Garden and homestead tools can run into a lot of money if you run down to the store and buy a big selection, but it doesn't have to be that way. Most of the common ones can be found at junkyards, steel scrapyards, flea markets, yard sales, and in the alleys on trash pickup day, being thrown away. Whatever you can find by such means always needs some TLC to get them into useful shape, but it is fairly easy to do and saves a lot of money. You don't make big wages per hour doing this, but it is tax free gain, which adds 30% or so.
Refurbishing simple tools is not rocket science. The task falls into a few simple categories:
-Replacing handles
-Removing rust
-Straightening
-Painting
-Sharpening
To do these things you need a solid vise that is well anchored on a bench, a small (4" or 4 1/2") right angle grinder with both grinding wheels and a cup shaped wire brush, a hammer, a couple files and maybe an electric drill and a couple bits (Harbor Freight has all of this so far), some spray paint and a small can of Linseed Oil for making old handles waterproof (Wal Mart has these in the paint department).
Long handled tools like rakes, shovels, and hoes commonly need a new handle, as do hammers, axes and splitting mauls. Handles can be bought new, or made if you are a woodworker, but we will assume that you buy them. Removing old handles from hoes, rakes, and digging forks is simply a matter of holding either the tool or the handle in a vise and driving the old handle off with a punch or cold chisel. Common sense goes a long way here. These handles are simply held on by friction, having the tool and handle force-fitted together, so the old ones take some effort to remove. Be careful and wear safety gear to protect eyes and hands especially.
When the old handle has been removed, FIRMLY clamp the metal tool in the vise and go to work with the wire brush on the angle grinder to remove every last vestige of rust. Take your time and watch that you reposition the tool for safely doing the work. The brush can get hooked on the tool and grab, yanking the grinder away from you, so THINK about this, and wear heavy leather gloves and a face shield against flying wires from the brush. It sounds worse than it is. Make sure there is air moving to keep you from breathing the dust as you work. I do these things in batches of several items to save time.
After you have the tools cleaned, lay them on a suitable piece of cardboard or paper and spray paint to suit yourself. Put on at least 3 coats to get it thick enough to last. (My daughter paints her tools PINK, and has NEVER had one stolen!) Let dry till the next day, so the paint is thoroughly hardened.
When you have several tools painted and ready for new handles, go shopping for handles. Many flea markets have unfinished (no varnish) handles for sale cheap, and can save you a lot. Worst case, spring for new ones at the best price you can find from a hardware outlet. If the original tool had a metal ferrule on the end, like some most hoes and rakes, save the old one until you get a replacement handle, in case the new handle doesn't have one, but most do. If you buy a handle unfinished, sand it until smooth enough to suit you, and wipe on a coat of linseed oil with a piece of paper towel and let dry overnight. Do it again the next day and let dry for a couple days to harden well. Use a piece of steel wool, (or a dead soap pad) to rub the dry handle until it is slick and wipe off the dust. It is ready to install.
Installing a handle is the reverse of removing one. Rakes, hoes and digging forks want the tool held in the vise while your drive the handle onto the tool. The hole in the handle should be JUST large enough to allow the tool tang to start into it, but require driving the rest of the way for a firm fit. A bit of lard or shortening on the tool tang helps this and prevents rust. Drive the handle using a piece of hard wood to tap with until it is well started, then lay the wood against the handle and use a hammer to finish up as it gets tighter. The wood prevents damage to the handle from direct hammer blows.
Hammers, axes, and splitting mauls have handles inserted into a hole in the tool head that is tapered on both the entrance and exit sides, with wood and steel wedges on the end to spread the wood to fill that taper, preventing it from coming off. That means you will have to drill out the old handle part and punch out the remains. New handles comes with wedges (assure that they DO), so saving the old ones isn't necessary. Use a wood rasp, or power sander if you have one to fit the new handle to the tool, allowing just enough to let it go together by driving. This involves test fitting several times, remove some wood, and try again until it just goes in tight with a bit sticking through the other side. (It wants to be smaller on the end so it will wedge tightly in the hole.) Then, drive in the wood wedge until it won't go any more (they usually break off), and use a hacksaw to saw off the protruding wood flush with the tool. Now, drive in the steel wedge at 90 degrees (crosswise) to the wood wedge and you are finished.
