The reel deal: how to sharpen your push mower blades

I love my old-fashioned reel lawnmower.  You know what I'm talking about.  If you're over say, 40, there's a chance you at least saw one in your grandparents' garage.  I searched high and low for five years to find one.  Then one day I saw it: a little blast from the past, packaged up under the Scotts logo at my local hardware store.  No engine, just an artfully arranged cylinder of blades, two large-ish tires, and a simple handle--broad enough to push.  Hence its other name: the push mower.  Memories of watching my brother push the rhythmic grass leveler around my grandpa's yard filled my mind (sadly, I was not allowed to use the mower.  Not sure if my grandparents thought I'd hurt myself, or it just wasn't a ladylike activity).

The push mower is the perfect solution for those of us who have small lawns and/or want to cut our grass in the most eco-friendly way possible.  After all, the benefits are indisputable: no need to buy gas or oil; no air-polluting fumes spewing around our gardens; and a full-body workout while we guide our (wo)man-powered machines around our yards.  Yup, yours truly uses mine every week without harming myself or feeling less feminine.  Added benefits: the gentle swish-swish hum of the blades as they slice through the landscape, perfectly complementing (as opposed to drowning out) the birdsong from the nearby trees.  Far preferable to the unrelenting decibels of their motorized counterparts.  And then there's the smell: freshly cut grass.  Such a popular scent that Yankee Candle even offers this variety in wax.  Incidentally, they don't have a candle called "hydrocarbon exhaust," which is the stench coming off the gas-engine mowers.

Yes, I love my reel mower.  I DO NOT love keeping the blades sharpened.  Doing so, in fact, has proven quite a challenge to me over the past few years.  Yet I have found a few tricks for keeping my push-mower blades sharpened.  Here's what I've discovered:

*Don't bring your push mower to a lawnmower repair and sales shop unless the blades can be individually removed.  Staff cannot fit the pre-formed cylinders on the machines to sharpen the blades, so they have to sharpen them by hand, which is costly--if they'll even do it.  The one near me won't.

*Don't go in for gimmicks.  I purchased a Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener, which looked like a little pumice stone on a stick.  It seemed handy enough, since it hooked right into a rotary tool.  Problem was, it was so small that it only sharpened one mower blade before disintegrating. At four bucks each, it didn't satisfy claims to "save time and money," since I needed to buy six of them (one for each blade--$24!) and waste a lot of time changing out the electric drill.

*Do spend the time and attention needed to get the job done right.  With an "old school" implement like a reel mower, the old way of sharpening can be best.  Try metal finishing sandpaper or a coarse sharpening stone. Sharpening individual blades with a stone or sheet of sandpaper is pretty hard work, but there are sandpaper sharpeners that get the job done quicker.  You attach the sharpener to the back blade and brush against the cutting blades as they rotate past. The more you push, the sharper it gets.  This method can be a time-gobbler, depending on your arm strength and patience.  It can be as frustrating as--need I say it--watching the grass grow.

*Do go with the tried and true: a backlapping sharpening kit. This type of kit includes sharpening compound and a handle. You start by attaching the handle to the driving gear on the mower, then, apply sharpening compound to all of the blades of the mower using a paint brush. Next, start cranking the mower backwards so that the blades scrape each other down to a smooth edge.  The problem with this method is that it takes some serious arm strength, which I don't have.  This method is best for someone like my pal Karen, who has a freakishly strong upper-body area.

*Do look for new options.  In the same vein as "when all else fails, read the instructions," I've decided to look up sharpening options through the maker of my push mower: Scotts.  Low and behold, they offer a reel mower sharpening kit.  Who knew it could be that easy?  Clearly not I.  What can I say?  I'm not always the "sharpest blade in the drawer."   In any case,  I've just ordered mine through Amazon, and I'll keep you posted on the results.

One thing gardening pros recommend after sharpening your push mower: coating blades with a light application of oil.  This can prevent rust and other corrosion from setting in. Low acidity vegetable oil is a good choice because it won't leave any harmful residue on your lawn, and will protect the blades from moisture.  This handy trick will help you cut costs--as well as grass--for years to come.