Clippers cutting far too short - help!

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AnnieNessi

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Anyone know why my clippers are cutting far too short? I had the blades sharpened recently....now they are cutting right down to the skin in patches and I've nicked my mare a few times with them too (which she is not impressed with obviously).
A friend borrowed them and she had the same problem. Very annoying as I am now reluctant to use them and they were perfectly fine before! Someone mentioned it could be the tension on the blades? Or is it simply they are far too sharp now??
 
It sounds more like the angle you are using them at is the problem, even the superfine surgical blades don't cause nicks due to their sharpness.
 
Read the manual on how to adjust the tension for your model (it is VERY different for different makes/ models so don't guess) as it might be that they're set too tight. Otherwise I'd say it's the angle they're being held at as no blades should nick the skin unless the horse suddenly moves or something!
 
Do you think that the last times you used them they were getting blunt, so you had to push/press down more, and that you're still doing it now instead of letting them glide?
 
AS has been mentioned, check that the blades you have had returned to you are the omes you sent off for sharpening. Just having blades sharpened shouldn't give you the results you're having but if you had fine blades returned to you that would explain what's happening.
 
Very sharp blades don't start cutting skin - on the contrary - they should be better for NOT nicking skin. It's when the blades become dull that people start digging in and the skin (at folds anyway) can get dragged thru the teeth. However, I'm wondering if you perhaps received a damaged set of blades? If there is a section of tooth missing, that could be a very good reason you're cutting skin.
 
How many times have your blades been sharpened?.

Many people dont realise that every time blades are sharpened, a small amount of steel is removed, thus the blades get thinner with each sharpening. This means that they will cut closer to the skin. Some sharpening firms will take a minimum of metal off to achieve a good edge, others remove more than is neccesary. Sadly meaning there is no set number of sharpenings you will get from a set. The only way to tell if they are getting thin is to compare to another set of newer blades. The only other cause of your problem may be poor sharpening. If you want more advice, PM me.

All the best.


Ian


The Engineer
 
I had this problem too once when my blades were just back from being sharpened. Unfortunately i did the first big swipe of my clip right across my piebald cob's shoulder - & almost fainted when i saw the result! I phoned my friend in a panic & asked "What's best? Pink stripey or all pink?" without telling her what i was talking about. She answered the latter so i finished the job - my boy enjoyed an enforced holiday hidden under a rug as i was too embarressed to ride my pink pony!! He was this colour : :o
 
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