Japanese Garden Tool Care

Japanese Garden Tools will last many decades to a lifetime when looked after correctly:

Cleaning & Storing Garden Tools:

Store your garden tools inside in a low humidity environment.

Wipe them tools with a clean cloth or towel after scrubbing and rinsing them of soil at the end of a work cycle. Leave them to dry on sunlight with the tool blade pointed upwards.

Then apply raw linseed oil to the steel and wood handle. Work iit in with a clean cloth.

Hang tools on a wall in a dry shed. Never let the tool's steel touch the ground where humidity is higher. Never throw them in a bucket at the end of the day.

Japanese high carbon steel will forgive surface superficial rust while lesser quality steel will corrode. If you notice rust spots on your tool, apply fine sandpaper to remove. Then wash with water, wipe with clean cloth and dry.

Then apply a course/medium double sided diamond file to create a sharp edge.

Sharpening your NEW garden spade:

You may be tempted to sharpen your new spade with a grinder. But be careful. It is too easy to remove lots of metal this way and shorten your spade. Also overheating the steel will weaken the fine edge. Manual sharpening will give you greater control and longer lived sharp edge.

Place the spade in a vice. Alternatively, use your knees or brace against steps on a deck with the blade below you. You are aiming for a 15 degree angle.

Start with a medium to fine woodworking long file. Then pause, observe from both sides, rinse the blade with water, and then flip the spade blade and gently remove the burr on the other side with careful fine strokes.

You may notice minor scratches on the steel as you work the surface. This is a normal part of working the high carbon steel exterior. This will not be deleterious to high carbon steel and not detract from its performance.

Next step: Sharpen with a double sided Japanese electroplated diamond file. Start with the relatively course side then the medium side.

Rinse, wipe with a clean cloth and hang your tool.

Also rinse and scrub your Japanese diamond file with a clean brush to remove metal particles from the file, so that tool also lasts a long time and stays sharp.

Sharpen your tool every three to four months if it is being used every day in your garden. A sharp tool makes gardening faster and easier.