Scissors Clip Art

Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools used for cutting a variety of materials. They consist of two pivoting blades, handles, a pivot screw, and a spring. Humans have employed blade-like tools for cutting for thousands of years, but scissors employing the pivot mechanism emerged around 1500 BC in ancient Egypt. From there, scissors spread around the globe becoming vital instruments for crafting, sewing, surgery and more – both functionally and symbolically.

History of Scissors

Archaeologists discovered the earliest scissors-like objects – bronze shears and spring scissors dating back over 3,500 years – in Middle Eastern regions. However, the Roman Empire helped popularize scissors more widely across Europe and Asia minor. As steel processes improved the design, scissors with tighter pivot tolerance and sharper blades appeared in the 1500s through much of the continent. When colonists settled America in the 17th century, scissors made the trip too as indispensable household aids.

Germany and Britain led further scissor innovations during the industrialization of the 18th century. Robust scissor manufacturing networks enabled mass production, making them affordable victorian staples used by the aristocracy down through the working classes. Today China and Japan stand as the global leaders in scissor technology and exports meeting worldwide need.

How Scissors Work

The Pivoting Mechanism

Modern scissor function relies on the riveted pivot mechanism maintaining blade alignment while permitting cutting action. One handle includes a pivot screw pass-through while the other handle attaches atop with rivets forming a rotational joint like a basic machine. Springs underneath apply tension to keep them properly positioned, snapping them back open after compression strokes.

Blade Design and Sharpness

Scissor blades taper down from base to tips specialized for different purposes, like extremely delicate eye surgery or resilient thick fabric cutting. For better grip and durability, alloys including carbon, chrome, molybdenum and vanadium pass durability testing 20 times longer than stainless steel alone. Sharp inner blade curves interlock while shearing to focus maximal cutting power rather than relying solely on applied pressure. Serrated micro-teeth further prevent slippage when slicing slick materials.

Handles and Grip

Ergonomic handle design accounts for finger and wrist joint contours, avoiding pain with extended use. Thermoplastics, wood, carbon fiber, steel and polypropylene comprise handles for comfort and strength. Rubberized grips allow more stability, especially when hands perspire. Matching finger loops in both handles help open blades fully and safely guide return strokes.

Types of Scissors

There exists specialized scissors for nearly any application imaginable. From fuzzy craft materials to human body tissues, different blades suit distinct purposes.

Household Scissors

Tackling routine kitchen, office, carpet and packet cutting tasks fall upon versatile stainless steel household scissors. Spring action facilitates repetitive snipping without tiring, while corrosion resistant chrome or nickel coatings maintain performance cleaving paper, cardboard, tin foil and more.

Hair Cutting Scissors

Half hardened steel on one blade and high carbon steel on the other creates a perfect tension balance. Uniquely contoured to navigate heads, excellent hair cutting scissor blades never need sharpening and withstand years of use without degrading. Plus, anti-corrosives fight damage from chemical cleaning.

Medical Scissors

The sharpest, smoothest scissor edges possible assist intricate medical work. High chrome content and electrolysis baths protect hospital-grade steel from blood and bodily fluid damage during procedures. Extremely precise scissor engineering empowers life-saving operations.

Using Scissors Safely

Like all sharp tools, proper use prevents injury. Carrying with tips pointed down in protective sheaths or cases eliminates poke hazards. Handing scissors directly helps avoid accidental drops causing foot lacerations. Adult supervision ensures child safety especially around faces. Periodic maintenance like blade cleaning, sanitizing and rust removal extends usefulness.

Scissors in Crafting, Sewing and Hobbies

Scissors dedicated for fabrics, ribbons, threads and wrapping cut smooth, preventing snags. Tiny scissors precision trim stamps or fingernails. Outdoor scissors prune flowers and shrubs cleanly. Avid crafters own specialized sets galore for scrapbooking, needlecrafts, model building and more. Left handed versions allow equal ease no matter people’s dominant dexterity.

Manufacturing Scissors

Modern mass produced scissors start as metal sheets die cut into matching blades, punched with adjustment holes then separately formed to shape. Handles arrive molded with rivet openings in place. Assembly workers align the blades maxing shear efficiency, rivet on the pivot screw, test and sharpen. Lastly, springs connect tensioned scissors delighted end users worldwide.

Scissors Symbolism and Design

Scissors in Art

Surrealists like Man Ray photographed scissors artfully juxtaposed suggesting mysterious themes. Contemporary sculptures incorporate scissor shapes into metal work. Salvador Dali’s lobe-slicing scissors irk eyeballs on graphic t-shirts even today.

Scissors Clip Art

Sometimes playful, sometimes not, illustrated scissors fuse functionality with creativity commenting deeper meanings within. Flowing ribbons, snipped locks or holiday wrappings imply change on many levels through seemingly simple endemic tools.

Famous Scissors Brands

Fiskars, a Finnish company launched in 1649, ranks as today’s largest scissors brand worldwide. Other heritage companies include Germany’s Wiss, American Brentwood Originals or Japanese Zwilling J.A Henckels shears revered for surgical quality. More niche brands cater specifically to hairdressers or crafters as well.

Scissors progressed in design from Egyptian antiquity into essential modern implements used globally today. Ongoing evolution improves ergonomic performance and safety across homes, industry and operating theaters. That satisfying first snip of crisp construction paper remains a childhood rite of passage for generations. Simple scissors hold monumental symbolic significance representing transitions in art to merchandise and everything between.

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