# Shearing question



## lesagirlwalton (Mar 20, 2014)

Hi! We purchased the large yellow shearmaster clipper because we only have three woollies to shear. I certainly don't claim to know what I'm doing as the only instruction I've had is YouTube videos. However, these clippers are getting so hot so fast that we are having to turn them off every three minutes. When they get hot they stop cutting and it's turning in to a nightmare. Is this normal or am I just most likely doing something terribly wrong?


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Are you oiling them?


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## lesagirlwalton (Mar 20, 2014)

Yes, I've oiled them so many times it's ridiculous.


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

I'm as new as you are (maybe newer!!) but check the tension settings?


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

When you oil your blades, it is a very temporary lubrication. When shearing sheep, the lanolin actually oils your blade for you. For this reason you need to keep the blades cutting wool, not setting there running back and forth while you decide what you are going to do next. When your blades get dull, tightening the tension will make them cut, but this is a finite situation. There is a point that you have too much tension, this will cause the blades to get hot, if they get too hot it can actually ruin them. Blades need to be sent off to be sharpened by someone with a machine specifically designed for sharpening clipper blades for best results. I would say, that with no experience, you might get four sheep per cutter and eight sheep per comb with your set-up. That means you would put a comb (flat stationary blade) on and shear four sheep, then put on a fresh cutter (small moving blade) and do four more. With more experience, you can do more because you are spending more time cutting off wool and less time thinking about it. With good sheep I can finish in about five minutes, maybe eight once I'm tired. I can get maybe 8 per comb and 16 per cutter if the sheep are right. If I tried to shear right now, I would burn through blades in no time in dry wool, mine won't have good oil flowing until May, a few good 90 degree days will get them nice and oily. Lots of rain, if they are outside sheep, can strip their oil too. It is still normal for the clippers that you have to get really hot, just from the motor, after extended use. If I had a few more sheep, I would have to get one of the shafted machines, so that all the motor heat would be somewhere besides my hand. I do about 40, usually break it up into two to three days. That is about as much as I would want to do with the yellow shearmasters, but they are way better than granpa's old Oster Sunbeams, with their narrow little blades.


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

Barnbilder- I so appreciate your posts. Always so thoughtful and well written. I wish you were closer, and I could pick your brain in person.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

I have grabbed a particular sheep before that has pretty much blown my blades right out of the gate. Really dry, pilly wool, with feed or dirt in it, can make the blades get dull quicker. Your tension is a fine balancing act and needs constant attention. I go by sound. They will have a lot of clatter to them when loose, not real good to let them run this way, so tighten on up till you hear a smoother sound. Stop tightening way before the motor starts slowing down, if they won't cut and you are slowing the motor down, you are just making heat, and you need another set of blades, lubrication, etc. When I have to do dry sheep, and in case I run into a dry one or a dirty spot or something, I keep a little cup of oil mixed with diesel close to my spot. I dip my blades in there and cool them off a little, and turn it on and pull them out, while backing off the tension and then tightening back down to the sweet sounding spot. (point them away from you, the sheep, your mat, or you will get diesel all over everything) In bad cases, and between sheep, I take off the cutter and pick out the cupped part of it with a pointy knife. This makes them go further. In some instances, if you were to start way too loose, the fiber will well up in this cupped part of the cutter, and you will just be pinching a wool blob in between and not getting the metal to metal contact you need. Too long with this situation and you will dull the comb, although the cutter will still be sharp. There is a lot to shearing sheep, but it's not rocket science, either.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

While someone with three or four sheep could get by with just one set of blades, it would probably be a good rule of thumb to have about three times as many as you need. I like to have a few more than I need, plus the amount that I actually need lost in the mail. I have grabbed new blades out of the box that didn't cut good, both brand new and fresh from the sharpening service. If you still have problems, you might have a bum machine, something could be out of whack from the factory.


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## lesagirlwalton (Mar 20, 2014)

Thank you is much for your answers and input. We did get all three of the finished yesterday. Next time I'll be more prepared and perhaps less scared. I nicked them a cpl times and I cried but as I've read I think that's part of the learning process too. :/


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

A nick or two is part of the learning process. Don't feel bad, lanolin, with it's high acidity, is a great antiseptic, they heal in no time usually. However, I make it a point to keep tetanus antitoxin in the cooler, and some iodine spray on hand. I have a needle and thread in my kit too, in case things get really bad. I've only had to stitch a couple. Had a ram bucking around one time and sheared a hole in my knee, but like I said, lanolin is a great antiseptic. Burns, though. Be careful around the udder, the rest of it doesn't matter so much!
If anyone shears enough sheep, eventually, you're going to have one die sometime within 24 hours of shearing. Don't feel bad, it even happens with a quick shearing time, and no cuts. I think it is just their time, and the extra little bit of stress, or I believe the rumen being in an un-natural position, or maybe a weak heart makes it happen right after shearing. I had one that died before I could turn them out of the lot once, it makes you feel bad, but I've seen it happen. Not often, though. If you have any late lambers in the bunch you will also have one walk over in the corner and pop out lambs as soon as you turn loose of her, if you shear long enough. It gets better with time, and easier with experience, but it is still probably one of the most physically demanding things you can do on a farm, if you have very many to do.


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## hastyreply (Nov 10, 2012)

I hadn't used my shears (Oster Shearmaster) in a few years but tried to use them this year. They keep throwing the blades off. I literally can't keep them tightened on. I've oiled the heck out of them.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

Your tension spring could be broken or damaged, or maybe they have been run without cutters and the little bumps that engage the blade have ground themselves off against the comb. They will service them if you send them in. You have to pay shipping, of course, and it won't be real quick. Or, there could be a big wad of wool back in the housing that the cutter arm is riding up on, just a thought.


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