Restoring an Old Lawnmower, from TechShop

Purpose: Get a “new” mower for free!*

Tools: pair of crescent wrenches, flathead screwdriver, WD-40, nitrile gloves, TSP, and powder coat paint
Equipment: sandblaster and powder coating assembly

Step 1: Acquire Target

Whether you go through Craig's List, Freecycle (I did this one), grampa's garage, or you just have a project rusting out in the yard, the key is to find something old and make it new.  For me, my yard is slightly larger than a post-it note, I enjoy getting outside and physically doing things... plus I didn't have $200 to drop, so getting an old push mower was just the right fit.

Comments

[firemoon13]

I have a working and in shape one of these

[Tfs27]

How did you sharpen the blades?

[techshop_android]

Surprisingly I didn't have to. There is a screw to tighten the guard against the blades for a better cut which took some adjusting, but otherwise it works great.

At some point I will probably take a whetstone to sharpen it further if I run into difficulties.