Styria Austrian Whetstone and Holder (For Meadow & Light Brush Scythes)

Crafted with a medium-course grit, this stone is a good "workhorse" match for the Schröckenfux Meadow & Light-Brush scythe -- quickly restoring an edge under field conditions.

To use the stone, you will want to wipe the blade clean of any stuck-on vegetation (a handful of grass or handkerchief are fine for this). The scythe is then stood on end of the handle (the snath), with the blade held at face level and grasped by the heel (or back edge) of the blade near the tang. Then with some pressure, the stone is drawn along the upper surface of the blade in strokes from the beard (the wide end near the handle) towards the tip. This motion is performed several times. The bottom-side of the blade (facing the ground when in use) should not be beveled and needs to stay flat -- you can however lightly brush it with the stone after sharpening the upward facing edge of the blade to remove any burs.

This sharpening process is performed periodically in the field whenever a blade starts to feel slower and less aggressive in its cut. Usually less than a minute of sharpening periodically during use will keep the blade performing adequately.

After significant field use, a scythe will benefit from peening -- the restorative process for thinning and mending the cutting edge. Please see our peening jig for a easy tool that can be used with a standard 1-pound carpenter's hammer.

This Austrian-crafted 23-cm stone comes with a durable, practical, clip-on belt holder that retains water (you fill the holder half way up with water to keep the stone wet for use).