care of tools

[solway cropper]

When I was a young lad, a loooong time ago, I worked in forestry for a couple of years. One of the things we did when the weather was too bad to get out into the woods was clean and look after the tools. This involved sharpening and oiling all edged tools, sharpening and re-setting saw teeth and so on. It's still something I still do religiously and wondered if others are as fastidious or do you just chuck em in the back of the shed till next year.

Which reminds me of an old joke. It's been a good hammer, I've had it thirty years and it's only needed two new heads and three shafts

[zazen999]

I get all the secateurs, bring them in and give them a good clean and oil; and on the rare occasions that I can find my sharpening stone; they get a good sharpen.

I suppose it's how you are taught - I did ONC mechanical and production engineering years ago, and if I had a workshop, I'd do ALL the tools.

[Alison]

I'm not very good but I do always make sure I clean my tools after every use even if it's just a wipe down. Have a bucket of oily sand in the shed too which is useful.

[piskieinboots]

I wash and stack my pots - scary eh!

[Two_Sheds]

I wash and stack my pots

I do that, but I hardly never oil anything until it doesn't work

[Jeanied]

I know that I am supposed to look after the tools - just not sure how. What oil do I use on wooden handles, how do I sharpen exactly and what do I use on the metal bits?

[Glutton4...]

I wash and stack my pots - scary eh!

Yeah - then someone else takes 'em down the tip!!!!

[piskieinboots]

Yeah - then someone else takes 'em down the tip!!!!

Oh how he suffered

For the benefit of new members, last year I had a pot clear-up, I washed and stacked all the ones I wanted to keep and created a different pile of the ones that Snowdrop (hubby) was to take to the tip.

Off he trots to tip (with our only car!) leaving the pile of dirty pots in the garden with no sign of the clean (very large stack!) pots. As he is a copper I did consider calling out the blues'n'twos to stop him

[Alison]

I do that, but I hardly never oil anything until it doesn't work

I stack pots neatly or I can't find anything but don't give them a full wash out (got to save water ) but if you keep your tools in top form you save loads of time as they work properly.

[ann-the-nan]

care of tools

I try to wash my forks and spades etc., unless it is pouring with rain, I'm cold, and there's claggy mud on them, then they go in the gh till I feel upo to it - or need them again. Anyroadup, a book wot I have, says about putting wd40 on to help with cleaning and keeping.

[solway cropper]

Jeanied, I use linseed oil or Danish oil on wooden shafts and handles although I understand you can use ordinary vegetable oil but I've never tried it. To some of the old boys I worked with abuse of tools was a bigger crime than murder and I suppose some of their ideas rubbed off on me. It seems to work because I have tools that belonged to my father and grandfather and I'm a sixty-something!

[ginger ninger]

I've sharpen my secateurs, loppers, knifes & hoe, oiled my spade & fork handles (linseed oil), washed all my pots & seed trays, I even rinse out my watering cans with bicarb, I've put salt down every hole in the concrete to try and kill off the hibernating slugs (I don't think they do, but just in case), all I want now is the spring.

[Glutton4...]

Well GN, as you're soooo blimmin organised can you get yer bum down here and do mine? LOL

*wanders off mutterin... rinses watering cans with bicarb ...