Refurbishing simple tools is not rocket science. The task falls into a few simple categories:
-Replacing handles
-Removing rust
-Straightening
-Painting
-Sharpening
To do these things you need a solid vise that is well anchored on a bench, a small (4" or 4 1/2") right angle grinder with both grinding wheels and a cup shaped wire brush, a hammer, a couple files and maybe an electric drill and a couple bits (Harbor Freight has all of this so far), some spray paint and a small can of Linseed Oil for making old handles waterproof (Wal Mart has these in the paint department).
Long handled tools like rakes, shovels, and hoes commonly need a new handle, as do hammers, axes and splitting mauls. Handles can be bought new, or made if you are a woodworker, but we will assume that you buy them. Removing old handles from hoes, rakes, and digging forks is simply a matter of holding either the tool or the handle in a vise and driving the old handle off with a punch or cold chisel. Common sense goes a long way here. These handles are simply held on by friction, having the tool and handle force-fitted together, so the old ones take some effort to remove. Be careful and wear safety gear to protect eyes and hands especially.
When the old handle has been removed, FIRMLY clamp the metal tool in the vise and go to work with the wire brush on the angle grinder to remove every last vestige of rust. Take your time and watch that you reposition the tool for safely doing the work. The brush can get hooked on the tool and grab, yanking the grinder away from you, so THINK about this, and wear heavy leather gloves and a face shield against flying wires from the brush. It sounds worse than it is. Make sure there is air moving to keep you from breathing the dust as you work. I do these things in batches of several items to save time.
After you have the tools cleaned, lay them on a suitable piece of cardboard or paper and spray paint to suit yourself. Put on at least 3 coats to get it thick enough to last. (My daughter paints her tools PINK, and has NEVER had one stolen!) Let dry till the next day, so the paint is thoroughly hardened.
When you have several tools painted and ready for new handles, go shopping for handles. Many flea markets have unfinished (no varnish) handles for sale cheap, and can save you a lot. Worst case, spring for new ones at the best price you can find from a hardware outlet. If the original tool had a metal ferrule on the end, like some most hoes and rakes, save the old one until you get a replacement handle, in case the new handle doesn't have one, but most do. If you buy a handle unfinished, sand it until smooth enough to suit you, and wipe on a coat of linseed oil with a piece of paper towel and let dry overnight. Do it again the next day and let dry for a couple days to harden well. Use a piece of steel wool, (or a dead soap pad) to rub the dry handle until it is slick and wipe off the dust. It is ready to install.
Installing a handle is the reverse of removing one. Rakes, hoes and digging forks want the tool held in the vise while your drive the handle onto the tool. The hole in the handle should be JUST large enough to allow the tool tang to start into it, but require driving the rest of the way for a firm fit. A bit of lard or shortening on the tool tang helps this and prevents rust. Drive the handle using a piece of hard wood to tap with until it is well started, then lay the wood against the handle and use a hammer to finish up as it gets tighter. The wood prevents damage to the handle from direct hammer blows.
Hammers, axes, and splitting mauls have handles inserted into a hole in the tool head that is tapered on both the entrance and exit sides, with wood and steel wedges on the end to spread the wood to fill that taper, preventing it from coming off. That means you will have to drill out the old handle part and punch out the remains. New handles comes with wedges (assure that they DO), so saving the old ones isn't necessary. Use a wood rasp, or power sander if you have one to fit the new handle to the tool, allowing just enough to let it go together by driving. This involves test fitting several times, remove some wood, and try again until it just goes in tight with a bit sticking through the other side. (It wants to be smaller on the end so it will wedge tightly in the hole.) Then, drive in the wood wedge until it won't go any more (they usually break off), and use a hacksaw to saw off the protruding wood flush with the tool. Now, drive in the steel wedge at 90 degrees (crosswise) to the wood wedge and you are finished.
A collection of garden rakes, hoes, axe, shovels, post hole diggers (handles on them are bolted on--dead easy), digging fork, spade, etc., could cost you hundreds of $$ new, but you should be able to fix up old ones for a quarter of that. A few extras won't hurt to have around, and you could possibly sell the extras to pay for those you keep.
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