Do you have an old shovel sitting in your garage that has a beat up wood handle and looks like it has been sitting there for a hundred years? Is it a sturdy, heavy duty shovel? Was it an expensive shovel back in its day? Has it just suffered the effects of neglect? All of us probably have a tool like this in our garage. There is a way to get it back into shape and provide you with several more years of service. Why spend $ 50 buying a new shovel.
Below are some steps to bring back your favorite shovel to prime condition.
1. Wash the shovel down with water to remove all the caked on dirt.
2. You need to then remove all the rust. Take a wire brush or heavy grit sand paper and remove as mush rust as you can. It does not need to be perfect. Clamp you shovel into a vise to help keep it locked down.
3. Having a sharp tip will make the shovel easier to use. Put you shovel in a vise and take a file and remove the blunt edge on the end. You're not trying to make it razor sharp. Use a file to the shovel end or sharpen using a grinding wheel.
4. Use common household oil like 3-In-One oil and rub down all the metal on the shovel and let it sit and absorb into it. After some time, rub the excess off with a cloth.
5. Take some 120 or 150 grit sandpaper and sand down the handle. Buy some boiled linseed oil and apply several coats on the handle. Wipe off extra oil with a rag.
Of course, you can use this strategy on any tool in your garage. Do not throw away those old tools and buy new ones ever again.