New to me Flail Mower

[leonz]

Those grinders would really do some damage to
good knives and your fingers and I would hate to see
that happen to you.

A hand held honing stone for a scythe
would work well but it would be very hard on the hands
just like a grinder would be.

The thing is they would really really really dig in
to the beveled edge and heat it up and make it weaker
just a badly as a bench grinder would that does not have
water cooled wheel in my opinion.

There is a WEN wet wheel grinder on FLEABAY right now for $19.99 and ten dollars for shipping.

The beauty of a wet well grinder is you set the angle of the table for the blades cutting angle and whammo!!,one pass and its done and the edge is finer than it was before due to the cool grinding.

The wheel will get a little green if you do not boil the dirt and grass off first but I still have my original wheel and a spare so....

 

[Agent Blue]

Does it have the power to do the job ? Looks like it would have an 1/8 hp power supply hooked to a slipping belt... worse yet direct drive. I just don't see how it could be effective at producing a good edge in a short period of time. Knives and scissors have a very tiny sharpening surface. these cutters have a flat surface of a quarter inch... and it is hardened steel.

 

[the old grind]

Agent Blue, as a tool grinder (ret) I suggest that 4 1/2" hand grinders work well but must be used with extreme caution. Make sweeping passes and allow time for the edge to cool between strokes. (Do a pass & move on to another blade within reach.) A blue hue observed means that overheating the edge has tempered it soft, and it will wear quickly. A trigger spray bottle or trickle from the garden hose between passes can minimize ill effects. Only tough part will then be getting the angle you prefer, and 'facets' show an inconsistent 'hold'. An angle gauge can be made by notching a piece of hardboard, etc to check as you go. I've done rotary mower blades for decades with an angle grinder while standing over a weighted bucket or milk crate. With patience, you can sharpen yours without disassembling. btw: the hole in the mower's belt guard may just be to check tension...

Added:
This 'wet' bench-topper is small-ish. Wheel life is inversely proportional to job size.

Yours may require one of these if you disassemble:
HFT's #35098 wet grinder is rated 1/2 hp but lacks a tool rest:
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-wet-6-inch-dry-grinder-35098.html
Grizzly's T10010 is pricey, as are some of the accys:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-Wet-Grinder-Kit/T10010

 

[leonz]

The key is the wide drum of the grinding drum as it has
huge surface area in relation to the cutting edge length so no
worries there at all.

The belt does not slip, you only need a slight touch
with the angle set on the tool rest(mine is 35 degrees
I think and zip!, you are done.

My scizzor and knive grinder -which is WEN 1988 model
is 110 volt single phase-so no worries there at all.

The wet well grinder runs at a low rpm and pulls the water
over the wheel and keeps the grinding drum cool and also keeps the
edges of the blades cool which is how it works.

Have you ever seen a grinding stone with a water bath underneath it?
-hence the wet stone grinding method?

You will not regret purchasing one of these-I have never never regretted it
and I still have plenty of media left on the drum because of the water
cooling and washing the drum at the same time.

NO WORRIES MATE as my ausie friends would say.