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Tool restoration

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  • @Fire Looks like those were plated and once the plating has worn off, the steel they are made of has become much more susceptible to the acid.  Assuming those were cheap ones, they can and do use low quality steel which rusts incredibly quickly, but is protected by the thin plating.. until it wears through.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    @BobTheGardener Thanks. They were old ones given to me by someone. I forget who. I tend to pick up old tools that people are giving away.
  • @Fire Same here - most of my tools came from my dad - and the majority still work.  They do make 'em like they used to, but good quality new tools are never cheap.  The only things I've bought new were a stainless steel/ash handled border fork and spade, and a SS hand trowel I got from Wilko a few decades ago.  It's on it's 3rd handle though - I have a bad habit of leaving stuff out in the rain (sometimes all winter), which is never good for wooden handles! :D
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Not a tool restoration but I've recently picked up this letterpress drawer from Freecycle and now I'm faced with trying to strip the terrible paint off it without losing too much of the character. It also smells like it's been in a house with an open coal fire for years so it's living in the greenhouse for now hopefully letting fresh air and sun deal with the worst of it. I think it's going to end up looking more shabby than chic but it's still better than paying the crazy prices they go for now. I swapped the seller some succulents for it so we both came away happy.


    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Wow! that's a bargain ... they go for serious money  :o

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    I love this thread!  Thank you @wild edges.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Wow! that's a bargain ... they go for serious money  :o
    I was really pleased to get this one. I've got two that I've had since they were commonly available for around £10 but you're lucky to get a broken one full of woodworm for under £50 now :( 

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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