Salvageable Rusted Scythe Blade?

Hey all, I found this old scythe blade in central Washington state. Wondering if anyone knows what kind of blade it is, and if I can salvage it to attach to a new handle? What methods should I use if possible?  Thanks.

Sean Eriksen wrote:Hey all, I found this old scythe blade in central Washington state. Wondering if anyone knows what kind of blade it is, and if I can salvage it to attach to a new handle? What methods should I use if possible?  Thanks.

Looks like a somewhat worn American pattern grass blade on the remains of a double-ring bush snath. Despite the toe being very badly stubbed and the rust being possibly deep enough to cause pitting in the edge in places, it has a lot of useful life left in it. It may be laminated, so be sure to keep the edge in the center of the blade's web. The tang angle has probably not been set, and you'll need to inspect it for bends or twists, as well. If putting it back to work I wouldn't do more than taking a wire wheel to the blade to get the worst of the rust off, as mowing will take off the rest. A water-cooled slow speed grinder should ideally be used, but barring that a correctly-formulated grinding point will get the job done. Blades in as-found condition always take considerable regrinding, but once rebeveled properly, subsequent grinding is a matter of minutes and only needs to be done a few times a season, barring accidental severe damage.

That is awesome, thank you for the detailed response. I'll see what I can do with it come spring with a wire wheel and then assess the blade from there. Thanks!

I am torn -- dive into that antique steel, tear it up and rework it into a new scythe.

And yet, just as valid, display it as a marvelous historical artifact, with all the binding methods intact.

Dunno. Sitting on the fence while there is scythe work that needs doing .

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:I am torn -- dive into that antique steel, tear it up and rework it into a new scythe.

And yet, just as valid, display it as a marvelous historical artifact, with all the binding methods intact.

Dunno. Sitting on the fence while there is scythe work that needs doing .

Doesn't appear to be anything of major historical significance. There's no binding--that's a double-ringed bush snath made somewhere around 1940-150. Fairly common hardware. Better to put it back to work, if there's work to be done with it.

Thanks Benjamin. Good info! So the rings are just a compression fit to hold the blade and the snath together?

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Thanks Benjamin. Good info! So the rings are just a compression fit to hold the blade and the snath together?

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They would have originally have been held in with an iron wedge, but they often fell out. The rings do have a slight taper to them such that they shouldn't slip off the end of the snath once the wedge is driven home. The wedge itself would have had a little lip on it for tapping back out if you needed to dismount the blade.