Without a doubt, a groomer knows that the most essential factor about a hair clipper is its sharp blades as otherwise it’ll simply beat the purpose.
But over time, a clipper blade is bound to lose its sharpness and you can understand by the uneven cuts, hair pulling, excessive motor noise and so on.
While blunt blade is one of many known issues to occur to your hair clipper, there are different fixes you can perform immediately.
In this article, I’ll guide you through 8 different methods which you can apply to your hair clipper and bring the sharp edge back for seamless grooming!
Contents
Tools and Materials You’ll Need
You’ll need a few tools and materials right next to you so that your sharpening activity proceeds smoothly. Here is the list of those necessary accessories:
- Screwdriver
- Cleaning brush
- Blade disinfectant (optional)
- Cloth or paper towel
- Blade sharpening tool of your choice (more on that later)
- Blade oil
- Magnifying glass (optional)
With these tools, you’ll be able to prepare your hair clipper blades for the thorough sharpening operation!
Preparations for Sharpening Hair Clipper Blades
Using the tools, there’s a little prep work to be done before moving on to the next phase. These preparations include unmounting and cleaning the blades.
Disassemble: First, make sure your hair clipper cord is disconnected from the power source or completely turned off if it’s cordless.
Then, based on the type of your hair clipper, either unhinge the mechanism to remove the blade or unscrew using the screwdriver.
Be sure to keep the screws in a safe place. Take a picture before unscrewing to remember where they go back.
Clean: Once the blade comes off, use the cleaning brush to thoroughly cleanse the entire blade system.
Go over all the narrow spots with the brush to make sure there’s no residue left behind.
Disinfect: Furthermore, you should pick a clipper disinfectant like isopropyl alcohol. Damp the paper towel into this solution and wipe the blade slowly but firmly using this.
After these three steps, your clipper blade should be ready to be put through a sharpening procedure.
Methods for Hair Clipper Blades Sharpening
Here, I’m going to discuss 8 methods to sharpen your hair clipper blades with their pros and cons to allow you to pick the perfect way you could proceed.
Using a Sharpening Stone (Honing Stone)
The most common method you can try at home is to use a sharpening stone, or more commonly known as a honing stone.
These are generally used for knife sharpening and if you own one, it could serve both of these purposes for you.
My preferred stone for hair clipper blade sharpening is a 3000/8000 which you can easily find on Amazon.
Dip the stone in water and make sure it’s moist while you apply the blades on top. As clipper blades have two parts (one static, one oscillating), you have to sharpen both of these.
Find their flat sides and bring the moist stone out of water. Keeping it moist, place the blades on the 3000 flatly and draw ‘8’s on top of it.
Generally, around 30 strokes per blade should do the trick, but check for progress every 10-15 strokes to know when to stop. Don’t put too much pressure, being gentle gets the job done.
If the stone dries up, sprinkle a little water on top and get back at your actions. Once both the blades are done, your procedure would be completed.
Pros
- Quick and easy
- Durable and budget-friendly
- Works on minor dullness
Cons
- Demands manual effort
- Damaged blades won’t work
Using a Diamond Sharpening Stone
If your hair clipper is very robust, something like a sturdy Andis or Wahl clipper, you may want to use a diamond sharpening stone.
This stone is basically a regular honing stone with a layer of diamond on top. The diamond is required for clipper blades that are thick and don’t sharpen easily.
The procedure is pretty much the same as a honing stone. You have to place the clipper blades on their flat side to draw imaginary 8s.
However in this case, you don’t need to drench the stone in water as the diamond coating enables a frictionless experience.
Pros
- Faster for robust blades
- High-quality result
- Durable
Cons
- More expensive than regular honing stones
Using Sandpaper
For those who don’t want to invest in a sharpening stone, sandpaper is a great alternative but this requires familiarity with using such material.
The ideal route is to buy two sandpapers, one a 1000 grits and the other a 2000. Fine-grit sandpaper is perfect for the job and make sure yours is wet-operation ready.
Start with the 1000 grit and sprinkle some water in to smooth out the friction. Keep the sandpaper on an even and hard surface.
Place the two blade cutters flat on the sandpaper and keep the 8-animation going until you feel the blade is sharp enough.
Pros
- Cheap
- Easily accessible
Cons
- Less precise
- Wears out fast
Using a Grinding Wheel or Rotary Tool
Not everyone owns a rotary tool in their workshop, but if you’re among those who do keep one at arm’s disposal, I got good news for you.
