HOT CLIPPERS Are your clippers running hot? It’s a thing, and its common. Don’t worry, there’s a rationale to this and a cure. Clippers have a motor that consumes electricity to run. A by-product of this is heat. This heat has to be vented to keep the motor assembly cool and maintain the smooth operation of your clippers. The vast majority of clippers you use will have an air intake which is protected by a filter, this vent draws ambient air from outside by a fan inside the head of the clippers, which pulls it through the motor assembly and out of an exit vent in the head of the clippers. This action effectively removes the heat from the motor and chucks it out of the head of the clipper, normally back in your direction. Restricting this flow of air results in less efficient removal of heat. Consider your hair dryer. If you were to cover half the vent at the rear of your hair dryer, you restrict the flow of the air, resulting in the hair dryer element overheating. The same principals apply with clippers. The practice of regularly brushing your filters is essential to a cool running set of clippers. I have attached pictures of what happens when you don’t brush your filters regularly. Take a look so you can visualise the effect blocked filters have on the essential air flow. CURVE BALL! I had a customer just last week complaining of hot clippers. Once I had opened them up, I was surprised to see a pretty clear clipper casing inside, certainly not enough hair and gunk to restrict air flow, resulting in the clippers overheating. Holding the heavy duty clippers in my hand at the position you would clip (the balance point), the problem was obvious. The exit vent on this model was underneath the clipper collar which expels the hot air back at you, EXACTLY where you hold them. So my hand was completely blocking the exit vent and cutting off the air flow. Again I have attached picture so you can see what I’m harping on about. STILL HAVING ISSUES? There is always the exception to the rule, and if you have great airflow and your clippers are still running hot, then it’s a possible fault on the motor assembly which will need addressing. SERVICING A service will normally rectify “hot clippers”, however prevention is better (and cheaper) than cure, so keep on top of your filter maintenance. A service doesn’t only cover air flow as part of the process, but looks at internal parts wear and all over health. If you like this 2nd edition of clip tips, please like and comment. Thanks for talking the time to read it! Cheers Paul
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"Clip Tips" - "TENSION"
As clipping season is upon us (well, you) once again, I thought it would be a good idea to share some answers to common questions. So over the coming days I'll share the common issues I come across during clipping season and how to cure or avoid problems. TENSION! Not the kind that leads to arguments over who blunted your blades and didn't get them sharpened, but TENSION on your blades during clipping. The sharpest blades I've ever sharpened in this world are useless unless there is sufficient tension being transferred from the cutter onto the comb. People that know, know that a rough global rule is tighten until it stops and then 1.5 whole turns back. Right??? ....Well Kinda. The cutter needs around 4lbs of pressure bearing down onto the comb to clip efficiently. This is provided by a mix of your spring and an amount of turns of the nut. This is normally easy and straight forward, but remember springs have memory and dont like being kept clamped down for 12 months of the year! A new spring providing 4lbs of pressure when tightened to spec, will only provide 3lbs, 2lbs, 1lbs or worse when its been left for years at tension. CLIP TIP FOR TODAY Don't leave your blades on, and tensioned, all year round! If you have and your having issues, buy a new spring! Going tighter on the nut wont really "cut it" lol |
Paul RichardsI am a mobile sharpening and service engineer, servicing Farmers Markets, Restaurants, Hair Salons, Groomers, Industrial Cliens and Equestrian Groomers in and around Kent. I Sharpen clipper blades, service and repair clippers, sharpen knives, scissors, garden tools and more. ArchivesCategories |