Sharpen, clean and oil a shovel - PEP BB tool.sand.shovel

Feb 26, 2019 19:24:28

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in tool care.

Everyone has a shovel. It's often sitting in the garden shed and getting rusty. Did you know that sharp shovels dig much easier than dull ones? Let's make this shovel shine!

Clean the rust/dirt off of the shovel using sandpaper, angle grinder, orbital sander, scouring pad, steel wool, etc. Use a file, sandpaper, angle grinder or belt sander to put a sharp edge on the shovel. Bevel just one side, unlike a knife. Go for a blunter edge than a knife so that it doesn't get dull when it hits dirt for the first time. Oil it to keep it from rusting.

Here's a good video of the process. If you're using a cup brush on an angle grinder, wear enough protective equipment. The wires can fly off and get embedded in things.

Requirements to complete:
- Can be any metal shovel (not metal edged plastic snow shovels)
- Protecting oil can't be petroleum derived

To get certified for this BB, post the following:

- pic of dull or rusty shovel
- action pic
- pic of clean, sharp shovel
- describe the oil used to protect the metal

Dave Burton · May 11, 2019 11:32:19

Have a too-tall-for-my leg-to-reach shovel that I usually use for planting plant starts. I cut off about 3 inches, sharpened, cleaned, and oiled it.

Dave Burton · May 20, 2019 18:49:37

I decided to clean up a shovel with a bend in the tip. I cleaned off the dried on plaster? with the edge of a board then some cardboard. Put the shovel in a vice and used a grinder to smooth out the edge and get a bevel evenly around the cutting edge, then used a file to smooth it a bit more. I also used a bench mounted wire wheel to take off some light surface rust on the back of the shovel blade, then used a rag and wiped it down with some grape seed oil.

Mike Barkley · May 21, 2019 22:23:42

Cleaned with a rag, mostly to remove sand and sharpened with a file. I was too stubborn to use a grinder but the file worked fine. Finished it up with a coat of grape seed oil

Mike Barkley · Aug 22, 2019 16:05:34

I sharpened a shovel today. Wow, what a difference it makes! I used a grinder for the sharpening, a sanding wheel on the grinder to take off a bit of rust and avocado oil to protect the metal afterwards.

Steve Thorn · Sep 25, 2019 20:50:34

Here we go!

Hanging out at Alerton Abby. You know what Alerton could use? Sharp shovels! Jaqi and I had fun; she's a great !
We used Linseed oil to protect the shovels... because that's what they where using inside for the floors...

Steve Thorn · Oct 29, 2019 19:57:54

This is the rusty and dull shovel before I worked on it.

This is an action picture of me sharpening the shovel.

It took me a sizeable chunk of time with the angle grinder to get most of the rust off. This is the shovel after I finished sharpening it, removing the rust, and oiling it,

I used raw linseed oil to oil to protect the metal of the shovel.

Oct 30, 2019 07:46:30

Dave Burton is really hitting the BB's pretty hard ! Good to see others going for their Badges.

Oct 30, 2019 20:45:11

Thank you, Bill! I'm trying as projects, tasks, and people align in Bootcamp. Sometimes the work lines up with BB's and sometimes not. Also, keeping my energy and motivation levels up can sometimes be a challenge, too! Thank you for the kind words; I greatly appreciate them!

Mar 22, 2020 14:44:30

May I care for my Pick/Mattock and have it qualify for this BB?

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