By installing a fine grinding disk on your grinding wheel, you may be able to sharpen the blades of your clipper with more ease.
There are plenty of different options to choose from and most can be easily ordered online or purchased at the local hardware store.
Once the disk is in motion, firmly hold each of the blades individually and lightly touch on the grinding disk at an optimum angle (it varies from blade to blade).
Do not grind excessively since it will destroy the integrity of the blade. It should take between 10-20 seconds to get the job done.
Pros
- Effective for heavily dulled or damaged blades
- Better utilized by experts
Cons
- Requires a certain level of skill with rotary tools
- Expensive for occasional usage
Using Blade Sharpening Machines
There actually are designated blade sharpening machines catering to hair clippers and trimmers of different varieties.
While you need to have a good understanding of the machine as well as the condition of the blades you may put through it, the cost of this machine is by no means cheap.
The procedure includes inserting the clipper blade at the designated spot. From this point onward, the instructions will differ in various machines.
But it doesn’t take much long to get used to it and follow the instructions. The results are probably the finest and take the least amount of time to get done.
Pros
- Gives the best results
- Great for those who sharpen clipper blades regularly
- Very quick and precise
Cons
- Initial cost of machine purchase is very high
- Not worthy for occasional use
Professional Sharpening Services
If all of these procedures feel hectic, you can simply opt for a professional sharpening service. However, there are a few factors you should keep in mind.
First of all, assess whether your clipper blade still has the integrity to invest in such a service. Secondly, how frequently you require sharpening. Because recurrent service availing will turn out to be more costly in the long run.
Third, it’s better if the service provider lives nearby. Otherwise, the fee of parceling the blades back and forth will turn out to be hefty and not worth it in general.
Pros
- High quality results are guaranteed
- Saves your time and effort
Cons
- Recurrent availing will be costly
- Inconvenient if there’s no local service provider
DIY with Aluminum Foil
Don’t fret over the cost because I’m not done yet! Here’s a very easy and affordable method to sharpen hair clipper blades at your home – a DIY technique!
Take an aluminum foil and fold it in halves until it creates a thick layer. Place that layered foil on a flat, solid surface.
Then, take your blade parts and run the cutting edges over the folded foil around 5-10 times. This should enhance the sharpness by a noticeable margin.
It works mostly with blades that are slightly dulled, isn’t damaged and the thickness isn’t like a professional-graded clipper.
Mostly the friction between the foil and blades generate heat and the grinding action removes every metal residue to refine the blade fringes.
Pros
- Quick and easy to do at home
- Highly affordable
- No special tools will be needed
Cons
- The solution is temporary
- Heavily dulled blades won’t see good results
Using a Sharpening Compound or Paste
Another DIY and temporary solution for sharpening your hair clipper blades is to use a sharpening paste or a similar compound.
Usually these pastes are used for material sharpening on honing stones or grinders, but these can be quick and temporary solutions to clipper blades as well.
Once you’ve disassembled your clipper blade, apply a thick layer of the paste over the sharp edges of the blade parts.
Then, put everything back together and run the clipper for around 30-40 seconds. This should grant you a certain extent of sharpness without costing an arm and a leg.
Pros
- Your blades are polished and sharpened simultaneously
- Minor sharpness enhancement
Cons
- Severely dull blades won’t work
Note: It’s worth mentioning that you have to perfectly realign your clipper blades once the shaving operation is completed. Revisit the photo you took before disassembly to follow where the screws came from and remember the previous blade alignment.
Which Clipper Blade Sharpening Method Should You Choose?
Let me help you decide which of the methods would be ideal for your cause. With my help, you’d be able to easily pick the most convenient approach!
- For DIY Beginners: If you’re new to hair clipper blade sharpening and don’t want to overspend, the aluminum foil, sandpaper, paste and honing stone would be your best case scenario.
- For Professionals: For professional barbers who require frequent blade sharpening, sharpening machines, grinding wheels or diamond stones would serve your cause perfectly.
- For Long-term Use: Those who want to make their sharpened clipper blades last a long time, diamond sharpening stones, sharpening machines and professional services are the paths to take.
Final Thoughts
So, we’ve discussed the different methods of how to sharpen hair clipper blades. My offerres solutions are diverse in many regards including effort and cost.
A lot of these methods are cost-efficient while other more expensive approaches offer lasting results.
If you want to retain the sharpness of your clipper blades for a longer period of time, you should undertake frequent and proper maintenance routines.
For further queries, feel free to drop a comment on this article and I will surely get back to you with a working solution!