OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Victa Lawn Mower Frames Sharpened Blades for my Victa.

I found a 2 stroke Powertorque with no blade holder, so I decided to sharpen the ones on this one before fitting it on, to see if it cuts better. Probably won't make a difference, but I wanted to try anyway since it was already off. I used a bench grinder and finished them off with a hand file. Bad idea?

Just one question how did you balanced them. I assuming you removed them from the carrier to sharpen them. Still learning these swing arm cutters the Aussies use for walk behinds. Here the smallest setup like that which I sharpen was my 4 ft bush hog rotary mower. I even have welded new tips on mine due to all the rocks impacts and then ground back into a cutting edge. The added weld material is actually harder than the rest of the blade.

I just sharpened them whilst in situ in the blade disc. I have examined used blades in the past and have found miniscule differences in the wear pattern between two blades, so figured as long as I treat the blades the same way in the grind, all should be pretty good. My visual inspection indicated a pretty even amount of metal removal.
One way to ensure accuracy should be to remove the blades and weigh them on a digital scale and grind a bit off the heavier one until a perfectly matched reading it's reached between the two.

I always sharpen my blades, usually with a angle grinder, just lift the front of the mower up , gotta watch 4 strokes so oil doesn't spill.
I gives a better cleaner cut, specially for thick grass.
I grind the upper part of the blade at 45 degree angle.
cheers
speedy

Speedy that is all I ever do, easy and as long as the blades are of equal condition you won't have a problem

I can't imagine how you would get it up there. Do you use the power tool upside down?
Another advantage would be slightly less work for the engine, although those scoops on the trailing edge of the blades are the main cause of drag to the motor during the cut.

I am sure this method of sharpening has been around ever since electric angle grinders have been in existence. The trick is to sharpen slowly. Don't overheat the blade.

There is another use relating to blades and grinders that is common practice at least in Australia, but I won't mention it here because of the obvious safety issues.

As for welding, just quietly I've seen plenty of weld repairs to blade discs and even blades. I recently got hold of an old mower and try as I might I could not budge the centre nut holding the blade disc to the boss. I ended up using a grinder to cut it off. Half way through grinding I soon found out what the problem was. Somebody must have lost the woodruff key, so they decided to simply spot weld the nut, blade disc and boss to the shaft. Rust had obscured the welds. No wonder I could not budge that nut! LOL!

small grinder , small worn out disk, just perfect for sharpening...........
With Victas I sometimes stand them up on front wheels to get a better view and access, but don't do it with a full fuel tank, as they may leak and you may have a small fire.....

Tried it on my lawn yesterday, and it made a big difference. We have fine wispy grass and it made a nice satisfying snipping sound and didn't miss the odd strand of grass like before. I would have started doing this long ago, had I known.

yer it's a winner. you have to keep sharp..............
speedy

Most people would not notice but if you look at the blades of grass, sharp blades cut it cleaner, blunt blares tear/feather the ends. Also mower doesn't have to work as hard with sharp blades either.

I once got into an argument with a bloke selling "Made in China" replacement blades for Rover. I bought some to see what they were like. The first thing I noticed was they were extremely blunt compared to genuine blades. I sent him a message and he scoffed at any suggestion that blades have to be sharp. He argued black and blue that it makes no difference because blades go blunt almost as soon as you start cutting due to sand and grit flying up off the ground etc. Anyway I tried the blades and found lots of grass stalks feathered, uncut,and left standing. I gave his blades a sharpen and the difference was plain to see. There was nothing wrong with his blades. I've been using them for over 12 months now and they are wearing no faster than genuine blades. Quality is very good. Only problem is they come blunt from the factory and so you have to give them a sharpen with the file prior to using them. Obviously the problem was with the product not being "finished off". I guess you only get what you pay for, and stuff coming from China can be hit and miss, depending on the factory and the level of "quality control".

Good to hear the Chinese reproduction blades appear to be decent metal. Sometimes they make perfectly satisfactory stuff at a good price, but they haven't got the universal trust and respect like Japanese, South Korean or Taiwanese made stuff, so caution us required. I would periodically check for fatigue cracks on the first set, with a light, and if their integrity remains throughout the life of the blades, feel confident to get them again from the same source without the need for any more caution.

Sharpened the blades on a couple of four blade discs, using speedie's angle grinder method. As vint_mow mentioned, be careful of heating the metal, which I came close to doing by lingering too long on some passes. A few lift passes does the trick, and I didn't aim to make them like razors. Just to give them an edge over factory shape.