Hand Tool Maintenance Helps Make Conservation Planting a Snap

Lon’s outdoor classroom shovels, cleaned and oiled and ready for the next use. The liberal application of orange paint makes them easier to find when kids lose them in prairie or wetland.

The Prairie Green school kids spent Earth Day planting wild iris, sweet flag, and sedge sod chunks in our neighbor’s new wetland. To support this conservation planting, I supplied the plants and shovels – with cleanup after the activity easy and quick because the shovels have been well maintained.

How have I maintained my shovels?

I simply keep a little bucket handy containing a paintbrush and a half-and-half mix of motor oil and kerosene. A thin coat gets painted on the cleaned blades and they are set out in the sun to dry. The kerosene thins the oil and helps it penetrate, and later evaporates, leaving a lightly oiled blade for storage and next use. I also oil a few inches up onto the wooden handle and try to work some into the socket because this helps prevent wood decay. Used motor oil works fine, and diesel fuel can substitute for the kerosene, if that is what you have better access to.

Sticky Iowa soil clings all too readily to a rusty shovel and even a little tree transplant becomes a chore if you have to scrape off the blade after each scoop. And in late autumn and in very early spring, I’ve had this sticky soil freeze onto my shovel blade. My easy solution? Fill a bucket with hot water and a dab of dish detergent, and then swish the blade around for a moment. The frozen dirt just slides off. Just make sure to rinse the detergent off before oiling again.

Why is this maintenance important? I’ve found that a dull, rusty blade doesn’t slice through dirt very easily and roots can be a stopper. I use an angle grinder to sharpen the blade, making sure that I’m wearing face protection to avoid flying sparks. Grind from the back side of the blade, leaving a 45-60 degree angle. Keep in mind that if the edge is too narrow, it will roll over when encountering a rock. Also, careless handling of newly sharpened blades may result in foot lacerations, so I never sharpen children’s shovels.

But what if you only have rusted shovels? I suggest starting with the oiling routine, as the oil will help loosen the rust and each use will wear off a little bit more of the rust until the result is a smooth, shiny blade.

I’ve come to rely on this tool maintenance – including maintaining all other bladed tools like hoes, axes, and mattocks – as part of my conservation efforts, and as we wound down Earth Day, cleaning up the shovels was quicker than cleaning up the Prairie Green children.