Japanese Garden Tool Care

Always store your garden tools inside in a low humidity environment. Wipe them dry with a clean cloth or towel after washing and scrubbing.

Ideally apply camellia oil which is what the Samurai used for their swords for hundreds of years, or raw linseed oil.

Quality oil applied liberally every four to six months will increase the life of your wood and your hard steel by decades. It is best to apply oil after sharpening and polishing steel.

Quality high carbon steel will forgive surface superficial rust but lesser steel will corrode.

Sharpen your tool with course then medium file. Pause, observe from both sides, wash, rinse, and do counteract and manage the burr on the other side.

You may notice scratches on steel as you work the surface. This is a normal part of working the steel exterior. This will not be deleterious to dense quality steel only inferior low quality steel. 

Move next to fine sandpaper or better a diamond file. Hardware stores sell diamond files. Sharpen at a 15 degree angle. No more than 20 degrees. 

Store dry tools inside. Ensure they are well oiled for long life.Hang them on a wall, don't leave them in buckets on the floor of the hay shed. 

If you work with quality tools everyday and you want tools to last a lifetime, treat them with respect, clean and sharpen them often.