Who else uses a scythe?

Yeah--don't peen those babies. Looks like the one you started restoring is a Derby & Ball snath. You can clearly see where the diamond-shaped label had been. :)

Will comment more in the morning. Don't be afraid to send me a PM or email if you have any questions about how best to go about any aspects of the restoration! :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
i left the diamond and the wood mostly alone. it's just going to get more BLO over time. it's "done" for now. except the blade thinning.

the ditch blade. that's next.

compare the color of the wood side by side, and it's striking that one is "old" and one is "not too shabby" now.

my plan for spring, is to get a right good grass blade for thin nice work.

turns out that in new england, the craigslists often have a few guys with boxes of blades, but not so much good snaths or nibs

i'm also in the midst of fixing up some axes and other heritage tools in my "spare time" :D
 
Good snaths are always harder to find than good blades. The wood just doesn't hold up with the passage of time quite so well as the steel and iron does! And yeah, prices tend to be all over the map. Some folks will sell a minty-fresh set for a song and a dance while others will try to sell a piece that's not even fit for "cottage decor" for $400...and vice versa! I think part of this is because very very few individuals (probably could be counted on one or two hands) are actually well versed enough to appraise scythes.
 
Also, the blade on that Derby & Ball looks like it IS a good grass blade from what I can see from here. :)
 
Bladite said:
here's the embiggenned url:

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Logging/i-ZvP9bcd/0/O/CA_09131416343859.jpg

and forum sized:

CA_09131416343859-X2.jpg


so, i got a Seymour, works really well, though "not a grass blade" quite as much as i hoped, so i hit craigslists and found a guy selling two old scythes

one of them was a pretty nice ditch blade... heavy, but as you can see, old weathered wood, rusty hardware, and one of the nibs is ... messed up - i need to make or source a new wood bit, the hardware is fine though. finding the odd yard sale with some blades is not hard - i know a guy with a barn, that has a bunch of sad ones, but he wants WAY too much money. i figure i can score some nibs if i'm patient.

the other, more the grass blade, is the restored one. took it completely apart, used handtools (esp wire brush) to remove any rust, scraped the crud off the wood, and spent a few cycles of sanding and wiping with BLO. looks nice.

was able to get the hardware readjusted and very tight. lovely stuff that...
Click to expand...

Nice craigslist score. Congratulations on finding some reasonably priced. And thanks for sharing. :D
 
yeah, it's GOING to be a good grass blade... just needs a proper sharpen. plus, it's purple :D more oil. it'll be a user and a heritage tool :D

i got an incredible score on a couple of two man saws, one man saw, and some misc hand tools over the weekend. i'm turning into an East Coast Wranglerstar :D

now i just need a box of nibs, and some proper axe handles, and i can start restoring some more things. going to need a way to display this stuff :D
 
Well, if you end up needing nibs just let me know! I have both vintage and current production ones. I also have some birch branches seasoning right now for use in fabricating replacement grips. Birch was the preferred wood for the task since it was more likely to crush than split under compression, and by using branches I can get ideal grain by having the rings surrounding the bore.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Well, if you end up needing nibs just let me know! I have both vintage and current production ones. I also have some birch branches seasoning right now for use in fabricating replacement grips. Birch was the preferred wood for the task since it was more likely to crush than split under compression, and by using branches I can get ideal grain by having the rings surrounding the bore.
Click to expand...

mmm

mmm mmm

that's a good idea.

i have birches. i have a draw knife. i don't have a lathe. someday i'll fix that.

but yeah, next Spring, i'll need *a* nib to fix the ditch guy. it's a mess. not sure if i need a nut, without looking. they did SOMETHING to attach that thing with the scary thing they did. i hope it's not ruined.
 
Yeah usually if the nut is damaged you're out of luck and need a new nib. First off, they're left-hand threads so they're hard to come across anyhow, but furthermore many of them are non-standard and aren't interchangeable so if one half of the pair is damaged the whole nib iron/nut is a lost cause short of furnishing another half from a nib of identical make. With the grips you'll need a long drill bit and a step drill/cone drill to bore out the taper for the shoulder of the band. If you end up having to totally replace a nib you can use a modern nib but swap out the aluminum nib block for the original to keep it looking period.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Yeah usually if the nut is damaged you're out of luck and need a new nib. First off, they're left-hand threads so they're hard to come across anyhow, but furthermore many of them are non-standard and aren't interchangeable so if one half of the pair is damaged the whole nib iron/nut is a lost cause short of furnishing another half from a nib of identical make. With the grips you'll need a long drill bit and a step drill/cone drill to bore out the taper for the shoulder of the band. If you end up having to totally replace a nib you can use a modern nib but swap out the aluminum nib block for the original to keep it looking period.
Click to expand...

what he said
 
I just acquired a Tramontina ditch blade. What advice is there for sharpening it? 42?

It came with a coating which I have sanded off. I've been working 220 grit sandpaper parallel to the edge to improve the primary edge geometry. Going for a chisel profile, and I removed a good deal of material from the bottom where the factory had ground a bevel. I run a block of wood down the edge sometimes to knock off burrs. It's still not as sharp as I want. Is peening a good idea? Is there another good method of grinding other than parallel to the edge?
 
The steel is soft enough that peening is preferred on those. I find I'm able to get the blade nice and sharp but then it dulls very quickly and frustrates me. I'm used to the better edge retention of American blades, though, so I have less patience for soft edges. For soft blades like the majority of tensioned examples you'll want to use a VERY fine stone or else you won't get as keen of an edge as you're looking for.
 
For those looking for a manual grinder that puts a big hollow on your bevels, I've been able to secure some of these. Easy to rig up for treadle power, too. :)

 
FortyTwoBlades said:
For those looking for a manual grinder that puts a big hollow on your bevels, I've been able to secure some of these. Easy to rig up for treadle power, too. :)

Click to expand...

mmm, someone should PM someone about something and ballparks :D

guy on CL said he had something kicking around. might be time.
 
Using a wheel is an art in itself, but boy is it great what they can do! The difference a true hollow edge (not relief bevel!) makes with a scythe or a hay knife is pretty incredible. The cool thing about a wheel that large is that it cuts a bevel farther back than a smaller wheel can, and lessens the amount of deflection/energy loss in the cut due to the harsh shoulder of a small wheel. Because a manual wet grinder is slow speed it also means you can use the flat side of the stone for certain tasks/tools. You'd explode a high speed stone if you put any side load on it.
 
That's a heck of a wheel right there! Looks to be in good shape, at least as far as one can tell from a photo. :)
 
00c0c_8Q4UYVhA8Wl_600x450.jpg


other side. it's local.

they want $300 for it

MMM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top