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Information About Scissors And Shears

When sewing, it’s a necessity to have some scissors. In fact, even if you aren’t doing any sewing, every household needs some scissors! Everyone needs at least one pair of scissors, because they are such a useful tool.

Scissors vs. Shears

To begin with, though people often use the names interchangeably, scissors and shears aren’t really the same thing and are meant to perform different tasks. Shears are used for the heavier cutting jobs, whereas scissors are best used for lighter cutting jobs such as trimming or clipping threads.

Shears Are Made Strong For Heavy Use.

Shears generally measure 6 inches or more in length. The shears are held by putting your thumb through the smaller ring handle, and inserting two or three fingers through the larger ring handle. Holding the shears by placing your fingers through these rings gives better leverage to perform the heavier tasks for which shears excel

Scissors Are Smaller.

Scissors are generally 6 inches in length and on down to 3 inches or even less. Scissors are not only smaller than shears, they also differ because the handle rings are of equal size.

Steel Makes Quality Scissors and Shears.

Most scissors are made of steel. Two main types of steel are used to manufacture scissors. The first type of steel, carbon steel, is used to make scissors with the blade and the handle formed in one continuous piece. This is the best kind of steel because it is very strong and stay sharp. To keep them from rusting, carbon steel scissors and shears are usually plated with chromium or nickel.

Stainless steel is the other kind of steel used to make scissors and shears. The stainless steel blades are usually fitted with plastic handles. Stainless steel scissors don’t retain a sharp edge as long, and aren’t as sturdy. Stainless steel scissors are also harder to re-sharpen. They are, however, generally much cheaper.

Kinds of Shears And Scissors.

There are many types of shears and scissors available. Here’s a small sampling:

• Applique Scissors: Offset for level cutting
• Bent Handle Dressmaker Shears: Allow the cutting blades to rest flat on the table
• Easy Grip Scissors: With larger handles for those having difficulty holding scissors
• Embroidery Scissors: Used for cutting embroider threads
• Finishing Shears: Either as pinking or scalloping shears, used to cut ravel-resistant seams
• Heavy-duty Shears: For cutting leather, upholstery, drapery, etc.
• Thread Snipping Scissors: For cutting loose threads off sewing

There are also shears made for left-handed people, household scissors (all-purpose, poultry shears, etc.), electric scissors, scrapbooking scissors, paper scissors for children and more.

No matter what the cutting job is, there’s probably some kind of shears jor scissors ust right for the task.

Taking Care of Scissors and Shears.

The first and foremost rule of scissors: Scissors should ONLY be used to cut the materials for which they were designed.

Absolutely do NOT use shears for anything other than their intended use. Shears meant for cutting material shouldn’t be used for cutting anything else. If you use shears or scissors for something other than the materials they were intended to cut, that will dull the blades.

Keep shears and scissors dry and dust free, and occasionally oil them at the hinge screw. To help protect the points, keep them in a safe place like a sewing box, or in the case of higher quality scissors, the box they came in. Also, scissors should be stored in a closed position. Laying down a pair of shears or scissors in the open position is the most common cause of dull blades.

High quality shears and scissors can be re-conditioned by the manufacturers or other companies providing that service.This will make your scissors and shears as sharp as new.

Shears And Scissors Summed Up.

For household use, cheaper scissors work fine. It’s a simple matter to replace cheap scissors or shears if they are broken or become dull. For cutting fabric and other sewing tasks, a good set of shears is a wise investment.

The reward of keeping your shears and scissors in good shape is a lifetime of easy cutting.  That will make your sewing a shear pleasure.