Clipper blade question

[Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance]

I started clipping my boys for a show on saturday and the blades are getting dull...FAST! I use Wahl KM2 Clippers.

The clippers were recently sharpened and i started using them and a #10 blade lasted 2 head clips. I used my #15 on Rain today and it lasted not even his whole body. I attached my brand new #10 wide on and tryed it, it didn't even work. I've gone through about 3 #10's, 1 #15 and the #10 wide which i didn't even use yet. Am i doing something wrong here?

I have to admit, i dont bathe them before they get clipped, but im thinking that i should do that from now on. They get oiled regularly and i turn them off regulary and brush the hair out before going further.

I have 1 mini, 8 legs and 2 necks to clip and all my blades are dull. AH!!

but my mom just bought 2 #10's on sat and there coming on thrursday and shes going to run up to SmartPak tomorrow night to pick up some more.

 

[ruffian]

Bathing is essential before clipping or you will dull your blades very quickly. Plus I never use one 15 for a whole body. It gets too hot. I have about 6 that I keep in clipper oil, and change as the blades get warm.

You might be doing too much with one blade, and the dirt is not helping.

 

[~Lisa~]

Doing a first spring clip trying to get all that winter hair off a dirty horse will dull your blades pretty quickly

 

[nnadams]

But I have read several posts recently where several forum members do clip their initial clip of the year or do the first rough clip without bathing first because it is too hard to get rid of all the dirt anyway through all that wooly hair and it takes so long for the horse to dry with all their winter hair. So they clip first, then bathe, then do another smoother clip later.

 

[Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance]

okay thanks so much!

 

[Kawgirl]

Are you cleaning your new blades with blade cleaner before you use them? They have a coating on them that needs to be removed before you use them. While clipping a dirty horse will dull the blades quicker, they will last longer if you keep the blades as clean as possible while clipping. Keep an old toothbrush nearby to brush the dirt away, keep the blades oiled and sprayed so they will run cooler. And don't let them get too hot. Hot blades will bake the dirt on them and make them dull.

 

[shalamara minis]

Keep your blades clean and oiled while clipping, A spray cleaner works well but also use an old tooth brush to be sure they are clean. If you can't give your horse a bath try an old vac that you can reverse the hose on and blow them off (if you have never done this before a training lesson is involved for your horse). Its not as good as a bath but it does help.

 

[~Lisa~]

I do the first winter cut without bathing however I am using those big stewart or Oster clippers (think sheep shearing size) and they get thru anything. It is often not a pretty clip but gets enough hair off that in a week or so I can bathe (and not wait a lifetime for them to dry with 5 inch long hair) and then clip proper with my double K clippers

 

[Rebecca]

I always bathe them, a lot! Usually about two rounds of shampooing and thorough scrubbing until the soap suds rinse off white instead of brown. Then LOTS of Showsheen! I learned this the hard way. You should be able to do more than one horse full body clip with one blade. After the first clip of the year I get several body clips out of each blade. Then I send them in for sharpening (find a good place!) and get some more body clips out of them!

POint is, they shouldn't die so fast.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I did my first bath of the year without bathing, and used two blades, and both of them still have life left. I used a 10 wide, and a regular 10 on the areas the 10w was too big for.

What I did was brush him, clip for maybe 10 minutes, spray with spray coolant while clipper was off, turn clipper on and dip in blade oil for like 30 seconds, oil blade well, and repeat.

I am using double K clippers though. Also make sure when you get new blades to soak in blade wash, even scrub them a little with a toothbrush, then oil well. I generally over oil and have to wipe some off. If you use them straight from the package with no wash or oil your going to go through blades like crazy.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

But I have read several posts recently where several forum members do clip their initial clip of the year or do the first rough clip without bathing first because it is too hard to get rid of all the dirt anyway through all that wooly hair and it takes so long for the horse to dry with all their winter hair. So they clip first, then bathe, then do another smoother clip later.

That's true, but we sure chew up blades doing it!

If you want the blade to last, you need to use a horse vac and a lot of show sheen and oil constantly as you clip. I got through an entire first dirty clip with a single #10 wide blade this spring using that method and it's still not leaving tracks. (My normal 10 blade couldn't get through his hair even on the highest speed, but the 10W zipped through the worst mats like butter on a nice low speed. You learn something new every year!

) When I go to do his first nice clip where I actually care about the fine details you bet I'll be bathing first. You can clip dirty, but it's darn near impossible to do a NICE clip dirty!

Leia

 

[Indy's mom]

Sounds like you forgot the "Blade Wash"! You need to run your clippers threw a blade wash probably every 15 minutes during your clip jobs! You will find this keeps your blades nice and sharp!!

Tammy

 

[Katiean]

When I clip a horse I always give a bath first. I start clipping when they are still damp with q T84. I clip with the hair to take off the first layer. Then I give another bath and clip with a 10 blade against the hair growth. It works for me.

 

[Al B]

For what it's worth.

Before that first clip I wash them thouroughly 2-3 times with Dawn liquid detergent (scrub hard with a brush), scrape them off and then spreay them profusely with Show Sheen or some other silicone based product.

Let them 95% dry and the hair will be much easier to clip. As I clip I have a spray bottle of WD-40 that I use to spritz in the teeth of the blade ever 4-5 minutes. I can clip 3-4 horses with one blade.

 

[dali1111]

The first clip will eat up your blades. I also find the 10 wides last longer but i still usually go through 3 or 4 10s for the body a 15 and a 30 for the head as well as a pair of small trimmers. On the other hand I work in a grooming salon and we use the ceramic edge blades and can do 8 or 9 standard poodles before they even start to leave lines. I'm thinking of replacing my regular oster blades will the andis ceramics.