Gulf Coast Sharpening

Tuesday’s Quick Tip:

Regular Maintenance is Key!

I would be willing to bet well over majority of those reading this tip are in need of clipper maintenance.

I had purposely taken an absence from recent writings. As we have now stepped into the second half of this year, I hope everyone’s businesses and lives are doing well. I appreciate all the work coming in from all over the country; I do appreciate the business.

I often compare clipper maintenance to ones car maintenance. If your car is tuned up, tires are rotated and balanced, regular oil changes and filters replaced, most likely your car will serve you well. The same holds true with your clippers. Regular cleanings, new blade drives, brushes, cords, switches, motor check, etc., are just a few important details your clippers should be checked for on a regular basis.

Now if you use Andis clippers, I hope you know you should change your blade drive regularly! I have serviced several Andis clippers in the last few weeks from very experienced groomers where the blade drives were used until they broke into two separate halves. Obviously, this a little too long between changes - see photo. I also recently had a hair stylist complaining that her blades were pulling and not cutting well. Upon asking how long since she changed the blade drive on her Andis clippers, she answered, “The clippers are fairly new.” “What does that mean?”, I asked. They are only two years old she replied. She never changed the drive in two years! That night, the blade drive was changed and she thanked me for how well they work and how much quieter her clippers are now. Imagine that!
A couple of weeks ago, I received an Andis clipper in the mail from Chrystal needing a regular check and tuneup; she practices ‘Preventive Maintenance ‘ - good job girl. She bought the clippers new from a major online supplier. She told me they had never been taken apart before, only blade drive changes. Imagine her surprise when I told her, and included the photo you are seeing as well, that her clippers were used, tampered with and broken. The previous owner had obviously taken the motor apart and reassembled it with blue electrical tape, rather than the required ‘oil seal’ that helps collect the excess oil, blade wash and blade spray before making its way into the motor assembly. The oil seal is the best protection your motor has from being burnt up by the above items. Not to mention, the motor mount had been broken off and an attempt was made with Super Glue to fix this problem. All said and done, her clippers were repaired correctly and sent back on their way. You never know what you will find.
There are two kinds of people, those who wait until their car is broken before the maintenance comes and those who practice preventive maintenance. We are right around the corner from the busiest time of the year. Is your equipment ready, or will you wait - taking the chance it will make it?
By the way, if you are in need, I already wrote articles on how often to change your blade drives and drive lever. If you missed this article, please find it on my page Gulf Coast Sharpening.
I am a factory trained and certified sharpener in shears and clipper blades and factory trained in clipper repair. We stock hundreds of parts to keep your repair times to a minimum. I provide mail order sharpening all over the country, so if you can ship it, I can sharpen it.
If you found this article helpful, let me know and pass it along to someone who could use it.
Thanks and have a Blessed Day,
Durk Chernosky
Gulf Coast Sharpening