The rules say to sharpen the cutting edges of shovels and such with a file. But I have a grinding wheel which is just as good and faster, LOL! We're not talking about fine cutlery here.
So, being careful to generally match the grinding angle to the original beveled angles, I set about the crude sharpening. You are only making an edge on one side (chisel, not knife). LOOK at those sparks, LOL! I had the handle of the spade resting on the floor, so the grinding angle stayed very consistent. A light pass back and forth did a wonderful job.
I gave the scuffle-hoes special attention. They work with back-and-forth cutting strokes just below ground level (sort of like using a mop). The front edge cuts under weeds on the push stroke, the back edge cuts on the pull stroke.
Then it was time to oil all the metal. I've read about that bucket of sand with a quart of motor oil poured in, but I'm not going to mess with that. It feels like pouring oil into the flowerbeds. The oil on the tools has to get worn off somewhere, right?
So I took another piece of an old undershirt and simply wiped the tools with it dipped in motor oil. Then I wiped the surfaces of excess oil with a another cloth.
The post-hole digger at the top of the picture WILL get file work. The curves are tricky for the grinder.
1 comment:
Good job. Wow - they are too clean and gorgeous now to use! he he
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