Schweik  wrote:   
   > >>>But the bit about 'peening' to sharpen the blade, anybody   
   > >>>know anything about that?   
      
   Yes that's how they were shaprened whenever it could be sharpened   
   that way! No kidding. They didn't-waste-steel by wearing it away   
   with a hone when they could hammer it back into a shape they could   
   use.   
      
   I still see old guys doing that with picks and digging bars. :)   
      
   They don't waste-metal by grinding it away (like I do xD) they   
   hammer those tools to a point again.   
      
   > Schweik {should've} wrote:   
      
   {in my experience}   
      
   > ...peening a scythe blade was not a very common pastime, at least   
   > not by the 1930's - 1940's. At least not for anyone that took care   
   > where he mowed and the "whetstone" wasn't artificial, nor was it   
   > particularly coarse grained - certainly finer then the old treadle   
   > powered sandstone "grinding wheel" that was used to sharpen the   
   > scythe. And no handle on it either.   
      
   > My father had two scythes. One to use for mowing around hay fields   
   > close to the stone walls where the mower couldn't be used and a   
   > second to mow anywhere there might be any obstructions. In   
   > probably 30 years of use he never peened either and they were both   
   > still very sharp and usable when he died.   
   > Schweik   
      
   Yeah but, way-back, the really old ones, lasted way-longer than one   
   measly little generation, Squeak! xD   
      
   Butthead in AZ   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)