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Default Shovel handles

What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year? I just leave the extra tools in the mulch pile and
they are always there when I need them but the weather takes it`s toll.
I tried boiled linseed oil two weeks ago and it still isn`t dry. The
best thing i`ve found so far is used motor oil.
Thanks for any advice

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Default Shovel handles

On 8/17/2011 3:19 PM, Herb Eneva wrote:
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year?...


Putting them away (or build a protective mini-shed or something near the
use location)...

--
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Default Shovel handles


"dpb" wrote in message ...
On 8/17/2011 3:19 PM, Herb Eneva wrote:
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year?...


Putting them away (or build a protective mini-shed or something near the
use location)...


What he said. Weather is the worst enemy. Freeze/thaw/UV sun rays. You
can do everything you want to handles, and if you leave them out in the
weather,24/7, you are wasting your time. At least put them in the shade.
After that, boiled linseed oil, motor oil, and other things will help, but
the weather is the biggest factor.

Steve


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Default Shovel handles

On 8/17/2011 3:57 PM, Steve B wrote:
wrote in message ...
On 8/17/2011 3:19 PM, Herb Eneva wrote:
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year?...


Putting them away (or build a protective mini-shed or something near the
use location)...


What he said. Weather is the worst enemy. Freeze/thaw/UV sun rays. You
can do everything you want to handles, and if you leave them out in the
weather,24/7, you are wasting your time. At least put them in the shade.


....

I get _so_ peeved at the missus who leaves stuff out... Nothing
worse than to go get the hoe or a rake or whatever and the handle is
rough as a cob...

--


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Default Shovel handles

On 8/17/2011 4:37 PM, dpb wrote:
On 8/17/2011 3:19 PM, Herb Eneva wrote:
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year?...


Putting them away (or build a protective mini-shed or something near the
use location)...

--


BTDT, as I have described on here several times before. I could not get
my mother and grandmother to put their toys away after playing in the
garden, and the wood handles lasted 18-24 months tops. Finally said the
hell with it (when I started getting a little cashflow), and as each new
handle-break occurred, I replaced the tool with commercial-grade glass
handle ones. Changing shovel handles is a tedious pain in the ass, and
as cheap as the shovels are now (pretty much all made in China), it just
ain't worth screwing with, IMHO. I only have so many years left, etc.
Besides, you gotta find an old-timey country HW store to even FIND loose
handles any more. None of the big-boxes near here carries them.

--
aem sends...
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Default Shovel handles


"dpb" wrote in message ...
On 8/17/2011 3:57 PM, Steve B wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 8/17/2011 3:19 PM, Herb Eneva wrote:
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year?...

Putting them away (or build a protective mini-shed or something near the
use location)...


What he said. Weather is the worst enemy. Freeze/thaw/UV sun rays. You
can do everything you want to handles, and if you leave them out in the
weather,24/7, you are wasting your time. At least put them in the shade.


...

I get _so_ peeved at the missus who leaves stuff out... Nothing worse
than to go get the hoe or a rake or whatever and the handle is rough as a
cob...


Do NOT get me started!


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Default Shovel handles

On Aug 17, 4:19*pm, (Herb Eneva) wrote:
* What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year? I just leave the extra tools in the mulch pile and
they are always there when I need them but the weather takes it`s toll.
I tried boiled linseed oil two weeks ago and it still isn`t dry. *The
best thing i`ve found so far is used motor oil.
Thanks for any advice


New Handles
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Default Shovel handles

On 8/17/2011 3:19 PM, Herb Eneva wrote:
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year? I just leave the extra tools in the mulch pile and
they are always there when I need them but the weather takes it`s toll.
I tried boiled linseed oil two weeks ago and it still isn`t dry. The
best thing i`ve found so far is used motor oil.
Thanks for any advice

Herb, use the boiled linseed oil. Mix it about 3 parts paint
thinner and 1 part BLO. Clean off what you have already applied with
straight thinner to get rid of any sticky undried stuff. Apply a
soaking of the new mix - a rag works well, but wear gloves unless you
don't mind the smell of BLO. Next day, wipe off anything that is not
dry with a clean cloth. Apply another flood coat, wipe off anything not
dry the next day. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

One of the old axioms was:

Once an hour for a day
Once a day for a week
Once a week for a month
Once a month for a year
Once a year for life.
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Default Shovel handles

