Who else uses a scythe?

[The Old Dog]

I read somewhere that willow was used for hafts, any info on that? Thanks, Dog

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I read somewhere that willow was used for hafts, any info on that? Thanks, Dog

Willow was used by some UK snath manufacturers, but not in the USA. Ash was the wood used for the majority of snaths, with the finest grass snaths being made from black cherry.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I've been working on lots of big projects! Seen here was an initial test of bending an ash dowel using 29% ammonium hydroxide.

In the 1960's it was discovered that anhydrous ammonia gas could be used to dissolve the hydrogen bonds in the lignin between the cell walls, allowing them to slip past one another. During drying those bonds then reformed, fresh, causing the wood to now behave as if it had grown that way. Through the 1970's more research was done using anhydrous ammonia, either as a gas or under pressure as a liquid, but handling anhydrous ammonia is dangerous and the method never caught on. However, little research has been done on the use of ammonium hydroxide (aqueous ammonia solution.) After finding some minor indicators that ammonium hydroxide might still produce results while being much safer (if still requiring PPE and good handling practices) I decided to perform a proof of concept experiment.

The solution actually worked a little TOO well and I over-soaked the piece (a little less than a week--I wanted to make sure the effect, if any, couldn't be missed), causing it to immediately begin pulling apart during the test bend due to the lignin being too thoroughly dissolved. I now have parts on the way to construct a more proper treatment tank for further tests. The fact that the wood took so severe a bend without breaking, and with only hand pressure at room temperature is remarkable, and I look forward to further tests, which will include the use of better developed bending forms for less severe bends, using steel straps to support the exterior of the curves to force compression, combining steam bending with the ammonia soaking, and varying soak times.

The wood has only been out of the tank a couple of days and is already down to about 20% moisture content in most spots. The ammonia evaporates out remarkably quickly, and the remaining piece is quite sturdy despite the loss in thickness.

Safety Note: While much safer than anhydrous ammonia, 29% ammonia hydroxide requires the use of an ammonia-rated respirator, splash goggles, apron, and gloves to safely handle, chiefly to protect from the fumes. Standard household clear ammonia cleaner is only a 1-3% solution.

 

[Square_peg]

I've been working on lots of big projects! Seen here was an initial test of bending an ash dowel using 29% ammonium hydroxide.

In the 1960's it was discovered that anhydrous ammonia gas could be used to dissolve the hydrogen bonds in the lignin between the cell walls, allowing them to slip past one another. During drying those bonds then reformed, fresh, causing the wood to now behave as if it had grown that way. Through the 1970's more research was done using anhydrous ammonia, either as a gas or under pressure as a liquid, but handling anhydrous ammonia is dangerous and the method never caught on. However, little research has been done on the use of ammonium hydroxide (aqueous ammonia solution.) After finding some minor indicators that ammonium hydroxide might still produce results while being much safer (if still requiring PPE and good handling practices) I decided to perform a proof of concept experiment.

The solution actually worked a little TOO well and I over-soaked the piece (a little less than a week--I wanted to make sure the effect, if any, couldn't be missed), causing it to immediately begin pulling apart during the test bend due to the lignin being too thoroughly dissolved. I now have parts on the way to construct a more proper treatment tank for further tests. The fact that the wood took so severe a bend without breaking, and with only hand pressure at room temperature is remarkable, and I look forward to further tests, which will include the use of better developed bending forms for less severe bends, using steel straps to support the exterior of the curves to force compression, combining steam bending with the ammonia soaking, and varying soak times.

The wood has only been out of the tank a couple of days and is already down to about 20% moisture content in most spots. The ammonia evaporates out remarkably quickly, and the remaining piece is quite sturdy despite the loss in thickness.

Safety Note: While much safer than anhydrous ammonia, 29% ammonia hydroxide requires the use of an ammonia-rated respirator, splash goggles, apron, and gloves to safely handle, chiefly to protect from the fumes. Standard household clear ammonia cleaner is only a 1-3% solution.

That's fascinating! I hope you get a workable method. It would also be helpful if you had a way to test modulus of rupture before and after treatment. Even if it lost 25% you'd still have a good snath with just the shape you wanted.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

That's fascinating! I hope you get a workable method. It would also be helpful if you had a way to test modulus of rupture before and after treatment. Even if it lost 25% you'd still have a good snath with just the shape you wanted.

Tests performed using anhydrous ammonia I was digging up actually saw a strong improvement in modulus of rupture along with a corresponding increase in breaking strength, a slight increase in density, and a slight reduction of elastic modulus, and treated wood shrunk and expanded less with changes in moisture. However, it appears as though the particulars of treatment can have a strong influence on the degree of change so much remains to be seen! It's not very well researched, to the point where many studies mention how few studies there are in their introductions.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Some further testing. It's only ~42° F out and this was a 3-day soak bent cold. Still a tight radius for this test before I bother building more involved forms. The runout on this piece is atrociously bad and would normally not be considered as a candidate for bending. In the attempt to see how far I could take it I did end up breaking it but figured out a few tricks; bending it while the surface still appears wet causes surface grain to lift, but waiting the couple of minutes to bend it after the surface has "dried" in appearance keeps that from happening. Incredible that it bent cold this far and then held its shape after only about an hour in the form, despite the breakage, and the break isn't all the way through.

I'm having some proper blanks made up locally to do further testing--these were just some pieces I had on hand. They'll be nice long 72" staves with a 1-1/2" square end for 16" followed by a transition to 1-1/4" round. Should make excellent blanks for testing and will also make great handle blanks for things like mounting socketed cazanga machetes and the like.

 

[Mick Boardman]

I have one on my garage wall, I use it every year. I let the grass get real tall in one area, (my dog likes tall grass, so he gets a little area to himself) and then in the fall I level it. It gets pretty tall too.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Continued experiments in ammonia bending has yielded positive results. This was done cold, no steam or heat. There's still a lot to dial in with the process and I need to build more clamps, but I'm fairly confident I'll eventually be able to easily bend custom snaths with traditional curves once I get it all sorted out.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Not an April Fool's joke--for the first time in years I finally got around to updating the beginner's guide to American scythes. The changes aren't drastic, but add additional detail, clarification, or corrections of what I now consider best management practices. I hope to do a few additional edits ahead of beginning work on separate documents detailing antique restoration and advanced technical tuning.

 

[Wild Willie]

https://imgur.com/a/MXNwSYi

Dragged it out today.


I need to order some new nibs once I can get a few things in order.

 

[NapalmCheese]

Not an April Fool's joke--for the first time in years I finally got around to updating the beginner's guide to American scythes. The changes aren't drastic, but add additional detail, clarification, or corrections of what I now consider best management practices. I hope to do a few additional edits ahead of beginning work on separate documents detailing antique restoration and advanced technical tuning.

I've been meaning to buy a scythe and learn to cut grass with it, looks like I get to read the updated beginner's guide!