Back from NOFA NY

It was great fun vending at the NOFA NY winter conference for Scythe Supply.  We caught up with a lot of previous customers and encountered many questions about sharpening and peening.

Two basic pieces of advice:

It's more difficult to ruin a blade while peening than one may think.  Use common sense, and keep your Hulk strength in check (think "tap," not "hammer/pound").

And, practice makes better sharpeners.  Truly.  Particularly for those of us who have had little or no experience using hand tools before becoming a scythe owner, using the tools  — peening jig, hammer and anvil, whetstone — over and over again is a good way to develop the ability to tune into the nuances of peening and sharpening. So much of this skill is by feel.