Earlier this year, Jan Becker in Austria made a wonderful short documentary on how the Schroeckenfux factory makes their scythe blades. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did …

Key points from the doco for those who don’t speak German:

• Schroeckenfux manufacture about 1,000 scythe blades a day
• It takes 5 years to become a scythe smith
• The big machinery means the smiths don’t have to hammer as hard, but it is the smiths’ skill that shapes the blades into precision instruments
• Schroeckenfux makes over 100 different styles of scythe blades
• Each blade is tested. If it doesn’t pass the strength and flexibility tests, it is rejected