How to Sharpen Tweezers
Can't completely remove all your unwanted body hair? This is an instructable that shows you how to take an old pair of tweezers and sharpen them up so they are like new.
(Note: these are instructions for sharpening tweezers that you buy at the drug store to use on your body. Tweezers for model making and detail work often require a different, sharper, more narrow point than this method will provide).
(Note: these are instructions for sharpening tweezers that you buy at the drug store to use on your body. Tweezers for model making and detail work often require a different, sharper, more narrow point than this method will provide).
Materials
To sharpen tweezers you will need:
- dull tweezers
- rough grit sandpaper (150 grit)
- fine sandpaper (400 and/or 800 grit)
- a flat thin piece of metal or glass
- a small amount of water
- dull tweezers
- rough grit sandpaper (150 grit)
- fine sandpaper (400 and/or 800 grit)
- a flat thin piece of metal or glass
- a small amount of water
Prepaire the Sharpener
Wrap the sandpaper around your smooth thin piece of material. You want just one layer over the backer material, don't wrap the sandpaper around more than once.
Typically glass covered in sandpaper is used to put an edge on a metal surface because glass is typically very smooth and very flat. I used a very thin piece of aluminum sheet here because it is almost as flat and smooth as glass, and it's thinner than the glass I had lying around.
You want to choose something thin to brace your sandpaper with because that will allow you to have the tweezers in the correct position while your sharpening them.
Typically glass covered in sandpaper is used to put an edge on a metal surface because glass is typically very smooth and very flat. I used a very thin piece of aluminum sheet here because it is almost as flat and smooth as glass, and it's thinner than the glass I had lying around.
You want to choose something thin to brace your sandpaper with because that will allow you to have the tweezers in the correct position while your sharpening them.
Sand With the Rough Grit Paper
With the rough sandpaper wrapped around your backer material take the tweezers and "grab" the sand paper. While applying pressure to the tweezers move them in an up and down motion on the sandpaper. This will remove any gross irregularities in the tips so that you can move on to finer sanding and sharpening in the next step.
If your tweezers aren't in too bad a condition you can skip this step and move right on to the fine sharpening.
If your tweezers aren't in too bad a condition you can skip this step and move right on to the fine sharpening.
Fine Sanding and Sharpening
I like to use a wet/dry sandpaper while sharpening objects.
Soak your fine sandpaper in some water and then wrap it around your backer material just like you did with the rougher grit paper. Again, "grab" the sandpaper with the tweezers and apply pressure. Now just like you did with the rough grit, move the tweezers in an up and down motion on the sandpaper.
You are trying to flatten the very edge of the tip of the tweezer, so try to apply pressure right down to that last millimeter of the tweezer.
You will quickly work up a slurry - a mixture of metal and water, this will help in the sharpening process so don't wash it away.
Make a few more passes with the tweezers once you get a little slurry and you've probably sharpened it enough.
Soak your fine sandpaper in some water and then wrap it around your backer material just like you did with the rougher grit paper. Again, "grab" the sandpaper with the tweezers and apply pressure. Now just like you did with the rough grit, move the tweezers in an up and down motion on the sandpaper.
You are trying to flatten the very edge of the tip of the tweezer, so try to apply pressure right down to that last millimeter of the tweezer.
You will quickly work up a slurry - a mixture of metal and water, this will help in the sharpening process so don't wash it away.
Make a few more passes with the tweezers once you get a little slurry and you've probably sharpened it enough.
Sand the End of the Tweezer
The last step is to sand the very ends of the tips of the tweezer.
Squeeze the two tips together and alight them on the fine sandpaper so that the angle that is on the tweezer meets the sandpaper over the entire length of the tip.
(Basically pretend that you are standing the tweezer flat on its edge on top of the sandpaper.)
Then, carefully drag the tweezer across the sandpaper maintaining that same angle.
A few strokes back and forth is all you will you need unless the tips of the tweezers are really bad.
Squeeze the two tips together and alight them on the fine sandpaper so that the angle that is on the tweezer meets the sandpaper over the entire length of the tip.
(Basically pretend that you are standing the tweezer flat on its edge on top of the sandpaper.)
Then, carefully drag the tweezer across the sandpaper maintaining that same angle.
A few strokes back and forth is all you will you need unless the tips of the tweezers are really bad.
Revel in the Sharpness
When you're done the tips should meet at the very end.
Test it out by pulling on something and see if its any better.
If it's not to your liking, just go back and do some fine tuning on the fine sandpaper.
Test it out by pulling on something and see if its any better.
If it's not to your liking, just go back and do some fine tuning on the fine sandpaper.