How a Solingen Scissor Is Made – And How to Spot a Good One

A pair of nail scissors looks simple. Two blades, one screw. That is what most people think.

Yet before a genuine pair of Solingen scissors is finished, more than 80 working steps are needed. Many of them purely by hand. And you feel the difference between cheap scissors and good ones in the very first second.

Here you will learn how these scissors come about – and how you can check a good pair yourself.

Why Solingen?

Solingen calls itself „Klingenstadt“ – the city of blades. The yellow town sign says so proudly – and the city has earned that name.

The first guilds for hardeners and grinders were formed here over 600 years ago. Small workshops and family businesses used the water power of the Wupper and its tributaries to drive their grindstones. Over the centuries, every trade connected with the blade settled in one place: forging, hardening, grinding, assembling.

That is why the name still carries weight today. Solingen is a protected designation of origin. Not every pair of scissors with a shiny surface is allowed to bear it. In our shop you will therefore find a separate category with verified nail scissors from Solingen.

From steel bar to blade

1. The smith chooses the steel.
That is the first decision about quality. The rule of thumb: the higher the carbon content in the steel, the greater the hardness that can be achieved – and with it the sharpness of the cut.

2. The forging.
The steel bars are cut to match the size of the scissors and brought into their first shape in the Gesenk – a kind of forging die. This is how the two scissor halves come about.

3. The right twist.
Before hardening, the two halves – in the trade Oberbeck (upper half) and Unterbeck (lower half) – are given the right twist. They may only touch along the upper cutting edge, the so-called Wate. It is precisely this minimal twist that later makes the scissors cut rather than crush. In the same step, the countersunk hole and the thread for the connecting screw are created.

4. The hardening.
The scissor halves are heated to around 850 degrees for several minutes and then quenched in water or oil. After that the steel is very hard – but also so brittle that a pair of scissors could shatter if dropped.

5. The tempering.
That is why the blades go briefly into an oven once more, at about 250 degrees. The stress leaves the steel and it becomes supple again. Hard, but not brittle – that is exactly the balance a good pair of scissors needs.

6. Grinding and „Pliesten“.
Now the scissors are given shape and shine. The rough grind is refined on the Pliestbock, a large wooden wheel with emery. All the surfaces of the scissor blades are smoothed in the process.

7. The maker’s mark.
The stamp is set with a hand press. In a real manufactory that too is still done by hand.

The decisive moment: the „Nageln“

The two matching scissor halves go into the assembly machine, then the screw is turned into the thread. In the trade this step is called „Nageln“ – nailing – even though a screw has long been used.

Then comes a small trick that no machine masters well: with a light hammer blow the screw is upset very slightly so that it spreads in the thread and finds the necessary hold. Too tight – the scissors move stiffly. Too loose – they never cut cleanly.

After that come the fine grinding of the Gangstelle, the pivot area, and the final straightening by hand. Experienced assemblers tap the blades with a copper hammer until the action is right. A little like a piano tuner searching for the right note.

Machines can do a great deal. This part still belongs to the human hand.

5 quick tests for a good pair of scissors

You can check most of this in less than a minute.

• 1. Open the scissors and look at the inner side. The inner side of the blade must be concave, that is, slightly curved inwards. This hollow grind reduces friction and prevents the scissors from jamming while cutting.
• 2. Close the scissors and hold them against the light. Between the upper and lower half there must be a fine gap you can look through. That gap is intentional.
• 3. Open and close them slowly. The two halves always meet at just one single point. As they close, this cutting point travels forward – all the way to the tip. That travelling point is exactly what the cut is.
• 4. Pay attention to the joint: screw or rivet? Good scissors have a screw joint. It can be adjusted and allows service work such as resharpening. Riveted scissors are usually throwaway goods.
• 5. Do try them out before buying. You should feel an even, easy action – and, very importantly, a clean cut right up to the tip. Many cheap scissors still cut reasonably in the middle and fail exactly where it matters.

How a good pair of scissors stays good

• Rub them dry after every use. Moisture in the pivot area is the greatest enemy.
• Now and then a tiny drop of oil on the screw joint keeps the action easy.
• A pair of nail scissors for nails only, a pair of cuticle scissors for skin only. Paper and adhesive tape ruin a fine cutting edge very quickly.
• Never force a stiff pair of scissors. Usually the screw needs readjusting – not more pressure.
• Good scissors can be resharpened. That is precisely why buying them pays off.

Solingen craftsmanship – to this day

One example: at the Dreiturm manufactory (J. A. Schmidt & Söhne) in Solingen, scissors have been made for almost 200 years. Around 90 different types of scissors are still assembled and finally inspected there by hand today. With us you will find the complete Dreiturm range.

Those are exactly the products we select. Scissors you buy once, use for years – and have resharpened instead of replacing them.

Discover our Solingen scissors at nagelzange.de:

• Nail scissors – for fingernails and toenails
• Cuticle scissors – for the cuticle and fine work
• Beard scissors – precision for beard care
• All products by Dreiturm Solingen

Matching instruments: Dovo cuticle scissors – for cuticles & hangnails · Dovo beard scissors, satin finish · Dreiturm nail scissors with micro-serration

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