Post by Antigone68104 on Nov 2, 2012 17:19:28 GMT
I know I've posted this elsewhere, but I still have hopes it'll be used sometime. It's best suited for a minimyth episode.
Many sewers will insist that their "good" scissors only be used on fabric, never on other materials, to keep the edges from dulling. Searching "caring for fabric scissors" will get you several recommendations that you not let your fabric scissors be used to cut other materials, here's one example: www.wisegeek.com/what-are-fabric-scissors.htm. But does this really happen, and if so how much would the scissors dull?
The test: Buy three identical high-end fabric scissors, a collection of fabric remnants of different weights/thicknesses, and a similar collection of other cut-able items (plastic mesh, fiberglass, soda straws, cardboard -- actually, they could probably get this part out of the M5/M7 trash bins).
The first scissor is the control, it gets locked in Jamie's office and isn't used to cut anything. The second scissor is used to cut only fabric, the third is used to cut only the miscellaneous items. To be sure they're cutting the same amount, all the test items should be the same size. They would also need to be sure the scissors are cutting roughly the same weights -- if the fabric scissor is cutting heavy denim, the miscellaneous scissor shouldn't be cutting toilet paper. (And conversely, if the fabric scissor is cutting silk gauze, the miscellaneous scissor shouldn't be used on window screen.)
I think the simplest way to handle the weight issue would be to check everything over while cutting the test swatches to size. Match the weight/thickness of each fabric sample to a miscellaneous sample, and make sure there's an equal amount of each.
After cutting everything up, take the two test scissors and the control scissor to a lab and stick the blades under a microscope to compare wear. If they want an in-shop test, using all three scissors to cut (or try to cut) a piece of thin silk would work; but I think the microscope will still be needed to really show what condition the blades are in.
Many sewers will insist that their "good" scissors only be used on fabric, never on other materials, to keep the edges from dulling. Searching "caring for fabric scissors" will get you several recommendations that you not let your fabric scissors be used to cut other materials, here's one example: www.wisegeek.com/what-are-fabric-scissors.htm. But does this really happen, and if so how much would the scissors dull?
The test: Buy three identical high-end fabric scissors, a collection of fabric remnants of different weights/thicknesses, and a similar collection of other cut-able items (plastic mesh, fiberglass, soda straws, cardboard -- actually, they could probably get this part out of the M5/M7 trash bins).
The first scissor is the control, it gets locked in Jamie's office and isn't used to cut anything. The second scissor is used to cut only fabric, the third is used to cut only the miscellaneous items. To be sure they're cutting the same amount, all the test items should be the same size. They would also need to be sure the scissors are cutting roughly the same weights -- if the fabric scissor is cutting heavy denim, the miscellaneous scissor shouldn't be cutting toilet paper. (And conversely, if the fabric scissor is cutting silk gauze, the miscellaneous scissor shouldn't be used on window screen.)
I think the simplest way to handle the weight issue would be to check everything over while cutting the test swatches to size. Match the weight/thickness of each fabric sample to a miscellaneous sample, and make sure there's an equal amount of each.
After cutting everything up, take the two test scissors and the control scissor to a lab and stick the blades under a microscope to compare wear. If they want an in-shop test, using all three scissors to cut (or try to cut) a piece of thin silk would work; but I think the microscope will still be needed to really show what condition the blades are in.
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