How To Test Freshly Sharp Blades on One Dog

How to check every blade you get back from the sharpener on one dog in 30 min or less

Sounds absurd??? In fact it is very real. As an “Old School” groomer we had to quickly check blades out while the sharpener was still in the driveway. There is a special technique to this and I’ll explain in detail how its done

On the day you want to check blades, make sure you have a dog in the shop that gets an all over that’s short. Here is the philosophy behind this “All blades, no matter the size, will cut like a #10 blade when inverting the clipper 180 degrees and using the blade upside down. You would use the blade right side up if the hair is long enough, but if its too short just turn the clipper over.

Get all the blades together and start testing them one by one starting with the largest blades first (3, 3 3⁄4, 4, 5, and 7).

When all the hair has been cut off, you can still test any blade on that coat by turning the clipper upside down. Or, just start out using the clipper upside down if the coat is short on the dog already.

Blades cut the same way upside down with one exception, your limited to the height of a #10 blade. The comb teeth of the blade prevent any injuries so don’t feel uncomfortable about using a blade like this. I also used this technique when I had a crazy dog on the table and didn’t want to let go to change to a smaller blade. So I turned the clipper upside down and used the one I had on if a #10 was needed.

See how nice the coat looks with just a few passes of the upside down blade? It looks like a #10 blade went over this coat.

This is how you can test all your blades when you get them back. You don’t have to wait for the right dog to come in having the perfect coat to try your 3 3⁄4 blade on. This procedure lets you test all blades on just one dog. When the blade is used upside down, the cutting surfaces are pointed up away from the dog. Very safe.

Northern Tails Sharpening. Russellville, AR 540-729-7710 www.northerntails.com