Traditional Crafts Of Norway - Episode 5 - Scythe Forging Process

From the oldest time and far into the Martian age, the Ljøen has an important leak in the gas pipeline. In Håndalen there has been a rich Hånda tradition. Here there may have been more Ljøsmeda than in any other village in the country. On the north side of the valley, from the water and inland to the Mørbygden, there could be both two and more smeag on each side. Oskar Ytrehorn is one of the last smeag in Håndalen, who smear lye in a traditional way. Lye smearing was a winter work. Only when the winters were over, could the smear go to smear. The working day began with lighting in the oven. For Kveikje, the smear is used nevr and solid charcoal. With rods he dug in the heat, and the beam looked for good firewood. When it burned well, a cut should be made. It was rather small lye, also called stuttorvar, that is smeared in Håndalen. The yarn comes in long strands, in a hollow dimension to the lye that is to be smeared. When the smearer has measured the length of the stuttorvar, he puts the rod on the chisel instead, and smears with the chisel. From this 13.5 inch beam, he forms a nail, which will become two small lye. The yarn is so soft, that it can be turned and bent, without heating it. Inside the nail, he adjusts the steel, which also comes in a rod. The steel must be heated and thinned a little, before he breaks the beam that is to be bent. Before, they used a lot of old files as lye steel. They probably used files from mechanical workshops, in Bergen and other places. There was a lot of wear and tear on the steel, so it became very thick. Then the yarn and steel must be welded together. In order for the plates to bind easier together, and for it to smear less, sand is used. Some use borax, but Oskar Ytterholm prefers sand. It is fine river sand, or spring sand, he uses. The lye is called syde, and the sand is called sydesand, in old Danish. It is his lye, which is also used now. Tonja, called sydetong, must have a big mouth, to be able to grip the nail. The nail must be hot, so that the plate is white-glowing. Until it breaks, it must not be too hot either. Then something of the steel can fall off, and it can be brittle in the ground. To begin with, you must hit lightly, or the steel can slip away. When it has hardened, a hammer can hammer harder. It is common for the smith to weld many nails at once. He is very serious. When the nail is welded, it must be straightened. Then the smith has with him a hammer or straightener, I call it. Often it could be a small boy, a boy of 12-13 years old. Yes, but small girls could be with the smith. The smith holds the nail with the tongs. At the same time, he hammers on the right edge of the nail. The smith uses a larger nail, which he holds with both hands. With the pen on the nail, he hits on the flat side of the nail. When the smith is proud, he turns the nail and smashes a little with the chisel. Then he smashes on the nail, which has been hooked under the nail. After the right nail is split into two equal parts on the chisel, the nail must be straightened each time. The smith puts both nails in the furnace and lights well. Now he uses a straightener. It is a tong with a smaller and somewhat sharp tip, so it will surely work. He smashes deliberately on the flat side and the right edge, and the end becomes something pointed. Then he begins to hammer. Then he uses a chisel and a hammer. The chisel is short, with a small tip, and the hammer has a pen on both ends. The pen goes far, so the end is hammered out wide, and begins to cut and cut like a saw. During this process, the hammer comes forward. This is the right edge of the blade. When the blade is half-backed, the saw is hooked. For this, a small hammer is used, a saw hammer. Then the saw is backed out wide, and the blade is back. The smith is aware that the back is high, and follows the saw like a saw-finger. The blade is somewhat wide, but thin, and the saw broken. Then the saw is heated a little at the end, and the saw-finger hits the saw-hammer on the floor. Under the ground, the saw has become crooked on the underside. To fix this, it is common to hammer. The smith then turns the saw, and hits a few strokes with the saw-hammer along the underside, and a little on the top. At the end, he gives the saw-hammer a kick back to the saw-head, so that the blade becomes a great width in the saw-head. Thus, the saw-hammer adheres better to the ground than the saw-finger. Before the smith sends the saw-hammer away, he stamps his inscriptions on the saw-head. A little fine-tuning in the screw-piece concludes the smithing. Both the bench, the egg, the saw, and the side-plates get something to pull with the file. Then it should be hardened. Then I use wood-oil. A large pot that I will reheat. This is hot, so the smith uses a long, sharp tongs. To see the color better, I turn off the daylight by the hands and the front of the saw. When the saw has the color of a glowing coal, it is dipped in cold water. Now the saw is too hard. I have to smooth it, to remove some rust. With a broom, the smith scrapes away the rust, so that it looks like metal. He pulls the saw straight into the flame, above the blade. After smoothing the saw, the saw gets a yellow color, or a brass color. Finally, the saw gets a stroke, with a mixture of oxane-oil and white-spray. This prevents rust, and the saw looks nicer. Before the saw can be used, the egg must be sharpened. To sharpen the egg, the saw needs a lot of work, because the saw has become very worn out. Now the saw is finished, and will be tied to the blade. Then it is necessary to adjust the angle between the blade and the blade guard. That is to say, that it should approach the right angle. Previously, the saw was used in a row. Preferably a mountain bear, to work on. Today, steel wire is used. Then it is time to brown the egg. First, there is a finished tool. Here we go.