by Melody Kendall

We have finally received some rain.  My garden is loving the moisture.  Usually, I am out in the yard passing the time doing little chores every day.  When it rains that isn't as pleasant a prospect, though it does smell wonderful.  So, my eyes have turned to my garden shed and the tools within. 

During the year I have kept my garden shed reasonably organized but, bit to be honest, not very neat.  When I finish digging, I have just knocked the extra soil off the shovel and stuck it in the rack.  The sap on sticky pruners have received the same, or lack of, care. My gardening boots are crusted with soil and plant material and my gloves are dirty and frankly, stinky. All in all, the contents of the entire structure needs a thorough going through and clean out. Rainy days are perfect for this chore. 

Last Christmas my husband gave me a transistor radio. I didn't know they even existed anymore, but I love to use it when I'm in my garden and it is perfect in the enclosed confines of the shed. With the radio blasting I laid out all my cleaning supplies. The usual dust rag, window cleaner and broom take care of the floor, shelves, windows and frames. The cloth gardening gloves go in the laundry and the leather ones receive a good brushing and leather conditioner. My boots and shoes also get a good brushing and a wipe down with a damp cloth. They are stacked neatly in their correct storage locations in the shed.

For cleaning the tools I laid out some coarse sandpaper, sanding block/sponge, some steel wool, a wire brush (plus a rotary wire brush for stubborn rust spots), a pumice stone and a putty knife to scrape off any remaining dried soil. I also have a spray can of WD-40, and one of vegetable oil. I am trying out the vegetable oil instead of the usual WD-40 because it is biodegradable and thus better for the environment.  I plan on using WD-40 on half of the tools and vegetable oil on the other half and see the protection quality of each as the year progresses. I will report back as I gather that information. 

My shed is nice-sized, so I am able to lay out various hand tools on my workbench and the larger shovels and rakes on the newspaper lined floor. I disassemble the ones with moving parts one at a time; in one case I had to go online to see how to take that tool apart.  Each hand tool is laid out on a clean towel, the component parts all in a line with the smaller pieces in a container.  Unless I take that precaution, small parts have a tendency, around me anyway, to roll away and disappear for all eternity.

Every tool is cleaned and dried sap, soil and any rust is removed from the metal surfaces using the sandpaper, wire brush and steel wool.  Stubborn spots are hit with the pumice stone and rotary wire brush. 

After each tool is clean I wipe all surfaces, including the handles, with a clean cloth.  If the handles are fiberglass the wiping down suffices.  If the handles are wood, I sand out any splinters or roughness and wipe them down with linseed oil. 

They are now for sharpening them.  I believe that tools should be sharpened regularly, preferably after each use.  But, as mentioned above, there were times that I just returned the tool to storage and walked away without tending them.  Years ago, I used a sharpening stone or whetstone, but a few years ago I found a great handy-dandy sharpening tool that fits perfectly in my pocket and is much easier to use. I'm truly embarrassed  that I didn't use this easier to use tool more frequently. Each cutting edge will require the use of the sharpening tool.  I like to run my sharpener two or three times along the surface of the blade from the handle to the edge in a continuous swipe.

Here are some examples of types of blades on hand tools:

Bypass blade, those with a blade that uses a scissors movement to pass next to, not on top of, the lower surface. The edge to be sharpened is on the beveled surface or the outside of the moving blade, not the inside. Sharpening the inside of the blade would eventually make the space between the blades grow larger due to the minute scraping off of the metal as you sharpen. 

Anvil blade tools feature a double beveled edge or a two sided blade that connects with a single flat surface/blade in a chopping motion.  Both sides of the moving blade will need sharpening. Hone both sides so they have an equal bevel.

There is much controversy about the preferred blade style.  Personally, I prefer the bypass style. 

The shovels, rakes and hoes really don't need much sharpening. The working surfaces of these tools will just need a visual check for any folded over metal surfaces.  If that has occurred, use a flat edged file or coarse sharpening stone to dress the edge back to true.  I sometimes run the sharpening tool along the working edge (example on a shovel the ‘working edge' is on the scoop side of the blade) to make sure that the surface doesn't have any pits or flat areas.  My Dad taught me this next step.  I spray each shovel and hoe blade with flat black spray paint. I like the way it makes all the tools look neat and it also protects the blade from rust. Plus, I have good memories of doing it with my Dad.  

I reassemble the hand tools and wipe all the tools' metal surfaces with either the WD-40 or vegetable oil.  I make a notation as to which tool I use which oil on for my records. 

All that remains is to store the tools in their assigned slots and ‘voila' my shed and tools are cleaned, organized and ready to go come spring. Another rainy day was spent being productive and, because I was inside the shed, the neighbors didn't have to listen to or, worse yet, see my wild gyrations as I rocked out to my music. 

Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143.  Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: Mel Kendall

Information links:

The Farmer Fred Rant Blog-Chuck Ingelshttp://farmerfredrant.blogspot.com/2009/08/anvil-versus-bypass-pruners-some.html

UCMG Santa Clara-Tool Care https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/tool-care-tips/ 

Cornell Cooperative Extension-Caring for your Tools https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/cwas/files/2013/01/Caring_for_Your_Tools.pdf