How to Care for Your Gardening Tools
As a gardener, you have one of the dirtiest jobs out there. From pruning branches with sticky sap to using a saw to cut through tree roots, your tools are going to take a beating! Caring for tools should be a regular practice in any gardeners life. Just like in the kitchen, sharp tools are much more productive and less dangerous than dull tools.
Our Tool Care Bundle has the essential items you need to not only take care of your tools, you can also take care of it on the go when you're out in the field. Our kit includes 2 ounces of mineral oil, a Japanese rust eraser, and a sharpening stone that polishes as it sharpens so you can take care of your tools on the go!
Mineral Honing Oil is used to protect tools from rust and helps keep them lubricated if they have moving parts. This glass bottle comes in two ounces with a dropper, perfect for applying the mineral oil directly on the tools. We have infused this mineral oil with sage essential oil which provides a nice aroma and also helps to naturally repel insects.
The Rust Eraser is essential if you use carbon steel knives or tools. Steel is extremely prone to rusting, especially when you are using these tools outdoors. The Rust Eraser is a soft and flexible block similar in consistency to a pencil eraser, the alumina abrasive is distributed throughout the entire thickness of the block, so fresh grit is exposed as it wears. The fine grit abrades quickly through rust. It can be used dry or with a little water or oil.
Our pocket Arkansas sharpening stone is perfect for sharpening your tools on the fly. Since this is a soft stone, it will also polish while you sharpen and is incredibly handy to have on the go. These stones are made in the U.S.
Steps to Sharpening Your Tools:
Please keep in mind that tools differ in sharpening method slightly
1. Submerge the sharpening stone in a bowl of water until the stone stops bubbling.
2. Add mineral oil to the surface of your tool and rub the rust eraser on the blade until the dirt, sap or rust is removed. Do not rub the rust eraser directly along the edge of the blade.
3. Slide the sharpening stone in one repeating motion along the side of the blade using a flat edge of the stone until it is sharpened to your desire. Do not rub the sharpening stone back and forth, start at the inner most part of the blade and swipe towards the tip of the blade.
4. Pat and clean the blade dry with a cloth.
5. Add Mineral oil to the gears of a blade to lubricate the hinge elements.