What did you lot EDC today?

I'd heard the RR's were pretty nice. Maybe clamp a heatsink at the base of the blade and draw the temper a bit w/a propane torch?
 
Steve that is nice! Ive been looking to get one. There is a Thai version which is a bit smaller and is pole mounted (prah) but that right there just looks like a heck of a lot of fun!
Steve Tall said:
Okay then. A photo taken during the last hour of daylight today:

IMG_4264B.JPG
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J W Bensinger said:
I'd heard the RR's were pretty nice. Maybe clamp a heatsink at the base of the blade and draw the temper a bit w/a propane torch?
Click to expand...

That's a good idea, especially since I need an excuse to buy a propane torch. And if it doesn't go well I'm only out a $10 pocket knife.

I wonder what kind of steel the blade's made from. It says "440 steel razor sharp" on the blade, but it's probably the usual 8cr13mov or 7Cr17MoV
 
I really admire you fella's that know steel. I'm much more simple myself. There's metal, there's wood, and there's everything else.

I should of took some metal shop in school back in the days when they had it.

I did self teach myself to arc weld in an earlier life but haven't done that in many many years either, and I probably wasn't all that good at that neither. Sure wouldn't want me welding on important stuff like bridges and buildings and such.
 
Steve Tall said:
Okay then. A photo taken during the last hour of daylight today:

IMG_4264B.JPG
Click to expand...

Steve, that appears to be missing a snath... ? Swinging it that way must be a heck of a lot harder hehe! Seriously guessing you have it apart for peening when you took this?
 
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We use scythes a fair amount at our place-my kid uses my grass scythe at her house up the hill a lot.
I have a brush blade on the other and I must say for that I prefer a machete. Love the grass blades though.
 
ndoghouse said:
Steve that is nice! Ive been looking to get one...that right there just looks like a heck of a lot of fun!
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It's fun alright. If you keep the blade sharp, there's very little effort required. This video shows two girls, age 10 and 13, getting lots of work done with scythes, and ndog will appreciate that their father is barefoot while he scythes:

[video=youtube_share;gL2_chKPWjE]http://youtu.be/gL2_chKPWjE[/video]

Shavru said:
Steve, that appears to be missing a snath... ? Swinging it that way must be a heck of a lot harder hehe! Seriously guessing you have it apart for peening when you took this?
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I was wondering why my wrist (and back) were getting so sore. ;) Actually I detach the blade after each use, so everything can dry out better.

Re: machete vs. scythe, check out this video (with the 10-year old girl from the previous video, all grown up, who happens to be a member here at BladeForums):

[video=youtube_share;z71gl4wQ4fw]http://youtu.be/z71gl4wQ4fw[/video]
 
Color me totally respectful of that young lady, especially when she's got that Scythe anywhere near by.
They really work those things well. I think I might have issues doing that sitting down but I plan to give it a try first chance I get.

Guy sure looks like Willie Nelson don't he and barefoot too.

Thanks for some neat video.
 
Bawanna said:
That's a nice looking knife, never seen one.
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. Here are the specs on my folder just for wow factor.

Dimensions
Open Overall Length 9.25 inches
Closed Length 5.375 inches
Weight 6.3 ounces

Blade
Length 3.99 inches
Thickness 0.14 inches
Material AUS 8
Blade-HRC 58-59
Finish Bead-Blast
Grind Hollow
Style Tanto
Edge Triple-Point Serrations

it is a beast, and i wouldnt have it any other way, having a dainty folder is a good way to lose fingers. and being able to operate you knife controls under duress is important, seeing as how fine motor skills go bye bye, under fight or flight, and real survival situations, like falling into frozen water, severe hydration, ect. the auto-lawks system is a real must have.
 
Thanks Steve! Thats some cool scything going on there! I wouldnt want to be a snake around there:eek: They didnt even have to move the trailer spare and I bet the never ever hit it! I understand they have to sharpen every thirty minutes or so and then peen it after several hours which leads me to believe they are not hardened like a normal chopping edge.
 
