Easy fixes for pruning shears and garden tool handles

A garden is only as good as its tools. Follow the below tips to keep your gardening tools in good shape and your garden looking its best.

Tighten up and sharpen the blades

• Pruning and garden shears can become gummed up with sticky sap and plant resin. Moisten a kitchen towel with mineral spirits and use this to wipe the blades clean. Put a drop of 3-in-One or a similar oil on the pivot that holds the two blades together. In future, clean the blades immediately after use with hot water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid, and dry the shears thoroughly before storing.
• Tighten up the screw holding the blades together, and rub a little machine oil along the length of the blades to keep them lubricated.
• After a while, the blades will get dull; don't use a mill file on these finer blades but sharpen them using a whetstone, as you would a kitchen knife.
• Only sharpen the edges that are already bevelled (usually one side of the blade only) and follow the angle of the existing bevel as you sharpen to maintain maximum cutting ability. To make sure you sharpen the entire blade, run a black marker pen along the cutting edge. Work carefully across the blade until you have removed all of the ink marks.
• If moving the blade across the whetstone is awkward, try clamping the shears in position and then move the whetstone across the blade.
• Expensive shears can be ruined by poor sharpening — if in any doubt, have them sharpened by a professional.

Always wear a pair of thick gloves and eye protection when sharpening garden tools — don't take any chances with sharp edges or flying metal splinters.

Fit a new hardwood handle

The handles of garden tools will inevitably break with use — usually where the shaft enters the metal sleeve. There's no need to get rid of your favourite fork or spade, as replacing with a new handle is simple.

Time needed to replace a handle: 30 minutes.

Tools needed: replacement shaft and handle, centre punch, vise, stout screw, screwdriver, hammer, wooden block, electric drill and wood bit, self-locking nut and bolt, and a spanner.

1. Buy a replacement handle that matches the length and diameter of the broken one as closely as possible. They are available online or from garden centres.
2. Using a centre punch, or a nail if you don't have one, hammer out the rivet holding the remaining piece of the shaft in the metal sleeve.
3. The old shaft will most likely be firmly wedged in the sleeve. To remove it, drive a stout screw deep into the broken shaft. Grip the screw head tightly in a vise, then hold a wooden block against the shoulder of the fork. Using a hammer, strike the wood. The shaft should come away from the sleeve, still attached to the screw.
4. Use the hammer to drive the new shaft hard into the metal sleeve — there should be no play between the shaft and the metal. You may need to shave the shaft with a knife to ensure a good fit.
5. Fit your electric drill with a bit just wider than the retaining bolt you have purchased. Drill through the old rivet hole. Insert the bolt and tighten the nut with a wrench to secure the new handle.