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Hedge Shears |
Hedge Shears are sharpened according to the angles shown below.
Honing is not recommended for these as it will make the gardening activities harder: as with kitchen scissors, coarseness in the edge helps to ensure the piece being cut does not slide out. Stop after the sharpening step (but with a high grit level - 1,000 or so).
When sharpening hedge shears, it is recommended to use the vertical position with the grindstone rotating towards the blade. (If you use the horizontal position, the grindstone will pull the hedge shears away from the jig.)
Be sure to remove all caked-on dirt. A wire brush or putty knife can be useful for this. A well-kept tool will last your lifetime, and will still be usable by your children (and maybe your grandkids).
Sap can be removed using a solvent. Acetone works well, but be sure to wear protective clothing as this is not kind to your body, and be sure the area is well ventilated.
After using any solvent, be sure to apply a thin coat of camellia oil to the tool. I like the spray bottle of camellia oil sold by Tools for Working Wood.
Some advocate using boiled linseed oil (BLO), but BLO often has heavy metals or other bad chemicals added for drying agents, and these are not good for you to handle, nor would they be good for the plants on which you'll use this tool.
If the tool was exposed to any diseased plants or soil which is infected with pests, give it a quick wash in diluted bleach (1 part bleach to 8 parts water), and then rinse with plain water. Be sure to dry afterwards, and apply a thin coat of camellia oil.
Hedge Shears often get stored for a while after sharpening, so it is recomended to oil the sharpened surface with camellia oil. (Indeed, all unpainted surfaces would benefit from this.)
Another option is petroleum jelly.
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