looking after fork/spade

[aquilegia]

Grandad's trusty allotment fork is going a bit rusty.

What should I do?

Should I oil it? If so - what oil? Will that get rid of the rust?

(This fork is very special to me as I do rather seem to think that my late grandad now inhabits it!)

[aquilegia]

[Bagpuss74]

Bucket of sand with oil in works a treat for me Aqui - stab it in a few times to oil and de-rust.  Just don't bin the sand every time if you care for the environment  ;)

[aquilegia]

what type of oil? (I know nothing!)

[jennym]

I use mutton fat.

[Derekthefox]

Once rust has started to penetrate steel it is almost imossible to eliminate, as it penetrates through the crystal structure of the material ... however by soaking in a suitable oil, then the progress can be halted. Mutton fat is very good as a preventative measure, but will not halt penetration once it has started.
The type of oil, animal, vegetable or mineral is not really important, it is the grade that counts. The best is using the lightest possible oil, eg WD40 or diesel (or paraffin), then adding a heavier oil afterwards.

[supersprout]

erm, Jenny, where do you get your mutton fat? :o

[jennym]

erm, Jenny, where do you get your mutton fat? :o

Drain it off when I'm cooking and keep it. Also use it for waterproofing my boots, like dubbin.

[supersprout]

D'oh, all right jenny, where do you get your MUTTON?  ;D

[Merry Tiller]

Used engine oil is very nasty stuff, it contains all sorts of carcinogens from the burned hydrocarbons. If you're going to do the oil & sand in a bucket trick use fresh oil, you wouldn't need much (where do you get a bucket big enough to shove a spade into though????).

It's quite easy to stop the rust using a product such as this

http://ec-uk.net/catalog1.asp?ShopRef=168&CatID=151

there are others, I just happen to use this one when doing restoration jobs, it doesn't remove the rust but converts it into a much more stable surface.

Alternatively the best way to keep your tools rust free is to use them more often ;)

[adam04]

(where do you get a bucket big enough to shove a spade into though????).

You could get one of the buckets that come with brewing kits. there a couple of feet tall and plenty wide enough.

[aquilegia]

I ended up using vegetable oil, as I'm a vegetarian and I didn't want to use anything that might polute the soil.

My builders bucket wasn't deep enough for my fork and spade. I just picked up handfuls and rubbed it on the bits above the sand line.

I hope it works anyway!

[supagranz]

tell me what does bucket sand and oil do i'm puzzled

[supersprout]

The sand acts as a scrubber to get dirt off if you wiggle your implement up and down in it, and the oil protecteth from rust  ::)

[adam04]

always worth protecting your implement... ;D ;D

[grawrc]

I just clean off any muck and then rub with an oily rag. I do it fairly regularly so never seem to get the rust problem. At the end of the season I do it a bit more thoroughly.

[grawrc]

We can get mutton (organic no less!  :P) from a local farm. Normally we prefer their lamb though.

[adam04]

i dont seem to get many rust problems. now and again round the little crevice type bit where its joined to the shaft.

i dont really clean is very often just scrape two spades together to get the main bulk of the dirst off.

[Melbourne12]

I use water and a nylon scourer to clean the tools, leave them to drain dry, then a quick spray of WD40.  Admittedly it's a bit cold and messy, but I can't imagine that oily sand would work on a really muddy fork or spade.

[grawrc]

My newer ones are, but I tend to use the old tools at the lottie (grandfather's fork circa 1907) etc. cos they've already worked their value 100 times and if someone breaks in and steals them I don't feel it's a major loss. Having said that, the stainless steel ones need TLC too or they end up getting pitted and damaged.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I have a steel spade and an old Victorian iron thing. The latter is far harder to use.