Spade Sharpening?

**Muddy Sarah** · 24-02-2007, 01:50 PM

Will a sharepening stone do the trick? I keep meaning to pick one up for my shears and secateurs but haven't got round to it yet.

Sarah

**rustylady** · 24-02-2007, 06:58 PM

An oilstone is great for sharpening, but the main thing is to keep your tools clean. I invested in stainless steel last year, and they're worth it. So easy to clean and they don't rust.
However, if you keep a bucket full of coarse sand, mixed with a little oil, in your shed, you just need to clean off the worst of the mud when you have finished digging, and work your spade, fork etc into the bucket a few times. The sand will get the last of the muck off, and the oil will prevent rust.

**shirlthegirl43** · 24-02-2007, 07:23 PM

I got a stainless steel spade for my birthday this year. Only 9 quid from Wilkinsons and it has a lovely ash handle so if the handle does the same as my last 3 spades (i.e. snaps under the stress of digging) then I can put a new one on - wahey!! Now I need a fork....

**NOG** · 24-02-2007, 11:31 PM

Put it in a vice and use a file on it and my hoes. Mrs Nog got me a lively boarder fork for Chrismas one year then used it to dig out a tree stump now all the prongs point differant ways.

**Tyto Alba** · 25-03-2007, 11:36 PM

Do you file on convex side (back) of the spade or the concave side?

**roitelet** · 26-03-2007, 09:12 AM

Hi TA, welcome to the vine, hope you enjoy it. There is a lot of good advice here as well as some good laughs.

Sharpen your spade on the convex side and then take the knibs of on the concave side with a stone. Very easy!!

**Tyto Alba** · 26-03-2007, 09:29 AM

Cheers! The site looks great.

**bubblewrap** · 26-03-2007, 09:40 AM

I agree keeping your tools clean is vital I always clean & oil mine(even the stainless.)
My old shears were my fathers & are about 55 years old.
Does anybody have any tools which are older.

**NOG** · 26-03-2007, 07:17 PM

I have a dustbin on my plot that is marked...ARP..GAS Contamated Cloths" So that goes back to WW2.

**dexterdoglancashire** · 27-03-2007, 09:15 PM

Shirl my OH will love you! Actually, although this isnt strictly sharpening - I keep my tools in good order with Nicks advice -a bucket of sand mixed with clean oil -mmm, didnt realise I'd used OHs best engine oil for his merc - but it does the trick for keeping my tools nice and clean and rust free. Bernie aka dexterdog

**Tyto Alba** · 04-04-2007, 05:59 PM

The spade sharpening went really well. I have to say it makes a massive difference.

Now I want to sharpen my hoe. I think it's a draw hoe or something like that. It's a D shaped thing at right angles to a long stick. Quite heavy like a big axe. You use it to earth up the potatoes and you can chop towards yourself with it. Anybody know what it's reall called? You can dig with it by chopping towards yourself.

Anyway, I want to sharpen it as well. I've got the same question I'm afraid. Do I sharpen it on the side that slides along the ground (the side away from me) or the 'upper side) the one towards me.

Oh dear I haven't expressed any of that very well have I.

**WiZeR** · 04-04-2007, 06:07 PM

both i'd have thought

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