How To Sharpen Dog Clippers

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How to Sharpen Dog Clipper Blades

The purpose of trimming your furry friend’s hair isn’t only essential for aesthetics but also to ensure your pet’s health and safety. To execute your hair cutting correctly, you must first learn the fundamentals of blade sharps. With this, it’s also necessary that you know how to sharpen a dull dog clipper blade. In this segment, you’ll learn what you need to do to achieve it.

How To Sharpen Dog Clippers

The first step in sharpening dog clippers is through disassembling the blades. For safety purposes, always ensure that your clipper is unplugged or turned off before knocking it down into pieces. Moreover, you must gently remove the screws to avoid misplacement of parts that could fall off as you dismantle.

Remember that the blade assembly is found in the clipper head along with small screws. It also implies that you’ll need a screwdriver to remove it before detaching the blade from the clipper.

Things You’ll Need

  • Large washcloth or towel – Your non-slip workspace, to define it and to make for an easier clean up.
  • Two small bowls – One will be used to hold the screws, and any other small parts of the clipper unit while the other will be used to to submerge the blades in the cleaning solution
  • Screwdriver – For removing the screws that hold the blades together on the head of the clipper
  • Small cleaning brush – For removing hair, dirt and debris from the blades and from the clipper head
  • Cleaning solution – For soaking the blades, often made specifically for blade cleaning by the same companies who make the clippers
  • Whetstone – The tool used to actually sharpen the blades against.

    • **You will need two different grits, one coarser (about 4000 grit) and one finer grit (about 8000 grit or a littler finer); this can be either one stone with two different grit sides, or two different stones, whatever you prefer.

    **If your blades are ceramic, you will need to use a diamond sharpening stone instead of a whetstone

  • Small bucket or bowl of water, large enough to submerge the whetstone – To allow the whetstone to saturate with water
  • Small spray bottle of water – To wet and lubricate the surface of the whetstone for while sharpening
  • A small cloth or paper towel(s) – To dry the blades after cleaning
  • Oil – To lubricate the blades prior to reassembly

    • Clean the Blade and Your Clipper

    One of the essential processes that you shouldn’t overlook is the importance of cleaning your blade and clippers. Before and after you sharpen, make sure to clean the edges to avoid malfunction. Take note that even the tiniest dirt or debris molecules can harm your clipper’s sharpness and overall function.

    It will be best if you soak the blade using a cleaning agent and let it hang for less than an hour. In some cases, the soaking duration may vary according to the type of solution you are using. Additionally, use protective gloves if you are scrubbing some dirt off to prevent cuts from the blade. Preferably, it would help if you only used running water after the disinfection process.

    In sharpening your tool, there are a few aspects to check first before doing it. It includes securing your whetstone in place and ensuring that it won’t shake in the sharpening process. There shouldn’t be worry on your part, considering that you’ll work on the towel on the ground serving as a workspace.

    When using a whetstone, make sure that it is sufficiently wide to hold your clipper blade. On the other hand, if you intend to use a grinding wheel or lapping wheel, observe a stricter caution. The use of these sharpening wheels is not advisable, mainly if you aren’t used to it beforehand.

    After undergoing a thorough process before the proper sharpening, you’ll be pleased to know that this is the fastest part. Once you hit the ground running, expect a smooth execution of the sharpening stage for your dog clipper blades.

    At this point, you have to sharpen the flat sides of the blades and run them from side to side. First, it should go through the coarse whetstone and then over the more delicate stone. Conducting two sets will be enough for each blade. A manual sharpening usually lasts for about three to four minutes.

    FAQ

    How do I make my clippers sharper?

    Yes, you can sharpen your clipper blades using sandpaper. Just like when using a whetstone, start by unscrewing the blades, brushing and cleaning them using a blade wash. Place the sandpaper on a flat surface and run the clipper blades across as you hold them. Don’t press too hard and stop when they are sharp.

    How can I sharpen my grooming blades at home?

    Add oil to the sharpening disk

    Turn your blade sharpener on, and apply a small amount of Wahl clipper blade oil to the sharpening disk. The disk lies horizontally on the base and moves gently to sharpen the blades, and the oil makes the blades glide evenly across the disk for even sharpening.

    Can you sharpen your own clipper blades?

    Add oil to the sharpening disk

    Turn your blade sharpener on, and apply a small amount of Wahl clipper blade oil to the sharpening disk. The disk lies horizontally on the base and moves gently to sharpen the blades, and the oil makes the blades glide evenly across the disk for even sharpening.

    How do you sharpen dog Wahl clippers?

    Add oil to the sharpening disk

    Turn your blade sharpener on, and apply a small amount of Wahl clipper blade oil to the sharpening disk. The disk lies horizontally on the base and moves gently to sharpen the blades, and the oil makes the blades glide evenly across the disk for even sharpening.