In article , Puckdropper
puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com says...
We've got a few outdoor/garden tools (like a snow shovel that's older than
I am) that need a new finish on the handles. What would be the best thing
to use for this?

Being outdoor tools, they sometimes get left outside or otherwise abused,
so the finish needs to stand up to this.

Puckdropper


Spar varnish? That's what we used to put on snow shovels when I was
still living in the Northern Hemisphere. Same for the rakes. My shovels
and spades don't get any; they get used, washed, put away in the barn
and that's it. Worn smooth with use, I don't want them slippery in any
way.

-P.

Peter Huebner wrote in
t:

Spar varnish? That's what we used to put on snow shovels when I was
still living in the Northern Hemisphere. Same for the rakes. My
shovels and spades don't get any; they get used, washed, put away in
the barn and that's it. Worn smooth with use, I don't want them
slippery in any way.

It's more an issue of friction than slip (yeah, they're two ends of the
same spectrum). Oars are made with a beautiful spar varnish finish -
except on the hand grips, which are left as bare wood. Nothing will raise
blisters faster than chafing against a glossy varnished finish.