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YOU may also restore second-hand tools bought cheaply at junk shops and car-boot fairs, that is a thrifty way for first-time gardeners to kit themselves out with everything they want. 

Clean, burnish and protect

If the top of a spade, fork, rake or hoe is caked with dirt, wash off the mud and debris in a bucket of warm water with a bit washing-up liquid, using a stiff brush, then allow to dry thoroughly.

Use a wire brush to take away the loose rust. Wash again and make allowance to dry. If there may be still some fine rust present, use wet-and-dry emery paper to take away up to you could, then brush clean. 

Restore the leading edge of hoes, spades and lawn-edging tools with a flat engineer’s file (cheap to purchase from DIY stores). Then spray all clean, dry, metal surfaces with aerosol oil, which includes WD-40, in any other case apply a coating of standard lubricating oil with a soft cloth. This may protect surfaces from further rusting, providing you repeat the method now and again, perhaps every spring and autumn.

Sharp practices

Clean and dry the blades of your cutting tools. Shears are best sharpened using a different device that matches directly to an electrical drill. After sharpening, apply spray-on oil. Alternatively, use the services 

of a neighborhood tool-sharpening specialist. Don’t sharpen stainless-steel tools; simply clean, dry and oil them.

Secateurs are useless if blunt and rusty, but superior makes are intended to be taken apart for sharpening. Unscrew the blades and sharpen them using a carborundum stone (another cheap DIY store purchase) lubricated with just a few drops of oil, then reassemble.

If you won’t be using them for some time, wrap them in oiled paper or cloth to avoid re-rusting, or store them in a dry place indoors. Secateurs without removable blades are trickier to sharpen. You should use a tiny sharpening steel or penknife-sized sharpening stone, or just downgrade a blunt pair to second-best for rough jobs and put money into a brand new one.

TLC for wooden handles

Broken wooden handles may be replaced instead of mended, since they have to be capable of withstand the complete force you can actually exert on them. To split the handle from the top, soak the joint overnight in easing oil to assist loosen rusted screws or tight fittings, or in hot soapy water if jammed in place by ingrained mud and dust. New wooden handles are available in from old-fashioned DIY stores, builders’ merchants and gear stands at gardening shows. 

If an old handle is scruffy but otherwise sound, rub it smooth with sandpaper, then paint it generously with linseed oil. Stand it in an empty tin can to gather any drips, allowing several days for the oil to soak in, then wipe with a soft rag before storing. Oil good handles on the end of every season and they’re going to last longer or less for ever.