Clean and sharpen your garden tools
With summer just around the corner it's time to get out those dull and rusty garden tools and restore them to good condition ready for use in the garden.
Garden tools are usually the most neglected tools and get packed away in the garden shed or garage without proper care. When you think about how much it costs to replace these tools, it makes a lot of sense to give your garden tools annual or regular maintenance to keep them in good condition.
If you own a Dremel Multitool this is where you find this handy tool very useful. With a variety of accessories that either come with the tool or can be bought, a multitool can easily sharpen and clean dull and rusty garden tools.
To show how easy it is to sharpen and clean garden shears we used a Dremel 8200 Multitool and aluminium oxide grinding stones. These grinding stones are ideal for sharpening, deburring and general purpose grinding of most materials, including metal garden tools.
The trick is to hold the stone at an angle against the blade, following the existing slope of the edge. Use clamps to hold the shears firmly in place as you work and DO wear safety goggles. Have the tool on medium speed and slowly work from left to right along the length of the blade, repeating this until the blade is sharp.
Clean and polish the garden shears with an abrasive buffing accessory to remove rust and restore shine. I prefer to use WD-40 when sharpening or cleaning. It cleans and lubricates at the same time and also extends the life to the grinding stones.
You can use this exact same process on pruning shears to clean and sharpen the cutting blade. To clean out gears or hard to reach areas use a bristle brush accessory and WD-40.
And let's not forget about the trust garden spade. A sharp edge will make garden work easier. You can also use an aluminium oxide grinding stone to sharpen the edge of the spade.
Rust will destroy your garden tools before you know it. Keep your tools rust-free by drying them before putting them away. If you need to remove rust use Plascon Rust Remover and Concrete Etch. Follow the instructions and handle with care.
If you own a chainsaw you will be pleased to note that Dremel also offer a selection of grinding stones for sharpening chainsaws.