I sharped the shovel I primed and painted for another BB. This is going to sound funny but I had no idea you could sharpen shovels with a file. It was a quick project, but I truly found it super rewarding that each BB is teaching me something and helping me learn a new skill. I used avocado oil to coat the shovel after the filing was done.
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Chipped shovel
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Rough edges
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Better view
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Action shot of me trying to file, hold the shovel ,and take a picture haha
My toffest shovel needed sharpening and protection. I used some old extra linseed oil from a previous wood project to protect my gardening tools. Rust is removed with metal brush and sharpening done with a power tool with disk and a file for finishing. Stones are rare here, sa i can sharpen a finer edge.
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Rusty shovel
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Rust remove and ruff sharpening done
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Fine sharpening
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Oiled with linseed oil.
Radis.
Living and growing on my small homestead near a project of permaculture school.
"There are no non-radical options left before us" Naomie Klein in This Changes Everything
I cleaned, sharpened, and polished a shovel!
I used water and a scrub brush to clean off the clay, a file and steel wool to clean off the concrete, sandpaper to clean off the rust, and a file to give the shovel an edge. After that, I rubbed the shovel down well with grapeseed oil.
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dull and cruddy
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sanding
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sharpening
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shiny
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sharper edge; please let me know if the edge is not clear enough in this photo
"[6] Let the people, O God, confess to Thee: let all the people give praise to Thee: [7] The earth hath yielded her fruit. May God, our God bless us, [8] May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear Him." (Psalms 66/67)
"A great little man with a blond ponytail whistled to himself beside the hut, sharpening his shovel with a whetstone. Who sharpens a shovel?"(The Bands of Mourning, by Brandon Sanderson)
I laughed out loud when I read that passage because I had planned to do that very thing today!
I used 220 grit sandpaper and steel wool. Sharpened with a file, then I oiled with mineral oil.
Working my way through the sand badge here for tool care. Time to clean and sharpen a shovel. I don't know if I've ever done this before, the sharpening part at least. Makes sense that a shovel would work a bit better if sharpened.
For the oil I found I had a bottle of canola oil in the cupboard that has gone rancid. Seems like a fine choice for this application instead of just tossing it out.
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Here is a photo of my primary digging spade in rather sad shape and caked with a bunch of dirt.
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The timer on the camera caught me in this action shot when I was using an angle grinder to sharpen the edge.
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The same shovel cleaned, sharpened, and oiled up.
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Here is a close up photo to try and show the sharpened edge better.
Ash Jackson wrote:May I care for my Pick/Mattock and have it qualify for this BB?
I've gotta assume that's a soft "no"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~What are you going to do now?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Goin straight Bob. I don’t know, get a job, find myself a gal.. or, I dunno what people do nowadays, build-a, uh, a barn maybe, paint the barn with the gal, put the gal in the barn, you know; American dream."
This is a first time with sharpening a shovel. It was sort of a "well duh, why didn't I think of that" moment, why deal with a dull shovel when you can sharpen it? I oiled it with olive oil because that is what I had available.
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Dirty not sharp shovel
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Scrubbing dirt and any rust off
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Sharpening with a file
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Oiled
"And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else."
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15