Clipper Blades Question

[saintlysusan]

Hello...

Merry Xmas!

I was wondering how long or how many clips you get roughly between re-sharpening your clipper blades?

I have allways washed and dried prior to clipping but I know many who clip off excess hair 1st. Makes sence

but I dont because I was told clipping a dirty dog is a sure fire way of blunting the blades faster..

What do you do? It seems such a waste of time to get their coats so clean only to clip it all off and Im not

sure I will be saving a great deal of time when I seem to blunt them anyhow even with looking after them.

It also takes me alot longer per dog than most groomers and I put this down to the extra time I spend preparing

the coat prior to clipping? ....Any advice would be appreciated thankyou.

[felix]

Hi

I use clippers only for my dog (a standard poodle) about once a month. It's been 9 months and my blades are still ok. BTW, I use ceramic blades which stay sharp longer. I never washed my dog prior to clipping, but to be honest he is never dirty because he swims frequently and I also wash him often.

I don't know if this helps you at all.

Cheers

[shmoo]

not sure really. im a terribler blade owner i never clean them properly. i just sent em to Colin (DOL name Nicestman77) and he makes em all nice again!!!

i clip off alot of matted dirty dogs and my blades rust too, but Colin gets em back to me working like new

[Poodle Mum]

Clipping a dog that has not been washed or that is dirty or matted isa good way to blunten your blades quickly. I know because I have done it If I am being lazy I will clipp off the excess before washing, but for a super dooper finish always wash & blow dry first

Using clipper spray whilst clipping helps & storing your blades correctly when finished helps as well. I keep mine in a jar of kerosene! But I have heaps & heaps of blunt or rusted ones -I might try the nice man!

[saintlysusan]

Thanks

Ive never heard of storing them in anything other than a stand. None of mine have ever rusted so I think I'll keep doing the way I am, may get another blade set aside for only doing pre-clips on dirty coats. Then that way I know its the only one that will wear out faster and can be sharpened or replaced more often.

If you oil them well after use they shouldnt really rust I dont think but I was told you can remove the rust on blades by my supplier (i think he said tin foil, could be wrong)

[4 Paws]

washing them in 90% kero and 10% motor oli is the best thing after use,just dry off with a paper towel and store in an air proof container,you can place a piece of chalk in there to absorb any water

You can also dip the tips of the baldes in the above solution while you're clipping as well

[BC]

I nearly always clip the dog prior to the bath due to matting or knots. Also, if the coat is very long and it's coming all off anyway as it saves time drying. It wastes too much time trying to remove all knots and matts prior to a bath, to then clip it all off anyway, plus I like getting the basic shape done prior to the bath. Once bath a blow dry is done, I will then go over the dog again. This ensures the best finish you can get as the coat is already in the shape you want, and you only need to go over again to really tidy up any stray bits that are sticking up, and tidy up any scissoring. In the busy months I will get my blades sharpened every 6-8 weeks, and over the winter months every 3 months or so.

[saintlysusan]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I think I will start doing a pre clip now, just to save me some time basically.

[Clyde]

I nearly always clip the dog prior to the bath due to matting or knots. Also, if the coat is very long and it's coming all off anyway as it saves time drying. It wastes too much time trying to remove all knots and matts prior to a bath, to then clip it all off anyway, plus I like getting the basic shape done prior to the bath. Once bath a blow dry is done, I will then go over the dog again. This ensures the best finish you can get as the coat is already in the shape you want, and you only need to go over again to really tidy up any stray bits that are sticking up, and tidy up any scissoring. In the busy months I will get my blades sharpened every 6-8 weeks, and over the winter months every 3 months or so.

Ditto exactly! Except I dont sharpen as much.... although I have a lot of blades so can go longer in between sharpening.

[saintlysusan]

I just bought the Wahl 8 Pc extension blades, they are so cool!! Color coded too!

I should have bought them earlier instead of buying every blade size there is! Would have saved me a heap!

[becks]

I really neglect my blades, they are very rarely oiled but they work well and rarely need sharpening, they are used in the shop and on my show dogs. My one rule is not to clip off dirty dogs, if I get a long coated or a matted dog, it will get trimmed off shorter with an older pair of scissors into a rough version of the finished result. Blades get sharpened about every 12 -18 months