How to sharpen manual lawn mower?

[benali]

I have a push lawn mower (not a gas one, a totally manual one that you push like in the olden days).

I bought a sharpening kit with the mower 2 years ago. You paint some gritty goop onto the blades with a paint brush, then you twirl the blades in the opposite direction of normal. I hear a few scrapes as the blades go around but this stops after say 20 turns. My problem is that the blades are not a whole lot sharper than before following this procedure.

When I apply the goop, which side of the blades should it go on? I suspect that optimizing this could sharpen the blades better.

Can I hand-sharpen the blades in some way? Any tips for how to better sharpen the blades?

Thank you in advance.

[imafan26]

Did you adjust the blades? Below is a link to sharpening reel mowers.

[benali]

Thanks for your reply, Greener Thumb. It didn't occur to me to adjust the blades... perhaps this is the problem. I'll try it out.

Thanks again for your expert help.