Properly caring for
your tools will ensure that you enjoy gardening with them for many seasons to
come.
After the last leaf
is raked and the final bulb is planted, it's time to settle your tools in for a
long winter.
To keep your tool blades sparkling and free of dust, all you'll need is a little sand and oil.
Follow these three easy
steps to ensure your treasured tools will be in great shape for another season
working the soil.
Instructions:
2. Plunge your bladed tools, forks, and other metal tools into the sandy mix.
Place the pot or bucket containing the tools in a cool, dry place for winter storage and let the mix do its work.
Keep wooden tool handles from splitting and drying out during the winter
months by rubbing them with linseed oil before storage.
3. Just before Spring, remove the tools from the mixture and wipe down the
blades with a piece of burlap or coarse cloth.
If you don't want to overwinter
your tools, you can just plunge them into the mixture several times to remove
debris and then polish with a coarse cloth and hang for
storage.
Keep the sandy mixture for use anytime you want to spruce up your
tools.
Sharpen Your Garden Tools
Digging tools, such
as shovels, are easier to use when they're sharp. Check out these tips for
keeping your tools in tip-top shape.
What You'll Need
- Boiled linseed oil
- Light machine oil
- Medium-grit sandpaper
- Steel wool
- File
- Wire Brush
Step
1
Start by cleaning
the metal parts of your tools. Use a wire brush or wire-steel pad attached to a
power drill.
Step
2
Lock the tool into
a vise and use both hands to move a mill file along the edge of the blade
toward the shovel's point.
Step
3
Flip over the
shovel and remove burrs on the back side of the blade with sandpaper. If any
rust remains on the blade, remove it with the sandpaper.
Step
4
Lightly coat the
blade with machine oil. Apply several light coats of linseed oil to the handle
if it's made of wood. Let the oil soak in the handle after each application.
