How to Sharpen Scissors With Glass

It can be irritating to search high and low for a pair of scissors, only to find one and realize it is too dull to serve your purposes. Don't throw the scissors into the back of a junk drawer and don't throw them away. Follow these steps and re-sharpen that pair of scissors with glass and give them a new life of usefulness once again.

Things You'll Need

• Safety glasses
• Glass cup or tumbler

Instructions

1. Select a glass tumbler or cup that you will not mind getting scratched or even chipped. Given that there are so many different types of glass, manufactured by different vendors, there is no guarantee regarding the stability of one particular glass over another so any type that you select should work out fine. Just choose one that you do not mind damaging or losing. Put on your safety glasses.

2. Position the glass rim between the blades of the scissors, and open the scissors as wide as the glass will allow. Push the scissors as far up the length of the blade, and as close to the handle as you can go. This will enable you to sharpen as much of the scissors' blades as possible.

3. Begin to "cut" the glass rim, in just about the same way as you would if you were cutting paper. Do not try apply very much force. Focus on running the full length of the scissors along the glass rim. Pull the scissors up and out of the glass at the same time as you cut.

4. Test the scissors after a few tries, to see if they cut paper any better than they did before. If not, repeat the "cutting the glass" process as many times as you need to they cut well.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use an old glass bottle if you prefer not to use a glass cup or tumbler. This option may be preferable to using a drinking glass, because bottles, particularly old glass soda bottles, tend to be of much thicker, more resilient glass. This will minimize the risk of chipping or breaking.

• Do not use this method of sharpening scissors on craft scissors or fabric cutting scissors. The blades of these scissors are often manufactured differently, and will require sharpening on metal. Substituting aluminum for glass in this case may be used to re-sharpen these types of scissors.

• Never use cracked or broken glass to sharpen your scissors. This glass is has already been weakened and may shatter.