Why is it so hard to find....

[Greger]

Never heard of spring loaded hinges for shears.

[Henry Hall]

Never heard of spring loaded hinges for shears.

Me neither.

[hutch--]

Ah well, you have learnt something. I have seen them in shears circa 1910 but not a good design back then. These two pairs of cheapies from Pakistan have a standard looking bolt and nut on the other side but under the head of the bolt is a spring that controls the tension on the hinge. I don't like the feel of them as they have too much drag but they do cut OK.

[Dunc]

Schneidergott recently shared some video and images of some even more unusual shears... They have a sort of cam mechanism in the hinge so that the top blade moves forward as you open them and pulls back as you close:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Buw0AN1nmJV/

There are more images and another video in his Instagram feed showing the internals of the mechanism.

[Schneiderfrei]

Wonderful.

[Henry Hall]

Is that a good thing for the top blade to do that? Hutch, inform me.

[hutch--]

Henry,

Schneidergott has a good collection of shears but sight unseen its hard to tell how well they work. It sounds like with the top blade pulling back when closing that it is a design to try and prevent fabric sliding forward when being cut which some very fine and often slipper fabrics do.

I have a couple of linings that are no joy to cut and what I use is a near worn out pair of old Wiss shears that are sharp but have been sharpened too many times which changes the geometry of the blades.

With far less angle change from open to close, they are far less inclined to push the lining forward and cut accurately.

[Greger]

I think ever so slightly pulling back on the shears is better.
And, pinks for linings.

[Dunc]

Schneidergott's comments seemed to indicate that he didn't really like using them: "They cut, but because of all the moving parts you have additional friction. The operation is not very smooth, a good standard pair of shears works better."

They may have worked better when new, of course... But they obviously didn't catch on, or they wouldn't be so unusual.

[spookietoo]

There is something to be said for rotary cutters when it comes to slippery linings and silks.

The men's neckties I repurpose for hongkong finishes and decorative trim would be a pain with any shears. Not a huge fan of rotaries overall, but for cutting 1-1/2" silk bias strips.....easy breezy. And the smaller rotaries are easy for cutting armscyes in linings.

Large, bulky shears simply displace the fabric too much for me. Lets, face it, sneezing at  the wrong moment can play havoc with some of the slippery stuff!

[Hendrick]

Cut wet...

I hate cutting light materials (who doesnt). But.... my dad tought me a trick that I actually use as standard. Once the material on the cutting table, wet it ever so lightly with one these old fashioned (copper) plant misters from a good distance. Leave it for a minute or two before cutting. You won't believe the difference that makes. Most fabrics are stored too dry and buildings are (far too) dry too.

Cheers, Hendrick

[Henry Hall]

I do what Greger mentioned: pulling back slightly. It works every time. In general though even lining responds well to good shears. If there are weights on it why should it move at all?

I've still never tried a rotary cutter. I don't want to purchase some enormous cutting mat  just for that, though I suppose a sheet of board would do as well.

I actually just like cutting out with shears. The tips allow for careful work.

[Schneiderfrei]

I found a really cheap mat some time ago and purchased it and a cutter. I do think the fine fabrics roll around/slide, even with weights and hand pressure. I tend not to use it.

[theresa in tucson]

Have you tried sandwiching the slippery cloth in tissue paper?  I'm told by someone who works in the industry that is how factories control slippery stuff so it can be cut with a rotary knife.  I have no experience with slippery stuff as I don't sew with it so i cannot give first person reaction to the tip.

[Greger]

Pinks are for fray.
Some linings, perhaps all, are cut with the good sides out and insides in. The pieces together that way are less slippery. Can always use sharp pins to hold cloth together.