The first cut...

...was the worst. What happened to these scissors? They won't cut anything!

We've all been there right?

When the blades won't cut at all you begin the hunt for the 'good' scissors hoping that the ones you have in your hand weren't the good ones... and this is how it begins.  My Mother has her best sewing scissors hidden. She won't tell anyone where they are, but if you ask her if she needs a good pair of scissors for something like you know... sewing... she says no. She has a pair. None of us have seen them in years. I have no idea what they look like.

When I began working on the sewing machines it used to be that I would get the machine ready to the point where it needed threaded and I'd call Sis in to do the rest. That lasted until the 8th machine (the 101) and she was out of town for two weeks. This forced me to learn the process of getting the machine threaded and sewing and to get there I needed a sharp pair of scissors... and I knew better than to ask Mom.

The funny (?) thing is when I did need that sharp pair I went to my own hiding hole and brought forth the pair of Joy 7 inch scissors that I found in one of the drawers of the very first vintage sewing machine I purchased: the Singer 500a. I'd never seen anything quite like them. They looked brand new, and were as sharp as new. The problem for me was that I couldn't keep taking them to the garage to make a clean snip on thread, and then back upstairs to their hiding place every time I needed to thread a machine... so I began to actively seek out another pair. That's when I came across the Italian made Griffon pair.

In the house, I located another pair of the 'old' sewing scissors.
and then another pair...
and another
and I began watching videos, secretly, late at night... on how to restore and sharpen old scissors. One thing lead to another and now it's become a thing I consciously do at a yard, tag or estate sale. Two weeks ago in a four story house packed to the teeth of contents for sale, I walked out with little else in hand but two pairs of Wiss pinking sheers:

 

Contrary to the sewing machines themselves, at least I know exactly what I'm after. I have my heart set on a pair of old Boker or Henkel's, but I do really enjoy the Wiss, and perhaps maybe someday a Mundial. If the stamp in the steel says 'Solingen' then I pick them up regardless.

It has lead to some interesting finds:

I know this isn't exactly vintage sewing machines... but perhaps associated in the same way as silver thimbles or sewing machine oil cans. A good pair of sharp scissors seem to me to be a mandatory machine accessory.

Singer thought the same way once:

When I found these 507's, I had to research them and apparently there were also the 617 & 608 sizes available during this incarnation of Singer branded scissors (there were many).

Finding old pairs is easier than I thought it would be. Cleaning them has become a learning experience. Many of these were black and rusty when I found them.  Set screws can be very stubborn, and I'm still learning to get the edge perfect when it comes to sharpening.  It can take a steady hand, a bench vise, a good file, or diamond chip sharpener and often a magnifying glass to see the angle on the edge. I'm slowly making my way through the pile. Of all these pictured, I have about seven that are still bad scissors.

Meanwhile, on the machine front, I gave four to charity this week. One Kenmore in particular arrived on Tuesday and was donated on Friday. Not a bad turn-around time considering it took an entire evening to get the stitch length mechanism unstuck.

As machines go out, others come in. I sold a very good example of a 201 last week and what happens? I pick up another one at a yard sale. This one is certainly different from all the rest. It has a casting number that indicates it was manufactured on the next-to last run of 201 machines in 1957. This means it was one of the last 201's ever built since production ended that year. I've never seen a cleaner 201. Paint and decals are nearly perfect, the owner's manual isn't green... and the spring plate doesn't have a spring. It's just a tin piece attached to the machine base. it's certainly a different 201.

One of the other additions to the garage is a second 101. I wish it was older and I'm still searching for that elusive version one or two type 40 table... but alas, I couldn't turn down a 1930 101 in a version three for ten bucks!

Pictures forthcoming, until then, happy sewing - and don't forget to hide those scissors!