As loppers are equipped with long handles, it helps to get hold of the branches that are out of reach and cut them accordingly. With a sharp lopper, trimming of the branches can be done effortlessly, without putting much pressure on the handles. But it is impossible to carry out a cutting job smoothly with blunt blades. Thus, it is better to manage some time to sharpen the blades as it is the most significant part of not just loppers but of every cutting tool.
Here, in this article, check the step by step guidance on how to sharpen loppers. Let’s start!
How to Sharpen Loppers: Pre-sharpening Stage
Clean The Blades Properly
First, you need to clean all the debris and the wood dust from the blades’ surface using a stiff-bristled brush. If this dust is strong enough, you can wash each of the parts separately in warm and soapy water. Clean each of the nooks and corners to remove the dirt
Disassembling
Blades of the loppers are joined with each other in the center with a screw. Now, you need to disassemble the blades using a screwdriver or a wrench. If you want, you can take note of the total number of the parts that you remove. This will help you to join the components quickly afterward.
2 Easy Methods of Sharpening a Lopper
There are various sharpening tools available to sharpen your loppers. Such as, files, whetstone, diamond-coated flat file, sharpening steel, grinding stones, and many more. But the two most popular used sharpening tools are- files and whetstone. Thus, we are covering these two popular methods in this article. We feel confident that by the end of this article you will get to know how to sharpen loppers with ease.
Process 1: Using a file
Securing with a vice: First, you need to fit the blades with a vice firmly. Remember, the sharp corner of the blades must be faced towards you. As the file itself needs to move on the blades.
Filing the age of the blades
In this step, the file must be placed along with the sharpening corner from a shallow angle. After that, the file needs to push over the cutting edge. But avoid scrapping the file backward. As it may diminish the sharpness. The more strikes the file will put, the more sharpening will be the blades. Remember, over-sharpening may break the blade.
Process 2: Using a Whetstone
Wetting the whetstone: Here, you can use lubricating oil to lubricate the sharpening surface to prevent generating heat and friction. It also helps to remove the dust.
Strokes on the blades
Start to apply the gentle strokes on the beveled edge of the blades kept on the whetstone. Continue the strokes against the concave sides until you get the desired shine.
Smoothening the Edges
You should continue the sharpening process until you achieve the razor-like sharp cutting edge. Remember, you should move the blades only in one direction.
How to Sharpen Loppers: Post-sharpening Stage
After sharpening, you need to assemble the blades very tight again using a screwdriver or a wrench. Before that, you can test the sharpness level with the help of the beam of light. If the edge is showing the reflection, they need to increase the sharpening level. That’s it. Now you know how to sharpen garden loppers or pruning loppers at home.
Wrapping-up
Just follow the above-mentioned methods to get a good shine of your gardening loppers. But always remember the instructions of the manufacturer to get the best results regarding how to sharpen loppers.
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