What I have learned is that this process will only work for the blades that are already relatively sharp. If you have lots of thick grass and many little twigs in your yard, and haven't sharpened your blades for a few years, then they will get very dull and this backlapping method will not work at all, even after multiple applications. Essentially here you are honing the blades, instead of resharpening. Fortunately, it is easy to sharpen the blades back in shape with a simple file. There is a nice youtube tutorial on how to sharpen reel mower blades with a file.
Great video. I believe I've commented before a few years ago. No need to remove the link in the chain. Remove the small sprocket with an Allen wrench as you suggest and simply slip the chain and sprocket off. Easypeasy. It goes on equally easy too. There's slack in the chain from plastic spring grove mechanism that applies a little bit of tension on the chain. I also use a 9/16"× 1.5" deep socket and little bit of Gorilla tape smashed in the bottom with sticky side exposed (sticking inside the socket and also sticks very snuggly to the reel bar). I then use my electric drill and spin this reel crazy fast in both directions. I also use 80 grit reel mower sharpening compound. I've been using a little bit each year. Container of that is pretty inexpensive and will likely last me 10+ years of annual use. I didn't wipe off all the grit compound, and apply some silicone lubricant spray. Once finished, it works as good as new. 👍
Awesome. Thank you!! I appreciated the details as I am not that handy and many how to videos are good, they will skip a step or more that are vital. You went through every step which was great for this newb.
Works great! ru-vid.comUgkxprGGPRQoChQaA8u58dt7miEpxQBKiWeJ More difficult with longer grass, though, but I was expecting that. I have a small back yard, it seemed like overkill to buy a lawnmower with an engine. This is easy to carry in and out of the basement through the bulkhead. Very sharp (be careful). At the back of the mower are little wheels, which I use when pulling the mower backwards, so it's easy to readjust direction. I'm including a photo which shows the before and after for my lawn when it was at its longest. For long grass like that you really have to put some muscle into it, and I needed to go into a new section of grass with some momentum, but when the grass is only an inch or two higher than regular cut height it's quite easy. The lawn is still patchy and full of weeds, but at least it's a good height! A step in the right direction.
If you pull up on the chain tensioner and roll the rear wheel while pulling the chain to the side, the chain will just roll off the sprocket. Remember how we used to roll our chains back on our bikes as kids?
I think its a guide for driving a car into the garage. Stop going forward when the car’s windshield touches the tennis ball. I’ve used one in my garage.
Thanks for the video. But your testing with the paper made me very nervous. My father-in-law lost a thumb to one of these reel mowers when he was a little kid. Everytime I fiddle with my mower, I think about his thumb LOL
I have found that the factory set blades did not cut some grasses well. I have what must be quite thin grass on my lawn, it's just what grows there. It just bends and bruises a decent proportion of the grass. I have taken to testing the blades with blades of grass from the lawn rather than paper. After all, it is for cutting grass not paper. In my experience, this requires a much closer setting of the blades than would be needed for paper. Another gripe is that the blade adjustment is a faff. When you retighten the locking bolts the blade to bed-knife spacing alters minutely, so you end up loosening, adjusting, retightening, testing etc. The adjustment system on my old Ransomes Mark 4 Ajax (from the era when push mowers rules) is much netter designed and easier to adjust. That mower just cuts very low.
It is easy with a brand new machine, but I assure you that on a 4 year old Fiskars like mine, everything is more difficult: the socket head screw is not removable, perhaps it has oxidized and does not move even with cannon fire , moreover, the two 14mm nuts are also immovable even after spraying some lubricant. If I can't sharpen it, I'll have to throw it away and buy it new. :(
Great video! I just went through this process, I used a vintage bit brace to spin the blade. I had a question about the paper slicing stage. To get mine to slice all across the blade I end up with some contact between the blade and the sharpening edge. The result is the blade snick, snick, snick when it spins, and it doesn't spin freely for long. Am I doing this wrong?
Excellent video, got my blades sharpened and adjusted to get a nice cut after six years of usage. In my area the kit was sold out and I had to get another sharpening kit brand to work, but it came out very well just the same.
I tried today to get mine off 😢 I will get some longer Allan keys to help me. But I MacGyvered some PVC pipe to go over the gear and tried sharpening that way. I bought unit second had and it is quite rusty and dull. I didn't get it to cut paper yet but it did cut the lawn okay (probably easier if sharpened). I will keep working at it.
fiskar is just garbage the worst garbage you could buy why well cause it's made in china get gardena or scotts or any other model but fiskar especially in garden tools
Thank you for this!! I bought a used mower, and didn't realize how dull it really was until i did the paper test after sharpening (and major adjustment). But, again, i can mow my lawn with my bike :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-64LYKxatA6c.html If you're in Philly, first drink's on me.
