How to Maintain Your Garden Hand Tools | Gardenerspath.com

Garden tools that have been properly maintained will allow you to work more efficiently and you will also save more money in the long run.

Letting your equipment fall into a degraded state is always a waste since you will simply have to purchase new if yours deteriorate to the point that the various devices can’t be brought back into shape.

Before giving tips for maintaining your garden tools, we will provide a few important shopping hints. One of the first things to check on a new bit of kit is to see if the handle has been attached firmly.

Try to twist or move the handle in the socket and see if there are any noticeable gaps. Examine the thickness of the steel parts and examine their texture.

Also, look for a good brand name and find out where the implement was made. If you look at a gardening tool closely enough, you shouldn’t have any trouble determining whether it is of decent quality or not.

Be aware that some tools made today look like someone merely bent a piece of tin around a stick.

After purchasing your soil slicing equipment, such as hoes, spades, or trowels, it may be necessary to sharpen them up.

You shouldn’t ever waste time trying to cut through tough roots or break hard soil with a dull hoe or spade since these are easy to sharpen yourself. The only thing you will need is a 12 inch mill file.

To sharpen a hoe, first study the bevel of the edge on the blade. Then place the mill file at one end of the bevel and push it away from you, moving across the bevel toward the cutting edge.

Be careful to hold the file against the bevel so that you follow the correct angle. Stop after a few strokes and look at the shiny area where the file has removed some of the metal.

You will be able to