Cleaning & Sharpening My Felco Pruners! ✂️🧼❤️ // Garden Answer, by Garden Answer on YouTube. 15 min 6 s.
- Video length
- 15 min 6 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Lay an old towel or tray on the bench and put the pruners on it. Small parts are easy to lose once you start taking the tool apart.
Open the pruners and loosen the pivot nut and bolt with a screwdriver or wrench. Slide the bolt out and lift the two blades apart.
Spray the blades, spring and handles with Felco 981 resin remover. Leave it a minute to soften the sap, then scrub with a small brush.
Wipe everything dry with a clean cloth. Check the sap groove on the cutting blade and scrape out any hardened resin with a small nail or pick.
Hold the cutting blade flat and run the diamond sharpener along the bevelled edge at the same angle as the factory grind. Use five to ten light strokes.
Turn the blade over and lay the sharpener flat against the back face. Give it two or three light passes to knock off the burr.
Spray the pivot, spring and nut with Felco 980 lubricating spray, then wipe off the excess so grit does not stick.
Put a small dab of Felco 990 grease on the pivot bolt and the spring contact points. This is what keeps the action smooth.
Slide the blades back together, push the bolt through and tighten the nut until the blades move freely but have no side play.
Test the cut on a thin dry twig. It should slice cleanly with no crushing or tearing of the bark.
Tips and common mistakes
Sharpen only the bevelled side of the cutting blade and keep the flat back flat, or the blades will not meet properly.
Never use a grinder or coarse file on bypass pruners, as it removes too much steel and ruins the cutting angle.
Clean and re-grease at the end of each season, and wipe the blades after every pruning session to stop sap building up.
Wear gloves and keep your fingers behind the blade edge while sharpening.
Questions
How often should I sharpen my Felco pruners?
Sharpen lightly every few pruning sessions, or whenever cuts start tearing instead of slicing. A full strip-down clean and grease once a year is usually enough for home use.
Do I have to take the pruners apart to clean them?
No, but separating the blades lets you clear sap from the pivot and groove properly. If you skip it, at least spray the pivot and work the handles open and closed.
Can I use household oil instead of Felco grease?
A light machine oil will keep the pivot moving for a while, but a proper grease stays in place longer and resists being washed out by rain.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
