Bespoke Cutter And Tailor

Just spent the last three days polishing and sharpening a #7 set of Heinisch heavy pattern shears I found on eBay for $49!

I sharpened them very carefully using the knowledge Hutch shared on the site, and with a little intuitive experimentation I was able to make them sharp enough to slice through shear loose Bemberg lining like butter. Mmmmm.


At first, I was really worried because the shear bolt seemed extremely loose, so I thought perhaps the shears had worn down too much and I'd need to create a shim, but then I remembered what Hutch said about the bolt being placed in the correct orientation. So on a hunch, I turned it 180° and it began working perfectly. Apparently someone had replaced the bolt in the wrong orientation in the past.

The project is still underway. They had dropped somewhere in their 120 year life, so I carefully bent the blade back true. I have to fix the missing inlay of the front 1/2 inch where the tip had bent. It's like a tooth without enamel and won't cut, nor would I want it to, or else the softer frame steel will wear out quickly.

After that, I'm going to nickel plate these, Japan the handles and give it one final sharpening.

For the handles, I'm going to do actual Japanning using Gilsonite uintaite, turpentine and boiled linseed oil, to recreate the original high-impact, high-heat tolerance finish.

The shears were not nickel plated originally, though having read through the Heinisch catalog, I read that nickel plating was a factory option "to order." Same with Wiss. I figure, 120 years after the fact, it's never too late to give some nice corrosion protection! I'm researching that process, and that's also why I made sure to polish this up clear to a mirror shine. Whatever finish is on the steel, becomes the finish on the plating.

I didn't take too many photos or videos since this is my first shear restoration project, and I didn't want to have my attention distracted by trying to keep a camera focused while experimenting with something I've never done before. I just picked up a #9 Heinisch pair, so I plan on documenting that restoration project more thoroughly and posting it on YouTube.

In the meantime, enjoy a few photos!

Holding the blade at the angle to demonstrate for the photo, I gently ran down at about a 30° angle, perpendicular to the blade (with both hands of course to steady the blade)



A nice slurry on the stone. I had to use the only one available—a tiny Gingher, with lots of machine oil on it.



When I saw that the back and front portion were cutting but not the middle, I was able to identify just what type of texture I needed to feel for on the portions that were working. Eventually I figured it out. It's highly tactile, the process, like safe-cracking.



Here's that missing inlay. I'm going to research about welding a shim of hardened steel onto the tip.



The top and bottom blade midway through the polishing for comparison.



I noticed there was a diagonal pattern stamped on the edge of the shear bolt. Unsure if this was a factory decorative pattern or someone using pliars on them, I made sure not to polish these brass pieces too hard lest I lose texture.

Bad idea to weld unless plan o heat treating the whole thing again. Will never be right, even then, as no idea what chemistry of metal is.

Use as is and look for perfect examples. There's a reason no collector grabbed it. Just my opinion.

Yeah,.. I agree, I would be VERY Wary of doing Any Welding on them, as it Would effect the existing Heat Treatment and as Al suggested even contemplating re- heat treating them could be a real issue, unless you know exactly how it was done, but even so, the Crystaline structure of the metal has been that way for over 100 years !!

Do you Really want to 'Mess' with it ?? Maybe call Wiss and chat to someone about them doing it ?? Otherwise I reckon I'd just clean it up and reshape the damaged area with the grinder.

I'd even be very cautious about 'Plating' them, much better to Polish them to the 'max' and using some rust preventative coating like "Renaissance" Micro-Crystaline Wax Polish or Camellia Oil etc 

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Funny you mentioned Wiss! I gave their parent-parent company a call,  let them know what I'm doing, and asked them for information. They took my contact info down and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

They're no longer a standalone company, unfortunately, so whether they even have good metallurgy knowledge or capabilities anymore, I have no idea. They don't even make their newer 22W bent trimmers the same as when I bought my pair a decade ago. New logo, don't look as refined, based on the thumbnails I've seen. Theirs are nickel plated still.

One thought I had is to spot-weld a dime of material onto the exposed tip and sanding that down to match the inlay, but the rod would need to be made of a strong alloy- something which I don't even know if it exists.

I also know a couple professional knife-makers whose opinions I'll ask about things. Whatever the case, I won't just recklessly try to make a repair.

Regarding nickel plating, I'm looking into the different options. There are electroless methods which apply a much more even coat,  don't rely on electrical current, used for industrial applications. What I'm thinking of doing is buying a cheap scrap-metal pair of shears, beyond repair, removing the rust and using it as a sacrificial piece on which to experiment.

I agree with Steelmillal and Stoo, Dont mess with the original metal. Like Stoo said, that steel has been settled for over a hundred years now. It's got an internal structure and grain.  Part of that is in fact made of rust and another part is made of the escaping carbon that is part of the process. Both of those elements help keep the steel hard and strong.

My experience? I once soaked a pair of shears in light vinegar to clear away rust, the entire rust system was removed and the steel turned into mush.

Quote from: MrLufi on January 29, 2024, 08:26:24 AMWhat I'm thinking of doing is..

Let him go. Three sayin no ain't gonna change the path less traveled. Bladesmith wisdom might, but I'd say they should do what he wants done and charge him by the hour, with no guaranteed caveats included in the T&M invoice/contract.

Wish I knew someone who knows where a perfect collection is for sale...

Quote from: Schneiderfrei on January 29, 2024, 03:52:59 PMI once soaked a pair of shears

I got three in plain water right now. Finally weather warm enough to stick my hands in cold water to continue the resto...

Quick update! Got the handles on these shiny and black!


Three coats of specially brewed japanning did the job beyond my expectations! They haven't been this pretty for close to 120 years.

They cut!

The next video showcasing this restoration project has been uploaded!