Antique Gardening Tools
These amazing garden tools also tend to look like medieval torture devices, or at best, 18th century medical instruments. I stumbled across one pictures of a brass syringe and needle used for injecting deadly chemicals into the roots of a weed - the sort of thing that you would expect to show up in a Shakespearean plot to murder Hamlet's father via root vegetable poisoning.
Craftsmanship
Gardening tools used to be made by craftspeople and artisans. Most antique gardening tools are made of iron, brass, or steel with hardwood handles. They were built with attention to quality and longevity.
Today, machine-made plastic and stainless steel tools are standard, and so many of the cheap ones lose their handles or break before I've had them one season - and I don't recommend those brands to my readers.
But I have no hesitation in recommending that if you have an old pair of blacksmith-made secateurs that you care for them, get them repaired and use them - because they were made to be used and will probably outlast the ones you bought at the local superstore.
Blacksmiths do still exist despite their traditional association with heritage communities. Often you'll find them in farming communities (there's one on my island), and they should be able to do quality tool care for you.
Appraisal and Museums
If you are lucky enough to own a collection of antique gardening tools passed down through your family, (I have a few from my grandfather) or you like to collect interesting looking tools at yard sales and flea markets, you might consider getting them appraised (take them into an auctioneer and ask if they're worth selling). You may not sell them (especially if you're using them) but it's good to know when you've got something valuable on your hands. You also might discover something that is valuable that you thought was junk.
There are gardening museums around the world (a charming one in London, England if you ever have the chance to visit) that will happily take your donations and answer your questions.
This kind of "gardenalia" helps to enrich our understanding of the way people have gardened over the centuries, and I think it's fun to see how gardening tools haven't really changed. They were making corkscrew-like tools for dandelion removal hundreds of years ago and dandelion removal continues to inspire strange devices today.
I fell in love with some of these old tools when I read about them in my old-book collection (and I confess I own some but rarely use them - they sit in the garden tool shed for that "special" day).
Tool Maintenance
An older suggestion from old books to help prevent rust is to stick your gardening tools in a bucket with sand and oil. The sand is meant to clean tools and keep them dry, and the oil is meant to prevent rusting. I do recommend that if you have good quality antique gardening tools, especially ones that might be made of brass or iron, that you do observe proper care rituals to keep them functioning well. This might just mean wiping them down and storing them somewhere with proper ventilation so they stay dry, keeping them well oiled and sharpening them with proper tools.
A shot of WD-40 works very well on this or just wiping down the tool every month with a rag in vegetable oil.
Finding Treasure
There are tons of website dedicated to selling and showcasing these wonderful gardening accessories, so I doubt anyone would have trouble finding these venues. I've noticed over the years that antique gardening tools are everywhere at country flea markets, antique stores in small towns, and often in markets around the world.
Treasures abound, so keep your eyes peeled wherever you go.
Click here to ask about antique gardening tools
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