How To Sharpen Shears, Hedge Trimmers and Other Garden Tools
Sharpening gardening tools, including hedge clippers and pruning shears, may be done in a single wet day and makes your job simpler.
Effective Tips on How to Sharpen Gardening Tools for Optimal Performance:
Yard labor and gardening may wear out your tools significantly. Everyday gardening becomes a bit more challenging when hedge clippers and pruning shears deteriorate and become dull. Learning how to sharpen gardening tools will restore the original edges of your tools, making your job safer and simpler. All it takes are a few simple supplies, a means of holding the gardening tool in place, and a little bit of elbow grease.
Step-by-step project (7)
1. Clean the garden tools:
1.Use a hose to remove large mud pieces.
2.Use a wire brush or the wire wheel attachment on a drill or rotary tool to remove any rust.
3.Use a rust remover such as CLR or soak it in vinegar to get rid of stubborn rust.
4.Avoid soaking wood handles in the water. Black wood may be stained by vinegar.
If necessary, disassemble the tool.
5.It may be necessary to disassemble garden shears or hedge clippers for a thorough cleaning if rust develops between the blades.
2. Secure the garden tools:
Use clamps to secure the instrument to a work surface or place it in a bench vise.
As you work, adjust your tool or light source so that you can see the edge clearly.
Angle your work light so you can see the edge of the tool if you have an adjustable one.
You might have to move around to get the greatest lighting if your light isn’t adjustable.
You may thread long-handled equipment, like shovels, between your legs and
avoid the vise or clamps completely.
Place the shovel’s head over your left thigh. (If you are left-handed, follow these instructions in reverse.)
With the end resting against the floor, slide the handle between the right thigh and calf.
Reposition your right foot to exert pressure on the shovel’s end. Now that it has three points of contact, you may start honing it.
3. Identify the edge:
How to sharpen gardening tools begins with identifying the tool’s factory edge, which helps determine the bevel and angle.
The ‘factory edge’ refers to the original sharpening done by the manufacturer. It’s simpler to maintain this edge rather than creating a new angle, unless the tool is severely dented.
To figure out if the tool has a single or double bevel, inspect both sides. A double-bevel edge forms a ‘V’ shape, meeting at a point in the middle of the blade, like an axe head. In contrast, a single-bevel edge, similar to a chisel, has one flat side.
Tools like bypass loppers or pruners have one beveled and one flat blade. In this case, smooth out any dents on the flat blade and sharpen the beveled one.
4. Sharpening with a file:
Start with the rough file. With a steady, uniform push, follow across the perimeter of the factory.
As you file, keep an eye out for a shift in the color of the metal.
When you remove metal to restore the bevel, shiny metal will appear through the darkness.
Change your angle and give it another go if any areas of the bevel are still black.
To improve the edge, move from the rough file to the fine file after the entire bevel has a vibrant color.
You can use the fine file to clean up the edge instead of the rough file if the edge
was already in good condition.
Move on to the following step, de-burring, for single-bevel edges. Sharpen the other side of the bevel as well for double-bevel edges.
5. Deburr the instrument:
A metal burr will develop on the other side of the bevel as you sharpen the edge. If this burr is left in place, it may make it difficult for the tool to move and may catch on the soil or plant stems you are cutting through. (Or the opposite half of the instrument, in the case of bypass shears!)
As you sharpen, take a moment to feel the back side of the edge carefully.
The formation of the burr will be palpable to you.
Using the file or sandpaper, remove the burr.
6. Reassemble and fine-tune the tool as needed:
Once you’ve finished sharpening, put your pruners or loppers back together. It’s also a good idea to apply a little oil to the pivot points at this stage.
Knowing how to sharpen gardening tools properly also includes checking the balance of lawnmower blades.
To do this, suspend the blade by its center hole on a nail—like the tip of a T, it should hang evenly. If it tilts to one side, file off a bit more material from the heavier side to balance it out.
7. Preserve the tools:
After sharpening, apply a protective coating to your tools to prevent rust damage.
When learning how to sharpen gardening tools, it’s important to also protect them. While you could use WD-40, 5-in-1 oil, or another treatment, I prefer boiling linseed oil.
Just be sure to dispose of any rags properly as directed by the manufacturer (watch out for spontaneous combustion!).
For more informative articles click here:
