There are many types of cutting tools in use in crafting and the arts. They range from razor knives (X-Acto™), rotary trimmers, guillotine trimmers, craft punches, scissors, straight trimmers, fabric shears, pinking shears, computerized die cutters (Pazzles™) and a myriad of clay cutting tools as well.

Many of these share a similar process for making them sharp. They are usually sharpened by grinding wheels spinning at high speed using lubricants to keep the blade cool during sharpening. Most craft blades are made from carbon steel, but there are now even Titanium coated blades as well.

However, craft punches are quite different. The cutting edges are created by making precision castings with very close fits and sharp edges. These parts are usually zinc die castings attached to plastic housings, to hold everything together. They are never sharpened by a machine so you don’t find any oils on craft punches.

Scissors, like knife blades, are mechanically sharpened with grinding wheels. High quality scissors can be hollow ground, making a cupped surface, which keeps the cutting edges riding on each other.

Blades all have the problem that they tend to dull over time and provide less cutting ease. Craft punches also get dull and often can “gall” (stick) when there is high friction between the sliding blocks of zinc. Galling is the act of “welding” the metal together. It can range from small spots of “welded” metal to big ugly bumps and even locking parts together.

I want to be very clear on this, as an engineer with more than 25 years of experience in material science and aerospace, the act of cutting sand paper with scissors or punches is CRAZY! You are just wrecking your smooth ground scissors blades, and even worse, adding sanding grit into the gaps of your punches, making them even more loose and sloppy. This will eventually cause the cutting to become ragged and destroy the punches. You’re also grinding off those nice sharp hollow ground edges on your scissors. The sand paper will grind away at the face of the scissors, but you end up with a bevel on the edge and can even cause more damage. I would only do this to cheap scissors and with low expectations. Your other options are limited. You can either, buy new scissors, get them professionally sharpened or use a product which can bring back the edge with special bonded coatings.

Cutting wax paper or aluminum foil with a punch will smear a bit of wax or soft aluminum onto the sliding walls that may help for a few strokes. However, I recommend using a product designed for solving this problem.

Teflon coated scissors have some advantages, but they are really no sharper than any other scissors. The coating is a classic low temperature Teflon coating that will help to “release” adhesives and are easier to clean. These coatings are applied with primers that have PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) materials that are hazardous to factory workers and people who live around these factories. This PFOA primer is oxidized in the curing process. PFOA is carcinogenic and a really bad material to be eating or drinking. However, not all Teflon has PFOA, just most classic coatings. Also, PFOA free coatings are becoming very common. Check out the package first. If it does not say PFOA Free, expect that it is the “old school” cheap coating. Besides, the expense you pay for this coating is pretty high considering that you can apply your own “release” coatings safely, with ease, at a very low cost.

Down to Brass Tacks

The application of precision coatings is quite easy today and has shown great promise in many markets. Consider that very few blade manufacturers are offering coated blades unless you’re buying a medical scalpel. Think about how blade manufacturers will lose money, if you stop buying replacement blades. Razor blade (shaver) manufacturers charge a lot of money for high quality blades. It is unlikely that they would EVER do anything to impact that market. However, testing has shown that application of precision coatings can double (shaving) blade life. Also, it can reduce craft punching force by 20 to 30% depending on complexity of the punch. In fact, some punch manufacturers are exploring these coatings to provide premium quality punches.

Back in 1961 (even before Hippies), Teflon was put onto shaving blades. Then it disappeared with little fanfare. This old process used high heat to mechanically lock the Teflon onto the blades. It really took a lot of energy to run this process and created toxic fumes in processing.

Today, there are better materials and special bonding agents that use environmentally safe materials to get stronger, better coatings that people can even apply safely at home. The wonders of aerospace, US industry and electronics have brought a lot of technology out of the factory and into the home.

The above problems mentioned with cutting tools are constantly blogged and chatted about. Crafters are always looking for solutions to improve performance, increase life and make tools easier to use. People spend a lot of money on many of these special tools. Protecting this investment is important to many crafters. Some manufacturers are beginning to look beyond “old school” manufacturing and are striving to provide premium quality tools. This is encouraging and as an engineer who seeks quality in every step of manufacturing, I find it quite refreshing.

About the Author:

David Burgett, BSME, is a cofounder of Inspired Crafts, founded in 2003. Specializing in college in environmental engineering, alternate energy and robotics, he has more than 28 years of experience in materials technology, manufacturing, product design, medical devices and aerospace. Often nicknamed “MacGyver”, David is the inventor of PaperGlide, Cutter Glide and E-Z Tool Cleaner and also holds numerous patents (… and trade secrets).