On 8/18/2011 11:18 PM, DanG wrote:
On 8/17/2011 3:19 PM, Herb Eneva wrote:
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year? I just leave the extra tools in the mulch pile and
they are always there when I need them but the weather takes it`s toll.
I tried boiled linseed oil two weeks ago and it still isn`t dry. The
best thing i`ve found so far is used motor oil.
Thanks for any advice

Herb, use the boiled linseed oil. Mix it about 3 parts paint thinner and
1 part BLO. Clean off what you have already applied with straight
thinner to get rid of any sticky undried stuff. Apply a soaking of the
new mix - a rag works well, but wear gloves unless you don't mind the
smell of BLO. Next day, wipe off anything that is not dry with a clean
cloth. Apply another flood coat, wipe off anything not dry the next day.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.

One of the old axioms was:

Once an hour for a day
Once a day for a week
Once a week for a month
Once a month for a year
Once a year for life.


I've only got so many days/weeks/months/years left in my life, and a lot
of more interesting and useful things to do. I'll stick with fiberglas
handles, at least for any tools that get used outside.

--
aem sends....


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Default Shovel handles

On Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:18:54 -0500, DanG wrote:

On 8/17/2011 3:19 PM, Herb Eneva wrote:
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year? I just leave the extra tools in the mulch pile and
they are always there when I need them but the weather takes it`s toll.
I tried boiled linseed oil two weeks ago and it still isn`t dry. The
best thing i`ve found so far is used motor oil.
Thanks for any advice

Herb, use the boiled linseed oil. Mix it about 3 parts paint
thinner and 1 part BLO. Clean off what you have already applied with
straight thinner to get rid of any sticky undried stuff. Apply a
soaking of the new mix - a rag works well, but wear gloves unless you
don't mind the smell of BLO. Next day, wipe off anything that is not
dry with a clean cloth. Apply another flood coat, wipe off anything not
dry the next day. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

One of the old axioms was:

Once an hour for a day
Once a day for a week
Once a week for a month
Once a month for a year
Once a year for life.


I think you need to leave that last line off if the handles are going
to be outside 24/7. The above gives a great finish to well cared
for tools. But this will work better for the abuse the OPs tools
are being put through;

Fiberglass handle- once until the head wears out. Done.

I feel the OP's pain- and have fiberglass on many of my tools now.

Jim
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Default Shovel handles

Jim Elbrecht wrote:

What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year?


Herb, use the boiled linseed oil.


Fiberglass handle- once until the head wears out. Done.

I feel the OP's pain- and have fiberglass on many of my tools now.


This thread makes no sense.

First, if shovels and rakes are kept outside *all year*, that would
logically imply one of the following:

1) a climate that temperate or moderate year-round (ie - no winter).
Because if you want your tools outside all year, it's because you do
some work with them all year - right? Because if you lived where you
have a real winter (snow, cold, etc) you'd put your tools away in a shed
or garage, right?

2) you want your tools outside because you work with them relatively
frequently. When you work with tools on a frequent basis, they tend not
to suffer too much from weathering, the effects of sun, rain, humidity,
etc, even when kept outside.

If you don't work with the tools that frequently, one would think it
would be no skin off your back to put them in a shed when not in use.

And as well - what good is the suggestion to spend all these hours
rubbing linseed oil on these handles when that would take more effort to
keep the tools out of the weather in the first place? What takes more
effort or cost?

Do you really think that someone lazy or disinterested enough to keep
these tools outside year-round would have enough motivation to break out
the boiled linseed oil?

As for fiberglass handles, you'll pay more for tools with a fiberglass
vs wood handle, and you'll pay more for just a fiberglass handle to
retro-fit a wood handle vs just buying a new tool already with
fiberglass handle. I've never seen a rake with a fiberglass handle
anyways.

Lastly, I have some shovels and rakes with wood handles that are 10 to
15 years old, with various histories of being left outside for various
time-frames here in the great-lakes area. I see absolutely no
indication of weather-related deterioration of the handles / shafts.
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Default Shovel handles

Stick em up your ass. That way they'll be protected, and you'll always know
where they're at



"Herb Eneva" wrote in message
...
What is best to apply to wooden shovel and rake handles that stay
outside all year? I just leave the extra tools in the mulch pile and
they are always there when I need them but the weather takes it`s toll.
I tried boiled linseed oil two weeks ago and it still isn`t dry. The
best thing i`ve found so far is used motor oil.
Thanks for any advice



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