Peening (peining) a scythe blade

N

neeman

Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
6,249
Peening is hammer sharpening of the scythe's cutting edge.
The edge is thinned by cold working the metal with a hammer and anvil
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Hi,

An interesting question..........

I just purchased a Scythe for working a 1 1/2 acre small holding
I am in the process of learning how to use and sharpen it.

Peening is part of the sharpening process.
My main question not asking how to do it (if you know please say!)

My question is what does the process of Peening do to the steel.
  • Am I hardening the steel by beating it?
  • Am I just thinning and reshaping the blade?
  • Should I let the blade 'rest' after peening, then sharpen it?

Thanks
 
Not exactly sure but I believe its through the compression of the metal. A modern scythe may be made different though, could bbe hard enough and all that's needed is sharpening. IDK
 
Thanks!
Nice link...

They say the American blade will take a courser stone that will wear out a softer European blade
So the European blades are soft and need peening, and the American blades are harder and I do not know if they need peening.

I have an Austrian blade
 
Interesting - thanks. All I knew about a scythe previously was that using one for long is hard work!
 
I am clearing the ground from dried undergrowth, so it is harder work!
Just think of the money I save not going to the gym!!!

Mowing grass will be much much easier
You stand and swing from your hips, sweeping the blade in a semi circle
You are not chopping, but slicing
Amazing what the momentum of a sharp 30" blade can do!
 
neeman said:
Hi,

An interesting question..........

I just purchased a Scythe for working a 1 1/2 acre small holding
I am in the process of learning how to use and sharpen it.

Peening is part of the sharpening process.
My main question not asking how to do it (if you know please say!)

My question is what does the process of Peening do to the steel.
  • Am I hardening the steel by beating it?
  • Am I just thinning and reshaping the blade?
  • Should I let the blade 'rest' after peening, then sharpen it?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi Neeman,

  • Yes, you are hardening it. Peening work-hardens the steel by deforming it. It was unclear from your question whether you are talking shot peening or hammer peening, but if it were me I think I'd be talking hammer peening.
Shot peening mostly modifies the surface, It is mostly used for improving fatigue properties of alloys.

Hammer peening goes deeper because the deformation goes deeper. On a thin piece of steel such as a scythe, I would expect the steel to be hardened throughout. I think this is what you are looking to do with your scythe.
​
  • No, you are mostly just taking it to a higher hardness.
  • I don't think it makes a difference if you let it rest, but I do not know for sure.

All the best to you,
Frank
 
I also think, that peening comes in if you've hit rocks or stubs with your scythe. Sometimes then, the blade will roll and nick really badly, and thus, when you peen it back into shape, there's less grinding to do. Think of it as a pre-sharpening realignment.
 
Thanks a bunch for bringing this subject up, it is fascinating!

I've got an old scythe that I use occasionally, but I knew nothing about them. I thought that gas trimmers had completely replaced them, and that they had stopped making them for ridiculous safety and/or political reasons.

At $180 for the full setup, it is very tempting. Too bad I just spent $400 on a new trimmer a few weeks ago... dammit.
 
That is fascinating. Is peening useful for other types of blades? I've seen photos and films of it being done in Africa and other places but it was all rather coincidental and never explained. I wouldn't peen a nice knife but say one was caught in a jam...stoneless...would peening do in a pinch?
 
HoosierQ said:
That is fascinating. Is peening useful for other types of blades? I've seen photos and films of it being done in Africa and other places but it was all rather coincidental and never explained. I wouldn't peen a nice knife but say one was caught in a jam...stoneless...would peening do in a pinch?
Click to expand...

I saw an old Chinese man doing it with tailors' shears the other day. He would then check to see if the blades were allowed before pounding them on the anvil some more. He had his stones set at the angles he wanted too.
 
HoosierQ said:
That is fascinating. Is peening useful for other types of blades? I've seen photos and films of it being done in Africa and other places but it was all rather coincidental and never explained. I wouldn't peen a nice knife but say one was caught in a jam...stoneless...would peening do in a pinch?
Click to expand...

I would not peen a blade that was already at a high hardness.
 
knarfeng said:
I don't see why it would not. Just angle the blows.
Click to expand...

Because the anvil is flat, and the back of the blade needs to be resting on the anvil, is what I am thinking. I guess you could grind a bevel on the back side of the blade too, but it seems that would make the peening harder the next time it needed peening.
 
I'm not sure what you are talking about, but the blade does not have to be chisel ground to be peened.
 
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