Resharpening the sickle takes 5 minutes.
Would you like to sharpen your sickle?
Early July in Japan is the rainy season. This is the time when plants are most vibrant, and weeds grow day by day. Daily weeding is essential, and the opportunities to use sickles are increasing. Many people probably work with sickles that have become dull from continuous use.
When a sickle becomes dull, work efficiency decreases, and the working time only increases. Although you know that resharpening will restore sharpness and make work easier, many people probably don't resharpen their sickles due to reasons such as not knowing how to sharpen them or finding it too much trouble.
This time, we will introduce a method for "resharpening a Japanese sickle" that can easily restore the blade on-site.
There are Japanese whetstones specifically designed for sickles.
These are portable whetstones that can be used immediately on-site when you feel your sickle has become dull. They are double-sided, with a coarse grit (#150) and a medium grit (#800), and can be used for restoring sharpness, repairing chipped blades, removing rust, and other tasks for various outdoor agricultural tools (hoes, shovels, weeding tools, etc.). Sickle whetstones cost around 1500-2000 JPY. They are relatively inexpensive and easily available. Having one is recommended as it can be used for a long time.
Usage is very simple. Just hold the whetstone perpendicular to the blade's angle and sharpen it. This is an easy and practical maintenance method that completes the work in about 5 minutes.
Before sharpening
Whetstones for gardening tools are often made of artificial stone, so they need to be fully soaked in water before use. The guideline is until no more air bubbles appear, or for about 5 minutes.
Soaking the whetstone in water generates sharpening sludge, which increases its abrasive power and makes sharpening easier. This preparation step is crucial for achieving efficient and high-quality sharpening.
How to sharpen a Japanese sickle (front side)
Japanese sickles are usually single-edged. First, sharpen the blade face (the beveled side). Sickle whetstones are double-sided with a coarse grit (#150) and a medium grit (#800), allowing you to choose based on the blade's condition. If it's very dull, use the coarse grit; if it's just a bit dull, use the medium grit.
Hold the sickle handle firmly. Apply the whetstone at the angle of the blade edge and sharpen it perpendicularly with consistent pressure. As you sharpen, rust and dirt will be removed, and the sharpened areas will become visible. Once the sharpened areas are visible across the entire blade, check the back with your finger. Areas that catch your finger indicate burrs. If burrs appear across the entire back of the blade, it's a sign that it has been sharpened.
How to sharpen a Japanese sickle (back side)
Once burrs appear on the entire blade, turn the sickle over and remove them. They can be easily removed by running the whetstone over them a few times.
Check the entire blade with your finger, and once the burrs are gone, it's complete. Even if they're not completely removed, they'll quickly come off during actual weeding, so there's no need to be too particular.
This completes the resharpening process.
How to sharpen a saw tooth sickle (serrated blade)
When a saw sickle is used continuously, its serrated edge gradually wears down. When the serrated edge is gone, it no longer catches on weeds, causing it to slip and become unable to cut.
You might think, "Does that mean it's unusable?" but that's not the case. Saw tooth sickles are designed to reveal the blade when sharpened.
Sharpen the opposite side of the uneven surface where the serrated blade is. Hold the handle of the saw tooth sickle firmly. Apply the whetstone at the angle of the blade edge and sharpen it perpendicularly with consistent pressure. As the concave side is sharpened, the serrated blade will emerge.
Once the serrated blade is fully visible and burrs appear on the back, turn the sickle over, just like a regular sickle. Run the whetstone over it a few times to remove the burrs, and you're done.
The sharpening process takes less than 5 minutes. Regularly resharpening your tools will allow you to weed without stress. Mowing grass with a freshly sharpened sickle is truly satisfying. Other weeding tools can be resharpened in the same way.
After use, store it in a well-ventilated place away from rain, rather than leaving it outdoors. Exposure to rain will cause rust, making the blade decay and dull. Proper storage alone will maintain sharpness and significantly reduce the frequency of resharpening. For long-term storage, don't forget to wipe it with oil, such as camellia oil. Allow the whetstone to dry thoroughly in a well-ventilated, shaded area before storing it.
Regular maintenance and resharpening will keep your tools at their best sharpness. Learning maintenance can also become an enjoyable activity. Since these tools are important, take care of them and use them for a long time.
Recommended Sickle Whetstones
・TAKEMOTO BROS.
GOKEN Whetstone Series
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