8.25″ Dressmaker shears

£ 94.00

Available on back-order

Attention

We are currently in the process of making a batch of this model, and some of the units being produced are still available to backorder. We expect the batch to be finished within 10 weeks, after which point the backorders can be fulfilled. This timescale should be taken as a conservative estimate, not a guarantee, as our production is limited and subject to change due to external factors. This also means that products ordered after the 25th of September 2023 will not be delivered before Christmas.

MADE IN SHEFFIELD

Like all Ernest Wright scissors and shears, the 8.25″ Dressmaker shears begin as two solid bars of carbon steel. Through the traditional process of hot forging, a bar is converted into a blank before our masterputtertogetherers get to work. The die for the 8.25″ is an old Sheffield pattern unearthed and revitalised. Made to order, these unique scissors will never let you down.

DETAILS

Type: Dressmaker shears / Tailor shears
Use: Tailors and dressmakers, cutting fabric
Total length: 8.25″ / 21 cm
Blade length: 3.75″ / 9.5 cm
Weight: 180 g
Material: Drop forged high quality carbon steel,
for long-life precision edge retention
Finish: Hand polished
Packaging: High Quality presentation box

Note: we also have a left-handed version.

WE'LL PUT IN SOME EXTRA WORK

Once scissors have been forged and hardened, the surface of the handles is very rough, with burrs and scales. To make scissors pleasant to hold when in constant use, and as thumb and forefinger produce pressure for cutting, scissor handles require special processing.

Very often, the burrs are simply covered with a thick layer of paint. This process inadequately tries to avoid an old but very elaborate technique, namely that of flexible grinding which is the basic requirement for really smooth handles. In flexible grinding, scissor handles are precision-ground with the help of a large number of grinding discs and belts, differing in shape, hardness and grinding agent. Different tools are required for the various curves in the scissors’ handles. The insides of the handles are processed by stringing them on a grinding belt. Then the belt is placed on a moving roller and the handles are processed by being turned and guided.

This is a technique requiring great skill and experience and used to be an accepted part of processing scissors of professional quality. Right up until the Seventies, flexible grinding was a skilled occupation in Britain. Our craftsmen still use this technique to deliver the best possible scissors and shears.