Are we too careful with our scissors?!

[sewingj]

I know there is a golden rule that you mustn't use dressmaking scissors to cut paper - and I don't. But I must admit that I wonder if this is an outdated rule stemming from the days when scissor blades weren't as robust as they are now.
I fail to see how scissors that happily slice through some chunky tweed would be damaged by a sheet of paper!
Educate me please!

[BrendaP]

Paper contains all sorts of addatives, including clay and other minerals which are not in fabric, so that's why using scissors on paper is not good. 

Paper shouldn't damage good scissors irreparably (unless you cut over staples etc) but they will dull and need sharpening sooner.  Synthetic fabrics will dull the blades quicker than natural fabrics and paper will dull them sooner than synthetics.

[WendyW]

I've read elsewhere that it is a myth- that paper does no more damage than some fabrics. That said, I will NEVER let my family in on that secret, because once they get it into their heads that sewing scissors do not HAVE to receive special consideration, the scissors will never be safe again. They would be at risk to cut ANYthing that needs cutting, which WILL cause damage, and then I would have to damage a family member, and I'd rather not do that. Some myths, like Santa Clause, simply must be encouraged.

[Starryfish]

Cutting out pdfs has made a pair of my scissors all sticky with the tape holding the pages together!

[Greybird]

As an engineer's daughter I was brought up to never let blades anywhere near paper - it's made of wood. My dad used to show me blades under a magnifying glass that had been damaged by incorrect use. I have "kitchen drawer" scissors that are used to cut paper and woe betide anyone that uses any other scissors for that job.

[Pearl]

Not sure if I’ve told you about my proudest parenting moment.

DD:  Please do you have any scissors I could use?
Me:  You can use those ones with the orange handles.
DD:  Aren’t they your fabric scissors?
Me:  No, they’re fine.

Enter DS1. Looks in horror at DD

DS1:  Aren’t they Mum’s fabric scissors?

I’ve trained them well.

[annieeg]

@Greybird
I have exactly the same policy - kitchen scissors and paper cutting scissors kept out of the sewing room. 
I've had a pair of fabric cutting scissors from when I did my City and Guilds in 1990 which are still perfectly fit for purpose

[wrenkins]

Why risk it? 

Him indoors once pretended to lift my scissors to open something. He just wanted to see my reaction apparently. Turns out it was even better than he'd anticipated.  He's a retired farrier so there's little I can teach him about metal things. 

[sewingj]

I'm still not convinced. I think viscose is made from wood as much as paper is, and other fabrics must have all sorts of additives. I think it's mainly a myth maintained by sewists to stop their family borrowing their scissors to open paint tins (for example!)
I'm quite happy to go along with it!

[Lowena]

I used scissors from my sewing room to open a tin of paint yesterday.
I have 3 pairs of scissors which I use for everything and anything.
Mind you, I only do p&q so I use a rotary cutter mostly

[BrendaP]

I used scissors from my sewing room to open a tin of paint yesterday.
I have 3 pairs of scissors which I use for everything and anything.
Mind you, I only do p&q so I use a rotary cutter mostly

Will any of your scissors snip a dangling thread, ie no tension on the thread?
Will any of your scissors cut (P&Q weight) fabric along the full length of the blade?

At craft club a few months ago someone had put about a dozen pairs of scissors onto the sales table.  Lily, the lady in charge is very good at selling you something you didn't know you wanted, but as she only charges peanuts....  We often show someone our purchas and say "I've been Lilyed!  But on that occasion she was hacking away at a bit of fabric to try and tell me that the scissors were good.  They weren't!  I tried them all and bought one pair which was OK for paper.

[BrendaP]

I have just received a timely email from Ernest Wright pointing to this advice.

[Iminei]

Ahem !!!     I seem to have ... ahem .. somehow put my kitchen scissors together wrongly and they are now ... ahem ... well and truly stuck !!!

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I have no idea how on earth I managed to do this ......  they went together as they usually do, perfectly easily with no stress but now they might as well be superglued together!

I'm going to take them to our local repair cafe next month to give all the volunteers there a good laugh!

[coffeeandcake]

Several years ago DH used my fabric scissors for cutting some paper. He only did it once and had to buy me a new pair

[HenriettaMaria]

"A tiny drop of household oil (or vegetable oil) can help too" 

What are they saying?  Are they quite mad?  You should NEVER use edible oils to lubricate machinery of any kind (nor should you use mineral oil to dress a salad)!  The only thing edible and mineral oils have in common is that they are insoluble in water.  Edible oils are, chemically, triglycerides, which are big E-shaped molecules.  Mineral oils are hydrocarbons, ie, chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached, the smallest of which is the gas you cook with.  By the time you get to eight carbon atoms you're in petrol territory and they get more viscous and 'oily' the more carbon atoms there are.

The upshot of this is that edible oils, being edible, will be digested by any passing bacterium and will go rancid, sticky and disgusting.  Mineral oil will evaporate slowly and, if it's the correct type for the machine in question, shouldn't leave a chemical residue although bits of worn-off bearings, fabric fibres, etc, might cause a bit of a mess if the machine isn't maintained.