NDog. The issue is that once they are properly peened the edge of a grass blade is about the thickness of a sheet of standard writing paper. One way to test the correct peening is to use your fingernail. You should sort of ripple the edge pushing gently up and sliding your finger along near the edge. Really the "sharpening" is just a very light touch finalizing the edge kind of like stropping a straight razor.

Bawanna, they make Snaths all sorts of sizes I think you would probabyl want to consider a straight snath instead of bent as it will keep the blade angle better for you, Make sure you get one that is the right length for your vertical reach from ground to where your hips rest and you probably would be doing just great with one once you learn the technique. You will also want to consider the tang angle as you would want the blade a bit further away from you. Basically you need to be comfortable pivoting at the waist. You will need to replace the strength an upright mower generates with the buttocks muscles so it will take a lot more strength in your core. But being the stubborn and mentally gifted person you are, I am betting you can work it out.
 
Bawanna: I think what Shavru is saying is you got to put more buttock into it;)

Shav. I do peen my long blade tips sometimes but my anvil and hammer are not optimal so I cant get it as smooth as others yet. I got me a piece of steel yesterday to make me an anvil just for that btw. Im half blind so I need full sunlight to run that mark but Im not too terrible at it. Fortunately sound and feel plays a part too. You can hear it when you get hammer blade and anvil square together and theres little shock transmitted down the blade. A good hit is like a solid thud. Here is where you dont want a super hardened tip and thats why I wonder about the scythe hardness. I dont think you can peen an RC60 edge. Maybe im wrong? And yes you can get a pretty dang sharp edge by peening alone.
 
I could do it. I'm thinking 4x4 chair and I'm gonna go barefoot too.

I could totally do that pushing the hay thing. I do that with my grass. When kids were in school I was hell with a dust mop. Just gotta be careful you don't run into something. Handle to the gut can be a bad thing.

I'll start working on the core and buttocks, they used to be really good. Now not so much. Sort a like everything else.
 
Ah, Yes Steve is correct. American made blades are much harder and not peened as a rule, though I imagine you could, you just would need to use a heavier hammer and work at it a lot harder. From what I know American made scythes tend to be reground occasionally and stoned for sharpness more like a knife. I use a blade made by an Austrian company I bought from an east coast store. The name on my blade is Schroeckenfux and the model is Vindobona. The company I bought it from "Scythe Supply" has a great store and all sorts of fun tools. But the important thing for me is they had a peening jig. I can freehand peen and have done it reasonably well before based on as NDog was pointing out the sound of the ring of the hammer. But the jig eliminates the small mistakes I was making and keeps me from being able to tear the steel with a slightly turned strike. Something I had done way too often before buying the jig. I used to get fed up and hand the whole thing to my husband to fix about twice a day LOL. He is the one that discovered the jig and talked me into trying it.

Bawanna, You are right, you HAVE to go barefoot. Not sure if you still have feeling in your feet or not. The sun on the shoulders, the sweat, the smell of the cut grass, the coldness of a good icy lemonaide (or your favorite cold drink instead) the sting of a beginning sunburn on your nose, and you will "feel" the grass underfoot regardless. I mean, the whole new cut grass barefoot thing is such a classic that it just has to be done regardless.

Now as to working the buttocks. On the plus side, if you work that butt too much you might have to talk Mrs. B into a bit of massage to loosen up the muscles and who knows what kind of hanky-panky that might lead to. Of course you have to be careful about making sure she has no plans to visit airports in the near future though. a new puppy is probably enough new family for a while
 
Oh, no worries on that hanky panky stuff anymore. Usually we just stick to oral. She says screw you and I say screw you back and break out the book.

I bucked a lot of hay in my younger days. Never scythed always followed an old antique bailer. Tough work. That young lady loading that truck with the pitchfork is truly talented. Had to be better than wrestling bales but she has it down to a science.

Never did it barefoot though.
 
There must be one of them parallel universe Khukri forums somewhere? I think your wife has been talkin to my wife :eek:
Bawanna said:
Oh, no worries on that hanky panky stuff anymore. Usually we just stick to oral. She says screw you and I say screw you back and break out the book.
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...cantina check...yep..ok:thumbup:
 
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