Grass clippers, pruning shears and hedge shears function similarly. The two sharp cutting surfaces of the blade come into contact at the base and cut all the way to the tips, enabling them to shear grass and stem twigs from the stem of the plants with a scissor action. If you forget to properly store your tools after use, the blades may become dull or rusty and need resharpening.
Check the pivot nut of the hedge shears before you sharpen them. They are designed for cutting green wood with a thickness of no more than 3/8 inch and may have been mistakenly used as pruning shears. Thick branches or dried wood can bend the blades and stress the pivot nuts. If the nut isn't secure, tighten it; if the hedge shears cut clean, the tool doesn't need sharpening.
Place the blade of pruning shears firmly in a vise. Starting at the point, follow the factory bevel’s curve. Hold the file with both hands and move it in one broad stroke away from you going along the entire cutting edge. Examine the edge after each stroke. When exposed steel starts to show, feel for burrs and sand as you did for the hedge shears.