Anyone experienced in hand shearing?

[Wool E Face]

So, my relationship with sheep shearers has been a long and sortid tale. For some reason there seems to be some kind of conspiracy among them to, in any way possible, make my sheep spend endless hours penned up so they can then cancel on me, block their numbers and/or suggest that i try ripping out my sheeps' wool instead of shearing them (true story). So..in short i have come to the conclusion that if i want the job done right i have to do it myself.

Electric shears were out of the question because my barn area is very far away from electrical outlets so i got a decent pair of hand shears and went to town. I'm about halfway through my flock and am wondering if it's my skill level (next to none) or my sheep's particularly fine wool that's making it hard to neatly slide that blade under the wool and lop it off nice and clean the way i see people doing it. The wool is very soft and cottony toward the lower half of their body and the blades just seem to get stuck, then i'm snipping away with just the tips FOREVER. Would be nice if this could be a much faster process.

 

[LadyLocust]

So, my relationship with sheep shearers has been a long and sortid tale. For some reason there seems to be some kind of conspiracy among them to, in any way possible, make my sheep spend endless hours penned up so they can then cancel on me, block their numbers and/or suggest that i try ripping out my sheeps' wool instead of shearing them (true story). So..in short i have come to the conclusion that if i want the job done right i have to do it myself.

Electric shears were out of the question because my barn area is very far away from electrical outlets so i got a decent pair of hand shears and went to town. I'm about halfway through my flock and am wondering if it's my skill level (next to none) or my sheep's particularly fine wool that's making it hard to neatly slide that blade under the wool and lop it off nice and clean the way i see people doing it. The wool is very soft and cottony toward the lower half of their body and the blades just seem to get stuck, then i'm snipping away with just the tips FOREVER. Would be nice if this could be a much faster process.

I had sheep years ago & did all the shearing myself. If you have a generator, electric is still the way to go. There is typically more lanolin on the lower portion of the fleece which may be part of the reason for stickiness. I've never tried to shear more than one by hand, and it was after washing. Might try taking a smaller "slice" of wool and have warm soapy water to keep the blades clean. Otherwise, I've got nuttin'. If you do end up with an electric set, the ones that hang with the bar look more cumbersome but are worth it as that bar carries the weight of the clippers for a good portion of the day.

 

[Wool E Face]

I had sheep years ago & did all the shearing myself. If you have a generator, electric is still the way to go. There is typically more lanolin on the lower portion of the fleece which may be part of the reason for stickiness. I've never tried to shear more than one by hand, and it was after washing. Might try taking a smaller "slice" of wool and have warm soapy water to keep the blades clean. Otherwise, I've got nuttin'. If you do end up with an electric set, the ones that hang with the bar look more cumbersome but are worth it as that bar carries the weight of the clippers for a good portion of the day.

It was kind of a last moment decision this year after our last attempt at hiring someone so i also was going with something i was more familiar with (i can use scissors but never used an electric razor because i'm a neanderthal like that). I'll try cleaning the blades while i shear, thanks for the tip.

 

[sonya123]

There is a reason we have Katahdins! Have you thought about having hair sheep?

 

[Wool E Face]

There is a reason we have Katahdins! Have you thought about having hair sheep?

Well i have since i've been dealing with the lack of shearers but i do like the breed i have. Shetlands do so well on crazy, weedy pastures and they're exceptionally tasty too, even if it does take a couple of years to grow one to a decent size. I'm no spinner/knitter, but i can manage to make some useful felt items.