How To Make Your Clippers Sharper To Last Longer?
A hair clipper is one of the best investments for men who seek ways to get a professional cut without digging a hole in their pocket. Clippers can make grooming seamless, especially for men who engage in frequent cuts and trims.
Of course, you must still visit your barber frequently, but having a clipper can reduce the frequency of the visits. They are best suited for longer hair. It is a device that professionals use and is quite similar to the hair trimmers.
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However, between a trimmer vs. clipper, clipper will not pull your hair, regardless of its size. It has several benefits to tackling hair of different lengths, given the multiple attachments that come with it. So, when you have it at home, you can give yourself the desired look at your time and convenience.
Just like any other grooming tool, it also needs routine maintenance. Unfortunately, many of us regularly use our clipper but do nothing to maintain it post our grooming sessions. If you wish for them to last you long and retain their efficiency, you must know how to sharpen hair clipper blades.
You can guarantee their longevity when you know how to sharpen barber clippers. So, how to sharpen clipper blades? Did you ever ponder how to sharpen hair trimmers blade to make it last long? If so, this guide on how to make your clippers sharper will help you.
How To Sharpen Electric Hair Clipper Blades?
Below, we will discuss three prevalent methods to sharpen clipper blades.
Method 1- Using Whetstone
To sharpen hair clipper blades with a whetstone or any fine-grained stone you must gather your supplies.
Things you’ll need:
Before we detail how to sharpen hair trimmers, you must collect all the stuff needed.
- Baby oil or any oil of your choice
- Water
- Cleaning brush or a toothbrush
- A pair of tweezers
- A sharpening stone or whetstone
- Isopropyl alcohol or any cleaning solution
- A piece of cloth
Now that you have the supplies handy, you can begin learning how to make your clippers sharper.
Step 1 – Unscrew and remove the blades from the clipper
How to sharpen clipper blades with these mere your supplies – you wonder! Well, fetch the screwdriver, and unscrew the clipper blades at first.
Typically, electric clippers have two screws on the flip side. To get the blades out, you have to unscrew these screws. Once unscrewed, you can get your blades out. However, the edges are stuck inside and do not come out sometimes. So, you can use a tweezer and pull them out.
It is the first step to learning how to sharpen electric hair clipper blades. However, please remember that not every clipper will have two screws. It is the minimum. So, if your clipper has more screws, you can follow the same unscrewing process for them.
Step 2 – Clean the blades
How to sharpen hair clipper blades after you have the edges outside? Now, you need to start cleansing them. Depending on when you cleaned them last, you can see dirt, debris, and hair accumulated on the blade.
Now, pick the brush, and start cleaning everything unwanted from the blade. Be careful, and get rid of everything to ensure there is no debris or dirt at the end.
Cleaning the dirt, dust, hair, and debris helps achieve a smooth and sharp shave the next time. Once done, follow it up with a cleaning solution or isopropyl alcohol. It helps sanitize the blades thoroughly for subsequent use.
Step 3 – Dry them
How to sharpen hair clipper blades once you’ve cleaned them? After you finish cleaning once with the cleaning solution, examine it thoroughly. If there is any remnant, clean it one more time. You will find your blades shining again. Now, using a towel or cloth, dry the edges.
Step 4 – Test them
It is one of the most vital steps in how to sharpen clipper blades process. After following the above three steps stating how to make your clippers sharper, you now have to test them to assess whether they need further sharpening or cleaning.
So, install the blades back into the clipper, and check them as you use them. If the clipper works well, you do not need to proceed to further how to sharpen hair trimmers steps.
On the contrary, you must continue further if the clippers still do not work to their maximum capability. So, how to sharpen electric hair clipper blades now? You need to disassemble them again.
Step 5 – Sharpening the clippers.
Take a whetstone or an oil stone and run the edges multiple times against it. Keep doing it till you achieve desired results. If one end looks shiny, you can flip over and start sharpening the other side.
However, as you perform these steps on how to sharpen barber clippers, please do not over sharpen the blades. But, what to do if you do not have a whetstone. While an oil stone is available on Amazon easily, if you do not have it, you can use a lapping or a grinding wheel.
Step 6 – Oil it
Now, it is the final step. Now, it is time to lubricate the clipper. It is necessary to retain its sharpness and is an unignorable step in how to sharpen clipper blades. A drop or two of oil would suffice. You can reassemble the clipper, tighten the screw, and test it.
After completing the six steps above, you know how to sharpen hair clipper blades and clippers. We are sure your clipper will work as well as new after this.
Method 2 – Using Sandpaper
Below, we will enlist steps to clean and sharpen blades with sandpaper.
Cleaning
What will you need?
- Screwdriver
- Toothbrush
- Bowl
- Lukewarm water
- Isopropyl alcohol or white vinegar
- Towel or cloth
Step 1 – Disassemble the blades with a screwdriver, as learned in method 1.
