By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Automatic Grinder
Step1
Wear earplugs and safety goggles or a face shield when you sharpen tin snips with an automatic grinder.
Step2
Protect your hands with work gloves when you are handling the blades of tin snips.
Step3
Open the jaws of the tin snips wide. Most likely, it will be necessary to take the tin snips apart by removing the rivet or nut, bolt and spring.
Step4
Choose a coarse wheel and put the wheel on the automatic grinding machine according to the manufacture's directions. Turn on the machine to sharpen tin snips.
Step5
Roll the tin snip blade against the wheel without changing the location of the blades in relationship to the wheel. Individually roll each of the two blades' edges at about an 87-degree angle, but don't grind the faces.
Step6
Hone the edge of the blade to remove metal shavings. Replace the rivet and tighten it slightly with a rivet set, or put the tin snips' nut, bolt and spring on and carefully adjust the tension.
Step7
Test the tin snips on scrap metal to see if the blades cut easily.
Hand Sharpen with a Mill File
Step1
Use the precautions and instructions in Steps 1, 2 and 3 above.
Step2
Follow the angles on the slanted cutting edge of the tin snip blades when you use a mill file.
Step3
Inspect the cutting edges for chips or nicks and remove them with the mill file. Sharpen all of the edge on each blade.
Step4
Set your hone on a hard surface when you hand sharpen tin snips. Match the angle of the snip's blade to the hone stone, and polish the slanted side of the blade.
Step5
Polish the second blade with the hone.
Step6
Put the tin snips back together and test the cutting ability after you sharpen the tin snips.