Peening is a process of cold-forging and used with an Austrian scythe to thin the blade at the edge so that the bevel angle is finer. It’s a maintenance task that lots of people don’t enjoy or are nervous of trying. The peening jig greatly simplifies it and, with a little instruction, it’s a relatively straightforward task.
At The Wells Road Centre in Nottingham Kev, Keith and Rob got a brilliant demonstration of the benefits of regular peening during their course. We spent the first day learning about setting up the scythes and getting to grips with honing the blade and the mowing technique. The ditch blades they were using were all brand new and cut reasonably well. I then gave them each a try with my own blade and revealed the reason it seemed to cut so much more easily and neatly: peening.
After a short explanation and demonstration, the guys were all keen to get peening their own blades and Keith had even built a set of peening benches specially for it. They did a lovely job of peening the scythes and then we went back out to the grass. I wish I’d caught the smile on Rob’s face as his blade swished across the ground, effortlessly cutting the lawn around the centre. Keith and Kev were straight off to mow the meadow with ‘completely different’ scythes.
If you’ve been putting off peening or want to be sure of getting the best results, I am running a special peening workshop in Lancashire on 11th October. Come and learn the skills to confidently peen your scythe blade and transform your cutting. Email me stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com to book your place.
