Tool Maintenance:Secateurs

[kenkew]

Quality secateurs aren't cheap and are well worth paying the extra money for and with a little care will last a life-time.
The pair below are around 20 years old and in need a a little attention. Not a difficult job to get them back into good shape.
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A visual check.

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The spring comes off easy with a push inwards.

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Remove the locking nut. This should be pretty tight.

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Turn over and unscrew the retaining screw.

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All the parts.

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Clean off the dirt, grit and grease with w/spirit.

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A polish with metal cleaning paste will remove stubborn dirt.

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Sharpen the beveled blade on an oiled stone. Note the slight angle to retain the bevel.

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Turn the blade, keep it flat, pass it along the stone 2/3 times to remove any burr.

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Do the same with the inner side of the other blade. Keep flat!

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Wash parts again in w/spirit.

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Note the dirt.

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Apply a drop of grease between these parts.

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Turn blade and fit.

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A drop of grease here too.

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Assemble. Tighten the retaining screw until the cutters operate at the right tension.

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Replace and tighten the lock-nut. This stops the retaining screw working loose.

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A drop of oil on the spring.


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Do that and off you go. Happy pruning.

[kenkew]

[kt.]

WOW!. I usually en up buying a pair annually. This year I have just purchased a  Wilkinson Sword pair in a sale for £4.99 from £13.

How about soaking them in coca cola to clear rust then brushing over with oil once dried? Well it may work.......... ???

[kenkew]

How about soaking them in coca cola to clear rust then brushing over with oil once dried? Well it may work.......... ???

If you do that you'll end-up buying a new pair every year.... ;D

[Tee Gee]

The securing sliding clip on my Felcos has become a bit slack and it always seems to lock the blades at the most inopportune times.

Can anyone suggest a way to tighten this as it operates on a rivet rather than an adjustable screw.

BTW; Liked the step by step picture guide.

[kenkew]

I fixed the slide lock on another pair yesterday. Any chance of a pic of the badly behaving lock? There are many sorts.

Cancel the above....I just read 'Felco'.....back in awhile with a solution.
Ken.

[kenkew]

OK. As I say, there are many types of catch...
This is a straight slider.
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This is a pretty bulky 'side of thumb' thing.
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This is what Felco use these days...it's a screw adjustable one on account of people had trouble with the older one working loose!!!
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...and this is the one you have, Tee Gee. A rivited one.
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To tighten...(I just did it on mine). Put the cutters (closed) on a solid surface with the rivit upwards. I used the side of my vice to make sure they were flat and that the opposite side to the rivit was flat to the vice.
Then hit the rivit top with a hammer! Don't over do or you'll make the fasterner too tight. Try one hit and test. Then a bit harder until you're happy with it.
That's it. Worked OK at my end!

[Tulipa]

This is a very old thread but I have always remembered it so thought I would bump it up in case anyone would like to service their secateurs. It's definitely something I need to do!