BLADE ADVICE
Red build Up
Spray coolant
Rust
Cleaning rusty clipper blades
Dropping clipper blades
Damaged tooth
General - dull clipper blades
SPRAY COOLANT
Spray coolants are not intended to take the place of regular cleaning and oiling; they are mostly made up of solvent and water. There is not enough oil in spray coolants to replenish the lubrication on your clipper blades, it is recommended that you use clipper oil with the coolant.
If you use a spray coolant make sure you read the manufacturer's instructions and heed the flammability ratings.
You should only spray short bursts on the back (flat side) of the clipper blade with the clipper machine turned off and pointing towards the floor. Do not spray the teeth and do not let the solvent get anywhere near your clipper machine because it can cause damage.
RED BUILD UP
If you do not regularly clean your clipper blades, a reddish brown build up will begin to form. This coating will slightly lift the cutting blade from the comb (unnoticeable to the naked eye) and can build up enough to prevent the clipper blades from cutting. Even perfectly sharpened clipper blades will snag in the coat and stop cutting. This build up on the blades can cause the tension to become too tight, which may cause parts of the clipper machine to fail.
When you begin clipping, small hairs get trapped between the cutting blade and the comb. Heat then turns these small hairs, moisture from the dog's coat, oil, spray coolant and dirt from an imperfectly cleaned animal into a sticky subsatnce which begins to coat the clipper blade.
As the clipper blade get hotter it begins to slow (because of the sticky build up) and it is usual for the groomer to spray the clipper blade with coolant, which will help momentarily because the build up has been diluted. However the heat will cause the substance to quickly reform making the clipper blade work much harder.
If you do not clean this substance off your blades it will harden into a reddish brown lacquer, this will dull the cutting edges and will make it harder for the cutter to move back and forth. Consequently this will weaken parts in the clipper machine.
At first the red build up will be a semi hard substance that you can remove, but if neglected will turn into a concrete type substance. It is then very hard to remove and you will require the professional expertise of a sharpener. The sharpening process will remove the red build up and give you two clean cutting surfaces which mate together.
RUST
Rust forms due to bare metal with no protection (oil) being exposed to moisture. Rust can pit the steel within a very short time (damp dogs, moist working conditions) and will decrease the life span of your clipper blade. However, rust does not always render a clipper blade useless.
If your clipper blades do become rusty, we will be able to determine whether or not they can be re-sharpened. Our experienced bladesmiths may be able to restore the cutting surfaces.
Having a good blade care programme of cleaning and oiling will prevent further rusting of clipper blades.
CLEANING RUSTY CLIPPER BLADES
Take the clipper blade apart and try to remove the rust, using different grades of sanding paper (this process will leave black scarring). Try to get the rust out from between the teeth using a hard bristle brush.
Scrub the blade with blade wash, dry and send for service and re-sharpening.
If required, we will replace the socket, spring and blade guide.
DROPPING CLIPPER BLADES
If you drop a clipper blade and it fails to cut correctly, you should put that particular blade to one side until you are ready to send your clipper blades for sharpening.
Dropping a clipper blade may alter the tension and alignment. The fall could also cause the ears on your clipper blade socket to spread apart and this will make your clipper machine vibrate excessively.
If one of the ears is cracked, your blade socket will require replacing. Always have this done by an experienced sharpener. Always check for sharp edges which could cause injury.
DAMAGED TEETH
If you break a tooth/teeth and there are any sharp edges, you should not use the clipper blade because you risk hurting the animal.
A clipper abrasion is where you scratch the animal, which is usually caused by a blade with a broken tooth. If this happens you may encounter an angry owner because the animal could become infected, resulting in an expensive trip to the vet and consequently a lost customer for you.
Bear in mind that a broken tooth on a finishing blade may affect the look of your final cut.
It is your decision whether or not you want a clipper blade with a damaged tooth to be sharpened, it may well be that you use comb attachments with that particular clipper blade.
As previously mentioned, we can sometimes chamfer sharp edges on broken teeth.
CLIPPER BLADE TENSION
If blade tension is too loose, hair will get trapped between the comb and cutter, causing the clipper blade to leave tram lines or snag in the coat. If this happens, you will need to send to an experienced sharpener to reset the clipper blade.
If the tension is over adjusted (too tight) the clipper blade will prematurely dull and risk damaging the clipper machine. If the bladesmith has set your clipper blade correctly, this won’t be a problem.
GENERAL- DULL CLIPPER BLADES
Natural wear overtime due to number of animals clipped
Clipping dirty animals
The type of dogs clipped
