Wire cutters need to stay sharp in order to be able to perform their function to the best of their ability, but the good news is you do not need to engage the services of a professional to keep your wire cutters sharp. Wire cutters can be sharpened by you in the comfort of your own home by just following a few simple steps.
Safety first
There is not a lot of risks involved in sharpening wire cutters, but nonetheless, it is still important to take a handful of basic safety precautions before commencing with the procedure. It is a relatively easy task to sharpen your wire cutters, and many different tools are not required. However, you should ensure you are wearing your work gloves and protect your eyes by wearing safety goggles.
Lighting
Spotting potential problems with your wire cutter require a sharp eye, so to make sure the sharpening process has the best chance of success it is important to have enough lighting in your work area.
Tools
There is no need to have complicated or high-performance tools on hand in order to sharpen your wire cutters. All you really need to carry out this task is a simple hand file.
Hand file types
There are a number of different types of hand files, so which should you use to sharpen your wire cutters? The texture on the files is a simple method of recognising the hand file type. Rougher textures will deplete the surface being rubbed to a greater extent than those with a fine texture. It is the latter that should be used to sharpen your wire cutters as extremely coarse hand files will only result in damage to the wire cutter as the areas that need sharpening on a wire cutter are very small.
Rubbing
The next step is to actually begin with the process of sharpening your wire cutters. Sharpen one blade at a time by rubbing the hand file on it in a swift manner, but use gentle rubs and avoid using too much force.
Testing
After every blade on your wire cutter has been sharpened, the next step is to test out its functionality. Use the tool to try to cut wires and if it is able to do so without excess effort on your part. If this is not the case then some more sharpening may be required.
Cleaning
After the right level of sharpness has been achieved, the process can be stopped. The next step is cleaning the blades. The blades and the inner portions of the tool should be cleaned with the use of a wire brush.
Maintenance
There is no limit to the number of times the sharpening process can be carried, but cleaning the wire cutters after each use is a good idea to increase their longevity. Correct maintenance will also cut down the amount of sharpening required. Use soap water every use and rub the blades with alcohol. Remove any foreign substances and use WD40 to clean sticky substances.
Storage
The last step is to store the wire cutters correctly. Oil the blades prior to storing them somewhere cool and dry.
Wire cutters are indispensable tools that need to be properly maintained.
