Just thought I'd bring this back to let the people interested know that I haven't forgotten and I'll make the blades as soon as I can order the steel, sometimes next week.
I have finally got around to finishing the forager's sickle, just a bit of cleaning up and finishing the surface left.
The blade is 01 steel, hardened and tempered, the handle is sycamore, the blade is fixed to the handle with glue, a hardwood pin through a hole and finally wrapped tightly with red deer sinew and hide glue. I am going to finish the handle with a mixlinseed, turpentine and stockolm tar. The blade is mounted for a right hand person.
I always understood a sickle had a serrated blade and a hook a smooth blade and they were different tools. If you check out old tool books you will see the two different patterns.
John Harrison and Son of Sheffield were one producer that I know of that produced serrated sickles and smooth hooks,they also were made with straight or cranked handles depending on preference, there is also another tool called a bagging hook which has a broarder, more open blade.
Up here they are all called heuks, the scythe is a lang heuk, I don't ever recall seeing a serrated blade though, ours are sharpened with a cigar shaped hone stone.
The little bronze one that began this thread is smooth edged and I found it excellent to use.
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