Nipper Maintenance

[shoerbee]

Howdy all!
Can ya'll share how you keep your Nippers maintained? Sharpening? Rebuilding? How often you have to replace them? I've been getting about a pair a year, but after reading a post on Nippers, am thinking I could maintain them better for longer use.
The pair I have now (DS) are a year old and pretty dull. I need a better edge as those hard dry feet will be starting soon, but am afraid to sharpen them much and lose the proper bite contact.
Also, could someone share George Lopez's contact info?
Thanks in advance!
Brigitte

[2R Farrier Services]

There is a great article in the AFJ I just received regarding tool care...will answer many tool care questions.

[Derin Foor]

I would suggest investing in a good pair of nippers such as the GE ones....they stay sharp and hold up well under some pretty adverse conditions....sure they cost more but it's worth it.......they'll rebuild them for about 1/2 the cost of a new pair

hope this helps

Derin

[JonPalmos]

I use the GE nippers. They obviously haven't been used enough to have them start to wear. But I am very familiar with working with metal. This is the way I take care of mine. So I am just saying this from a metalurgy stand point of view.

The GE nippers contain alot of iron in the metal. Thus why they rust so easily.

1) I take the tool and spray it down with brake cleaner from the auto parts store. I use brake cleaner because of two reasons. "Just be sure to wear saftey glasses"

a. It has a nice assertive stream and blows through the joint removing all shaved metal, and any forgien objects.

b. It dry's very fast and leaves no traces of itself behind.

2) Once the tool is completley clean I then spray lithium grease into the joint of the nipper and work the grease in until I am satisfied that it has worked it's way through the joint. Then wipe all excess from it.

3) Once complete, I wipe the tool down with a non-toxic cooking oil.

The one thing I always do with my nippers when I am done for the day is I completley wrap them 100% in a cotton towel. The reason for this is that the towel will obsorb all moisture and keep the tool dry. If the tool is 100% free of water it will not rust. Since the tool is usualy left in the vehicle over night. You have to deal with condesation. The towel will keep the condensation off the tool.

As for sharpening them. I would have someone do it. Because there are two places that need to be grinded. If you just sharpen the "blades" you will get a gap when the nipper is completley closed. You must sharpen the blades first. Then you must grind down the stopper until the blades just begin to touch. Doesn't sound that bad but there is much more to it than just using a dremel tool. It is better to let a professional do it because of measuring and not sharpening to much on one side of the blade creating an angle.

**edit** When you wash your towel do not use fabric softner. The residue left behind on the towel will cause the towel to not absorb water efficiently.

a. Towel is every night
b. Wipe down is every other day. "Only takes about 30 sec. to do."
c. clean and re-grease is about once a month "Takes about 5 min."

But since my money tree didn't have a crop last year and I am not expecting one this year. I am trying to buy all the time I can on my nippers. They not cheap.

Hope that gives you a better idea.

[calshoer]

I just make sure to clean the feet well before nipping to avoid chipping them.I keep them dry, and if they do get wet on a rainy day I spray with WD40 as soon as I am done and wipe off the excess. If I don't have WD40 in the truck that day I have been known to use anything oily. Vegetable oil, or even Avon skin so soft (I use that in my fly spray).
When they get too dull I have them rebuilt. My local farrier supply sends them to Alamo Nippers for rebuilds and they come back like new, razor sharp, for about 70 bucks. Even a cheap pair of Diamonds will come back as good as GE's.
The only problem with the rebuilds (both Alamo and Lopez) , is that the blades are a bit more fragile because they get thinner. One little bit of gravel or grit in the foot will chip them, and you cannot use the rebuilds to pare out thick dead sole because it may even bend the corner of the blade. . I use old duller (or the cheaper diamond brand ) for that. . .Patty

[shoerbee]

Thanks so much for all of the great advice all! My nippers now have a smile on their shiny, sharp, well oiled little face.
I appreciate it!
Brigitte

[Bill Adams]

Lopez Farrier Rebuilds
Joe Lopez 805-925-9697
Joe makes his own nippers and rebuilds old ones better than new.

If you grind the stops on the jaws, you will change the angle of the cut and will not cut as acurately.
What makes them last longer is to not nip rocks, sand and nails.
Lots of elbow grease will keep the rust off.
My $0.02,
Bill

[J.H. shoeing]

Alamo Nippers
11509 Potranco Road #15
San Antonio TX 78253

(210)679-0655 Work
(210)385-7439 Cell

His first name is AL. I just got three pair back and they are sharper than new. He also rebuilt a pair of GE half rounds for me that I thought were too far gone. The blades looked like they had been drug down a gravel road and they came back tight and sharp.

Jeff