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So this video is all about sharpening a scythe. This is a scythe here. I actually bought it new in a hardware store a number of years ago
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So it's not an antique, strictly speaking, but you use it to cut down grain and to cut grass and hay and things like that by hand when you don't have any machines
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But in order for this to work it has to be sharpened properly. The good news is that it's not difficult to sharpen a scythe even though it might look like it has to be one big long razor blade
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It's not really that critical how you go about things. I do all my sharpening with this flat file. This is the size I use. It's got a handle on it so it's easy to use
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Now, the object is, before I get into it, the object is to sharpen one side and then repeat the process on the other
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Now, the good news here is that this blade is extremely thin
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I mean, it's thin enough that it's flexible. It's really quite a remarkable kind of steel to be able to do this
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Because it's so thin, it's fairly easy to get a sharp edge on it
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One reason I like the file is because it doesn't just create a sharp edge, it creates a serrated edge, a microscopically serrated edge
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which makes it chew into the grass and grain better. So if you look very closely here, you can see some of the marks left by the file
1:33
I have started to sharpen this and I'm going to continue, but that's the marks that it leaves
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And like I said, it's kind of like a microscopic little saw that helps to grab the things that you're cutting
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So for the back side, what you want to do is you want to have the file angled just steeply enough so that it actually brings this edge to a sharp point
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So that would be wrong because you can see the bottom of the blade here is a little bit curved
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If I had the file like this, I wouldn't actually even be touching the cutting edge, which is what I want
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So when I file, I'm always watching this edge. Is it getting shinier at the edge
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I mean, it wouldn't be any good at all if I did it up here because that's just rubbing away that material there
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I'm not interested in that, but just steep enough that it contacts the leading edge of the blade on the bottom
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Notice how I'm lifting the file a little bit on the back because a file like this only cuts going forward
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So if you just rub back and forth and you're unnecessarily dulling the file
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It's a pushing forward and then slightly lifting up. I should mention too that if you do this frequently, so you don't let the blade get too dull, then it's a lot easier to keep it up than if you let it get really dull
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In a minute, I'm going to be showing you how to preserve this blade in the off season so that rust doesn't get to it
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But that's essentially just how to do the back and that's what I like to start with
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Now the front is a little bit different. All sides have a rigid back like this
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This is turned up and it gives the blade some strength. But this also happens to be a great thing for helping you to determine the angle of the file
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So the file should be at an angle that it just barely touches this back spine here
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And then the file touches the edge and then you work your way around like that
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Now you're going to have to do all this sharpening out in the field. You won't have a bench to hold the scythe in
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So it's good to know how to do it without those sorts of aids
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The backside is easy enough. But here on the front side, putting it down on the ground and stepping on it makes for a good starting point
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And it also lets you gauge the angle of the file quite well
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I'm just pushing it. I'm cutting on the push stroke only. And that's about it
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So how often should you do sharpening? Well as soon as you detect that the scythe isn't slicing through the stalks easily
5:00
when it starts bending things over, then that's high time to do some sharpening
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So eventually you'll get to know what a sharp edge feels like with your thumb
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But until then you might just want to try the paper test. If you slide a piece of paper over the blade, it cuts it quite handily
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The serrated edge grabs the paper and slices it well, just like it would grass or hay
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One of the important things to do is to oil the blade before you put it away
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And I like to use linseed oil for this. That's kind of surprising because it's normally considered to be a wood finish
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But linseed oil is an oxidizing oil, which means that it reacts with the oxygen in the air
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to form a kind of a clear, hard film. So it's a great way to seal the blade
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And it's completely non-toxic. And it hardens, so it protects without remaining oily
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If your scythe has a wooden handle, and not all of them do
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linseed oil is a great protection for that wood. You don't need to do this too often, once a year or so
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It'll do the job. Keep it in good shape. One other thing before I finish up
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If you want to keep your files good, and you should because they're expensive
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and you want to get all you can out of them, make a leather case for them
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Because a file gets duller banging around in a toolbox than it does even being used
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So a simple hunk of leather like this. This comes from half a cow's worth of leather I bought
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And I use it for all kinds of sheets and covers and protection like this
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And it works really well
