Skinnygoomba
Shohin
This is how I maintain my bonsai scissors. I will first point out that I say that I am 'maintaining', and that is true, this is not a full sharpening but instead something that I will do after repeated use to maintain the edge. I do not misuse my scissors and therefore I do not need to work chips out of the edge.
Bonsai scissors have a 'shear' edge, or an edge that has a very shallow angle, where the cutters meet. This edge does exactly that; it shears. Scissors are unlike knives in that aspect and should be treated accordingly. The shear edge is not flat along the length of the edge, it has a slight radius or 'belly' to the edge. The belly works to skew the cutting edge so that you are entering the cut gradually. If this were not there I suspect, in use, the scissors would feel very corse, like chopping. Instead they feel smooth.
I am using only my finish stone and making short strokes while maintaining geometry and maintaining the radius along the length of the blade until any noticable raggedness is gone. This leaves a faint wire edge on the back of the blade.
I use a strop to remove this light wire edge, without compound, and the reason for this is that I want the back to remain flat and the distance between the blades to remain the same.
Bonsai scissors have a 'shear' edge, or an edge that has a very shallow angle, where the cutters meet. This edge does exactly that; it shears. Scissors are unlike knives in that aspect and should be treated accordingly. The shear edge is not flat along the length of the edge, it has a slight radius or 'belly' to the edge. The belly works to skew the cutting edge so that you are entering the cut gradually. If this were not there I suspect, in use, the scissors would feel very corse, like chopping. Instead they feel smooth.
I am using only my finish stone and making short strokes while maintaining geometry and maintaining the radius along the length of the blade until any noticable raggedness is gone. This leaves a faint wire edge on the back of the blade.
I use a strop to remove this light wire edge, without compound, and the reason for this is that I want the back to remain flat and the distance between the blades to remain the same.
