Geoff, one of those reel blades looks as if it may have burrs, which would mean it had been making heavy contact with the bedknife. See the yellow oval:
[Linked Image]

There is some kind of grass fur all over the blades, so perhaps that accounts for the build-up on the back of the blades as well. However, they must not make any significant contact with the bedknife at all. Deejay is the man to sort all this out with you, to the extent he can while he is interstate working on a mobile phone, but if your blades are burred it looks as if you are going to need to tidy up that mower quite a bit - the bedknife will be damaged too, by the contact. This might also explain the issues you have been having with the adjusters.

On the plus side, there is still plenty of meat left on the reel, which is the most expensive part of the mower. If you listen closely to Deejay, chances are you will soon have your SB humming and cutting like a new one.

Last edited by grumpy; 13/01/13 02:20 AM. Reason: Add image