Who else uses a scythe?

[Square_peg]

Thanks for the vid, 42. Looks to be cutting well.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Some lovely news from the folks at Seymour/Midwest Rake. They're VERY interested in distributing the guide. We'll be chatting more soon to hash things out a bit more--today was basically just a quick hello.

 

[G-pig]

Nother wildwood snath. This one is Cherry, recycled from the odds and ends pile.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Ooh I like the rear nib on it.

 

[Square_peg]

I bet you're really learning your likes and dislikes with regards to snaths. Are your nibs just a friction fit?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

By the way, I figure it worth mentioning that the new owners of Seymour have been some of the nicest folks to deal with. An absolute 180* compared to the individuals that I was conversing with before the buyout. I think that the Midwest Rake crew will breathe a lot of live and energy back into the company, and I can't wait to see where things go from here.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

The results of my new electrolysis tank:

I had two of these blades, (posted prior) both in about the same rusted-but-restorable condition, and I did a full restoration on one of them. Electrolysis bath followed by a wipe-down to remove the loose gunk then a once-over with a fine wire brush in a drill. After snapping the photographs I then torched the tang (with the blade wrapped in a soaking rag) and adjusted the pitch for proper lay during use, wire brushed off the discoloration, then applied a couple of clear coats of lacquer.

 

[Square_peg]

Looks like you've got the process down pat. The grind on those looks factory. Are they NOS?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Yup--new old stock. They had been stored in a barn and don't show any signs of use--just rusting from storage.

Here's the latest restoration:

It's a Seymour like the one G-pig has. The collar on it had a little wobble to it due to a poor original factory fitting job. I corrected it by cutting a section of a thick clear vinyl tube and shaped it to fill out the gap before tacking it in place with wire nails. Solid as a rock now! The dimensions of the snath were overbuilt so I thinned it out with a Stanley surform. The form was also all over the map, to the point where the cross section was oval in most places from where they had sanded away partial delamination marks and the factory assembly job involved bending the nib bands into odd shapes to fit the shape of the out-of-round snath, rendering them unable to be repositioned. I surformed the cross section to round and reshaped the nib bands appropriately so it can now be adjusted (though I have them firmly tightened in the positioning I consider best for ergonomics and a person of average height.) After a thorough sanding of the wooden components and electrolysis/wire brushing/lacquering of the metal hardware I gave the snath and nibs several coats of Krylon Dual "Banner Red" followed by a white neck band and 3 coats of hard clear lacquer. The blade had the tang heated and pitched properly (especially important for wide blades) then given the electrolysis/wire brush/lacquer treatment followed by careful grinding and polishing of the edge, then a final lacquer coat.

I've got a bunch of other photos but will post them later--gotta' do some morning chores.

 

[Square_peg]

It looks right off the shelf at the hardware store circa 1930.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Thanks! It was a lot of work but I think it was worth it. I'll actually be selling this one--I want to send it off into the world for someone else to enjoy! The number of people presently using a properly tuned American scythe these days could probably be counted on your fingers and toes, and I want to change that.

Here are the rest of the pics:

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I also had this monster land today. It's a Clipper grain blade like the one I have a printing block of and it's just over 48" in overall length! Extremely thin and lightweight and I think it's restorable though it'll pose some problems. The thing is so long I'll have to clean one end at a time in my electro-tank and the blade has a bend right where the hole in the blade (for the support post of a cradle) is. There's a crack running from the hole up the spine, so I'll have to take it to a welder or brazer to patch it up. Hopefully they can do the job without warping the blade from the heat.

 

[Square_peg]

......and it's just over 48" in overall length!

Jesus! What a monster! Watch your low back with that thing.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Here's a bizarre blade I bought as part of a lot. Hard to see in the pics but it's marked "Craftsman." Looks to have been possibly drop-forged into a single-sided die--look at the way the tang is conical! Not sure what to make of it!

 

[Steve Tall]

Here's a bizarre blade I bought as part of a lot. Hard to see in the pics but it's marked "Craftsman." Looks to have been possibly drop-forged into a single-sided die--look at the way the tang is conical! Not sure what to make of it! :confused...

I "won" one similar to that and had it sent to Peter Vido for his collection. It was also stamped made in Sweden.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

It'll be the next blade I run through the electro-tank so I ought to see the tang stamps clearer. I also picked up (in the same lot) a heavily curved thick and somewhat narrow bush blade of similar forging style to that strange long-tanged blade of mine which makes me wonder if they're at all related. The only bush blades of that type that I've been able to tie to a manufacturer are by a company called Victor, which I've only seen a couple of vintage catalog ads for--no period documents or articles.

 

[G-pig]

Few new snaths. Grips are hodge podge as usual

 

[Steve Tall]

Few new snaths. Grips are hodge podge as usual
...

Looking good. Looks like there's a lot of room in the ring for opening up the hafting angle on the bottom left blade, if needed,.
That's quite a "beard" on that middle blade.

 

[C.S. Graves]

G-Pig's posts have me convinced I need to add that second handle on the butt-end of my DIY snath. I had read that one could get by without, but I've have troubles keeping the blade level as is. Might actually USE the darned scythe more then.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Getting a unit all tuned up proper goes a long way towards making scything a pleasant activity, for sure!