Quality pinking shears are expensive & having them professionally sharpened isn’t cheap either!
As a crafting and sewing tool, they are invaluable, creating perfect zigzags which help prevent fabrics from unraveling. Here is a simple tried and true method for sharpening pinking shears at home in just a couple minutes using basic household items.
The following trick is highly contested in the sewing world, but it has worked for me for years. I’ve had this pair of pinking shears over 10 years, and I’ve never had them “professionally” sharpened.
Try this trick: fold a square of tinfoil (aluminum foil) 2-3 times, (you don’t want the foil to be too thick or it will cause your shears to become misaligned), cut the tinfoil.
Be sure that all of the “teeth” are making full contact with the tinfoil. Repeat twice.
Test on a small piece of scrap fabric. If they aren’t sharp enough, repeat the process.
You can also use very fine sandpaper, be sure not to use rough sandpaper as this will cause scratching and pitting of your shears.
always wanted to know how to sharpen these, mine are kinda of dull. thanks
does this also work on regular scissors….
who would have thought it could be that easy, thank you!:you_rock_emoticon:
Both of these suggestions are temporary at best. If you do them more than once, it will ruin the pinking shears, because it sharpens between the teeth, and they will no longer meet to give a sharp cut. The proper way to sharpen them is to do it on the flat side, not between the teeth. This will give a proper sharpening, and can be done any number of times.
Can you explain the proper way of sharpening pinking shears on the flat side. Thank You