What to use when you have too cut...

[schneidergott]

Dear gentlemen!

Mr. Alden has posted some pictures of his latest overcoats, all made of really heavy cloth.
As you all know such weights were more the norm in the olden days than they are today.
In case you always wondered what tools a tailor might use for cutting such heavy and thick materials with ease, here is the answer:



These shears are part of my now pretty big collection of ancient or at least old huge shears.
From left to right:
1) 15.75"(!) shears from the USA, made by R. Heinisch in Newark, New Jersey. Got them from a very nice lady in the UK, who told me that her grandfather was a tailor in London in the 1920's, and that these shears had been handed down to him, so they could be more than 100 years old!
2) 15" shears from Wilkinson in Sheffield, England, the sharpest of them all, age unknown.
3) A pair of typical french shears, 14" long, but much lighter than the other ones but equally good to cut any sort of material.
4) 14.5" shears from Kissner in Germany, a company that sadly no longer exists.

Needless to say that all, except the french pair, are quite heavy(all above 1000gr). They were made using the inlaid technique, where they had hardened steel forged onto the softer cast iron body. The blades are extremely sharp with thin cutting edges, making it easy to cut through any sort of material.

Those of you who watched the latest Savile Row documentary might have recognized similar shears used by the cutters.


SG

[RWS]

A handsome collection, SchneiderGott! Something about the massiveness, the brute economy of line in cutter's shears makes a pair an ironically apt counterweight to its product. (Of course, the shears don't produce a suit or a pair of trousers by themselves!)

[schneidergott]

The shape and production techniques of the american models(including the Kissner) go back to the middle of 19th century and hasn't changed much ever since.
For some strange reason the handles or eyelets of such shears got larger according to the size of the blades, so it's not really comfortable to use the 15.75" Heinisch shears if you don't have large hands. That's why most cutters(and I) wrap some cloth around the handles to avoid pressure on the joints of the hand, especially that of the thumb.
The hardened carbon steel is only a few millimeters thick, so with every sharpening you loose some steel and the cutting edges get broader and softer. And the geometry of the shears will change as well.
At Robuso, here in Solingen, some of such huge tailor shears are available in sizes 13" to 14". They bought the shears from the Kissner company a few years ago.
If anyone would like to buy one please contact:
rainer.hueckelhoven@robuso.de
The shears will be polished and sharp.

@RWS: You're right, the shears don't make the suit, but a pair of nice big and sharp shears do help a lot! That's why they are handed down from cutter to cutter. If well treated they will survive generations of cutters, just like the pair Thomas Mahon calls his own.

SG

[schneidergott]

Here is a little update, the latest addition to my collection. This one is really big. A bit too big I'd think for cutting garments, or if so only bigger parts of coats and trousers.
This pair measures 43 cm or 17". If any of you members know the actual purpose of such huge shears, please let me know.



Just for comparison I took a photo with 2 other shears. From bottom to top: German shears, 12" made in Solingen, middle US made 15.75" R. Heinisch and top 17" french shears, produced in lovely Paris!


SG

[The Doctor]

These were my fathers; I have a few more and also a pair given to me by Colin Harvey (A&S). I actually took the yellow ribbon from them and put it on mine, as a fond memory.

I use the top pair daily and the others, the Hammer heads as I refer to them, for obvious reasons, I believe were used to cut very thick cloth, perhaps two cloths together and the squared end didn’t catch on the cloth as the pointed ones would sometimes do.

You'll also see that both have a lip on the side where you should place your thumb and not have it sticking up in the air. (Try this at home with an ordinary pair of scissors and you'll find it difficult not to cut without sticking your thumb up.

[schneidergott]

Thank you for the wonderful pictures, Mr. Hitchcock!
I think it is an old R. Heinisch similar to my pair and in excellent condition for the age.
The only problem with such big shears is the sharpening, because they don't have the necessary big grindstones any more!

I talked a lot to Mr. Hueckelhoven at Robuso and he showed me various types of shears, mostly old KISSNER models with sometimes frightening sizes and weights.
Among those shears were a few with "blunt" blade ends, which were meant for upholstery.
So I think the "hammerhead" could have been upholstery shears with the blunt end being used for stuffing the wadding into seat covers, cushions and similar things.
Because of the heavier top blade they cut thick and/ or hard cloth with ease, may it be for tailoring or upholstery!

If I may add: I envy you for that nice pair of "hammerhead" shears! Great condition, the ones I saw before were all grinded down to a state of almost being useless.
They come with brass handles, with the blades attached to them with rivets.
Very nice, indeed!


SG

[schneidergott]

Sorry, sorry, sorry!

I got it all wrong! I hope you will accept my apologies, Mr. DeBoise!


SG

[The Doctor]

Sorry, sorry, sorry!

I got it all wrong! I hope you will accept my apologies, Mr. DeBoise!


SG

No offence taken, it did make me laugh.

[The Doctor]

Thank you for the wonderful pictures, Mr. Hitchcock!
I think it is an old R. Heinisch similar to my pair and in excellent condition for the age.
The only problem with such big shears is the sharpening, because they don't have the necessary big grindstones any more!

I talked a lot to Mr. Hueckelhoven at Robuso and he showed me various types of shears, mostly old KISSNER models with sometimes frightening sizes and weights.
Among those shears were a few with "blunt" blade ends, which were meant for upholstery.
So I think the "hammerhead" could have been upholstery shears with the blunt end being used for stuffing the wadding into seat covers, cushions and similar things.
Because of the heavier top blade they cut thick and/ or hard cloth with ease, may it be for tailoring or upholstery!

If I may add: I envy you for that nice pair of "hammerhead" shears! Great condition, the ones I saw before were all grinded down to a state of almost being useless.
They come with brass handles, with the blades attached to them with rivets.
Very nice, indeed!


SG

Interesting note about the upholstery, because there was a big industry around the tailors in the east end of London, Curtain road etc.

[schneidergott]

I watched that little film about Thomas Mahon and was rather "shocked" that he didn't cut his suits with his famous "Mr. Sheppard's" shears!
Still I recognized the shape of his shears being american, but I couldn't figure out who made them, for there was no company name visible on the bolt. I saw him waving them around, which is quite a task with at least 1,1 KG of steel! So what size are they? I can't tell from the film, because it is somehow stretched vertically.



Can anybody tell me please?!

And something else I noticed: Mr. DeBoise mentioned the lips on the shear's handles, but Mr. Mahon is cutting "thumbs up"! Very strange! Doesn't influence the garments quality, though! It's just easier to cut with the thumbs down on the lip of the shears.





SG

[The Doctor]

I watched that little film about Thomas Mahon and was rather "shocked" that he didn't cut his suits with his famous "Mr. Sheppard's" shears!
Still I recognized the shape of his shears being american, but I couldn't figure out who made them, for there was no company name visible on the bolt. I saw him waving them around, which is quite a task with at least 1,1 KG of steel! So what size are they? I can't tell from the film, because it is somehow stretched vertically.



Can anybody tell me please?!

And something else I noticed: Mr. DeBoise mentioned the lips on the shear's handles, but Mr. Mahon is cutting "thumbs up"! Very strange! Doesn't influence the garments quality, though! It's just easier to cut with the thumbs down on the lip of the shears.





SG

If I remember correctly they are Heinisch.

When I was learning to cut you would get a rap on the knuckles if your thumb strayed upwards, so you soon learnt to cut with it down and it's definatly more comfortable.

[schneidergott]

So it's true: Only the best cut with a pair of old Heinisch!


SG