Step 2 – Use a toothbrush to clean all the debris, residue, and hair.
Step 3 – Take a bowl, and fill it with lukewarm water. Now, add some white vinegar to it. You can also use any other cleaning agent like isopropyl alcohol.
Step 4 – Dip the toothbrush in it, and now, use this wet toothbrush to sanitize the blades.
Step 5 – It will leave the blades clean. Now, take a towel or cloth and dry them.
How to sharpen barber clippers with Sandpaper?
If the blades are rusty or the steps above do not work, you must invest in new clipper blades. However, you can proceed with the sharpening steps if you have clean edges.
What will you need?
- Sandpaper
- Baby oil
Step 1 – Put down the clean blade on a flat surface.
Step 2 – Rub it against sandpaper. Repeat several times, covering all blade surfaces.
Step 3 – Now, do the opposite. Put the sandpaper on the flat surface, and rub the clipper blade against it. It polishes the clipper and adds to its sheen.
Step 4 – Use some baby oil to lubricate the blades.
Step 5 – Test them, and if it works well, great. If not, you can repeat the process.
Method 3 – Using An Aluminum Foil
The process for sharpening the hair clippers is similar to sharpening with sandpaper. You can repeat the same steps. The only difference is instead of sandpaper, there is an aluminum foil.
Method 4 – Using A Toothpaste
It may amaze you, but people use toothpaste to sharpen their clipper blades. Believe it or not, it works magically.
What will you need?
Here are the things you need before you learn how to sharpen clipper blades:
- Clean water
- Small brush
- Toothpaste
- Baby oil
Step 1 – Clean the bristles.
Use the cleaning brush to clean the bristles. Pay special attention to the tiny hair strands stuck within the blades. Try to remove them all with the brush.
Step 2 – Use the toothpaste.
Take some toothpaste and apply it to the clipper’s screen segments and the razor. Generously dispersed it to all sides. You can turn on the power and run the razor at a minute pace to spread it well.
Step 3 – Rinse the blades.
Disassemble the blades, and rinse them under warm water.
Step 4 – Dry the blades
Take a cloth or a towel, and dry the blades. Now, apply some baby oil to it, and leave it for air-drying.
Step 5 – Reassemble
Once the blades have dried, you can reassemble them. Now, test to see if it works any better.
Bottom Line
Willing to learn how to sharpen hair trimmers and maintain your clippers will make them last a long time. So, clean and sharpen them before they are too dull to use.
Also, when you do it regularly, you avoid the stress on the clipper’s mechanical parts and simultaneously prevent discomfort from tugging and pulling the hair.
Related: Best Oster Hair Clippers, Best Andis Clippers
How To Sharpen Hair Clipper Blades – FAQs
Ques 1. How do I know if my clipper blades need sharpening?
Ans. You have learned how to sharpen clipper blades, but does your clipper need sharpening? How will you now? Multiple giveaway signs tell you it is time to sharpen your clipper blades. Below, we will discuss the three main symptoms.
1. Multiple passes
If you cannot trim your hair in one go and have to make many passes to tackle even a small section, your blades have lost their natural sharpening ability.
2. Uneven cutting actions
If your clipper performs unevenly, you must know it is time to sharpen it. Perhaps, it is the blade’s rusting action, resulting in uneven cutting.
3. Hair pulling
One of the most distinguishing things about a hair clipper is that it does not cause a pulling action. However, if it starts pulling, it may be because of its weakening sharpness.
Ques 2. How often should you sharpen your clipper blades?
Ans. How often you sharpen your clipper blades depends on how frequently you use them. For an average user, sharpening once in six months can suffice. However, if you use it more, you can consider sharpening once every three to four months.
Ques 3. How do I keep my Wahl clippers sharp?
Ans. Turn on the blade sharpener, and apply a few drops of Wahl clipper oil to the sharpening disk. It is a horizontal disk that moves to sharpen the blade, and with the lubricant, the blade glides smoothly across the disk. Hence, your Wahl clippers sharpen evenly.
Ques 4. How do you sharpen clipper blades with salt?
Ans. Rock salt can be an excellent ingredient to sharpen your clipper blades.
Follow the steps below on how to sharpen barber clippers with salt:
- Move the blade into salt container ensuring that the salt covers the cutter teeth.
- Let it run till the salt crumbles.
- Once a portion of the salt crumbles, move to another.
Ques 5. Where to get clipper blades sharpened?
Ans. Not everyone like sharpening the clipper blades at home. If you are one of them, fret not. There are professionals to help you. You can easily find professional sharpeners locally. But, be careful to reach out to someone who knows the job.
Ques 6. What are self-sharpening hair clippers?
Ans. These are the latest innovations in the clipper circuit that simplifies the life of clipper users. They employ a straightforward technology to retain the blade’s sharpness. These clipper blades have a piece of metal, and the blade runs against it, causing friction. Hence, every time you turn the power on, it starts self-sharpening.
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