On 30/05/2011 20:43, 'Mike' wrote:
"Jeff wrote in message
...
On 30/05/2011 19:41, 'Mike' wrote:
"Emery wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I'd like to sharpen up my faithful Felco #2 secateurs, what's the best
method?

Thanks,

-E

Use a small oilstone and sharpen the angle.

DO NOT, REPEAT NOT TOUCH THE FACES WHICH SLIDE TOGETHER Sorry for
shouting
but the two faces which slide together are a scissor slicing action
............. (look at a pair of scissors and see how they slice as they
come
together)


I have an ancient pair of bypass secateurs which I have been using for at
least 25 years, and have sharpened several times. Being unaware of your
comment, I have been sharpening only the flat sides of both blades on an
oilstone, as it is far easier to do this by hand than getting the bevel
angle on a curved surface right by eye (or having to use some sort of
device to get the angle correct) and sharpening that. Yes, I suppose that
the blades get microscopically thinner each time I do this, but it doesn't
seem to have affected their pruning efficacy.

I don't see how it matters if the faces which slide together have a
scissors action IF the pivot point is through the flat surfaces which
cross to make the cut.

--

Jeff

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you take them to pieces and hold them flat on the oilstone to ensure that
the whole flat surface is cleaned/sharpened?

Indeed. By doing that - as you point out - I also get the opportunity
to clean out the grot which you normally can't get to as it is stuck
between the blades!

If not, how come you don't have a gap as the blades come together?

--

Jeff