before that, you can check your blades once again to see if all that cleaning made it sharp again. If so, you don’t need to do the next steps!
During Tasks
Assuming that cleaning didn’t sharpen your blades, do this one after another:
- Depending on whether you have ceramic or metal blades, get your honing stone. You will find the stones as you need when you order online or decide to purchase them. Only let the seller know your type.
- Using a magnetic blade holder or just your hands, run your blade along the honing stone’s surface at 45 degrees. Don’t bring the blades sliding back your way. Only push them away and out from you. Changing the direction will not help your blades to become as sharp. But changing the angle from 45 to 30 degrees and in between will do no harm. It will make the blades sharp from all angles.
- Repeat gliding one side of the blade 5-10 times. Stop when you see the shine and new gleam on the blades. Brush off ground metal resulting from the process.
- Turn your blade over and do the same on the other side. Make sure all the while that the blade doesn’t tip and fall and hurt you.
- If you are not satisfied with working on a honing stone, get yourself a whetstone, and repeat steps 2-4. A whetstone can give you sharper edges and better results. You have to be extra careful with sharpening on a whetstone and make sure you brush off the blades between steps!
After Tasks
Here is what to do with your sharp blades:
Reattach
Obvious, isn’t it? You have to attach the blade with the clippers again. Remember that they are now sharper than they used to be. So be extra cautious when putting them back in place. When you have put them in position, secure them tightly with screws as they had been before. Being careless here may injure you when you turn on the clipper for use. If screws didn’t hold up the blades, get them back in whatever way they were secured and make sure they sit tightly.
Oil
You can use hair clipper oil on your blades to let them operate smoothly and to save them from becoming dull too soon. These oils also help to reduce the friction with the blades and keep them from overheating as you use them.
Run
Time to test all that you did! But this time, instead of directly testing these to shave your facial hair, let the blade run on its own. Once you are sure things are well and up good, you can use them. The noticeable difference will tell you how nice you have been at work.
Maintenance
Here are tips to make your blades last longer, whether they are new or newly sharpened:
- Keep your blades clean after you use them.
- Don’t leave water on the blade of your clipper.
- Dry off your blades after use. Don’t store it in the bathroom. Rather, keep them in a dry place.
- Use a blade guard to keep blades off debris and deformation. Make blade guards using hot glue molds if you have lost the old guard.
- Use blade oil regularly. Use 1 or 2 drops. Over-oiling is terrible too!
Conclusion
Now you know how to sharpen your hair clipper blades! This will take you as little as 15 minutes and save a lot of money. Most of the things you have at home can be used in the steps, except the whetstone. But getting a whetstone is a good investment since you can use it to sharpen a lot of things and these will last you years. But one point, even sharpening the blade won’t work, so you will have to replace them. However, until then, enjoy sharpening!
