ART
BEAUTY & WELLNESS
CRAFT
CULTURE & HISTORY
ENTERTAINMENT
ENVIRONMENT
FOOD & DRINKS
REVERSE ENGINEERING
SCIENCES
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
WEARABLES
Toothed Steel Sickle: Steel Welded to Iron, Toothed with a Chisel
As made in the cutlery trades around 1913, a sickle is formed like a scythe: steel is welded lengthwise on to iron and forged out into the blade, while the iron makes a thick back that keeps it rigid. The blade is bent to its curve, smithed over and roughly ground, then toothed with a small chisel and hammer. After hardening and tempering it is ground again, which perfects the keenness and shape of the teeth, then glazed and hafted.
Advanced
1–2 days
Instructions
1
1
Weld steel to iron
Weld steel to iron
Forge-weld a strip of shear or blister steel lengthwise on to an iron bar, then forge the steel out into the blade with the iron along the back. Leave the end of the iron as the tang.
Materials for this step:
Wrought Iron Bar1 piece
Blister Steel Bars1 pieceTools needed:
Blacksmith Forge
Anvil
Forge Hammer
Forge Tongs2
2
Bend and smith
Bend and smith
Bend the blade to the sickle's curve and smith it over carefully with the hammer.
Tools needed:
Blacksmith ForgeAnvilForge Hammer3
3
Rough grind and tooth
Rough grind and tooth
Grind the blade roughly, then cut the teeth along the edge with a small chisel and hammer.
Tools needed:
Grindstone
File-Cutting ChiselForge Hammer4
4
Harden and temper
Harden and temper
Harden and temper the blade.
Tools needed:
Blacksmith ForgeForge Tongs5
5
Grind, glaze and haft
Grind, glaze and haft
Grind the blade again; this perfects the keenness and the shape of the teeth. Glaze it and fit the handle on the tang.
Materials for this step:
Hardwood Handle Stock1 pieceTools needed:
Grindstone
Glazing WheelMaterials
3- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
This blueprint makes
Related Blueprints
These blueprints share knowledge with this one — techniques, materials, or principles that connect them in the learning graph.
CC0 Public Domain
This blueprint is released under CC0. You are free to copy, modify, distribute, and use this work for any purpose, without asking permission.
Support the Maker by purchasing products through their Blueprint where they earn a Maker Commission set by Vendors, or create a new iteration of this Blueprint and include it as a connection in your own Blueprint to share revenue.