Proper Tool Maintenance

Redwood Ryan

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Hey Nuts,


I recently bought myself some Kaneshin tools and would like to keep them the high quality they arrived to me in. Take, for example, your concave cutters. When you're done pruning branches, what's the proper protocol when cleaning the tools? Just simple soap and water? Pat dry? Since I work with Ficus, they bleed a white, sticky latex. What's a good way to keep my tools clean even after they get covered in this stuff?

Thanks for any tips!
 
I wipe em off on my shirt after each cut.

Civilized folk may subsitute a rag.

Don't leave em out in the rain.
I dried mine off, but after sitting back with the plastic sheath over em, the got red rusty spots.

Bogus!

Sorce
 
I wash mine with alcohol as well to keep down the chance of transmitting something between trees.

If the tools have dirt on them, I wash them, dry them then use something like 3 in 1 oil on them.
I make sure I oil any pivot points and I use a paper towel rub oil on the tools. I do this even with good stainless steel tools.
If I know I am going to be using them again in a few days, Ill spray with WD40 instead of oil and just leave them in a cardboard flat.
If I am putting them away for any length of time, I use the oil and store them in their canvas tool rolls.
 
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Oil them/ wipe them down with wd-40 on a regular basis, and particularly if they get wet. That, along with using them for their intended function, and you should be good to go for a long time.
 
Cleaning with a piece of dry cloth, using alcohol or water. If I need to remove tougher dirt or stains I use Kaneshin CreanMate, something like an abrasive ruber.
http://kaneshin.shop.multilingualcart.com/goods_en_jpy_144.html
Then I oil them with a drop of camelia oil, pivots, cutting edges... in case of black carbon steel tools I oil simply entire tool.
 
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Clean with Alcohol to sanitize. Allow alcohol to evaporate completely.
Can be paper wiped.

Then roll up in an old thick cloth soaked in baby oil for storage.
If need be you can just wipe them down with baby oil.

If you need to wash, make sure and dry them somewhere hot.
Good Day
Anthony
 
I get sap and gunk off by blasting them with Brake Kleen
or starting fluid. They both take anything off and evaporate fast.
I use transmission fluid to oil moving parts and to coat for storage.
 
I do not use or recommend water on any tools. 91% Isopropyl Alcohol to clean all types. Paper towel and that removes even the worst sap rather easily. After they are dry I just use 3 in 1 oil on the joints of cutters and wipe them down with it. Careful doing the blade edges, haste results in blood.

Grimmy
 
WD-40.
Removes rust, keeps them working smooth, prevents rust accumulation.

Simple cleaning in between trees/ cuts, I just keep alcohol/ disinfectant wipes handy. I am lazy about cleaning mine to be honest... need to get out there and do some cleaning right now as a matter of fact! Might be a good chore while this hurricane drenches us the next day or two...
 
Great tips everyone!

As far as alcohol wipes to look for, are there any specific brands I should buy? Any that are just strictly alcohol wipes?
 
Great tips everyone!

As far as alcohol wipes to look for, are there any specific brands I should buy? Any that are just strictly alcohol wipes?

Doesnt matter.

I use a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball for mine.
 
Great tips everyone!

As far as alcohol wipes to look for, are there any specific brands I should buy? Any that are just strictly alcohol wipes?
Anything that is a disinfectant wipe is generally mostly alcohol. You should use more than just that wipe though. I disinfect first, oil after. This removes all dirt, germs, rust and has some rust prevention quality as well.
 
Below are 2 links on the need for disinfecting and proper cleaning chemicals. Conclusions: unless pruning infected trees it's probably not necessary to disinfect every time. But my take is why risk it, I'm not on the clock pruning commercially. Also, household disinfectants are probably the best bet. I've read elsewhere that alcohol needs a long contact time to kill, longer than a simple wipe achieves and Clorox can damage metal tools. I use Lysol followed by alcohol to dry it off and a 3-1 oil.

https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/cloroxed-clippers.pdf


https://puyallup.wsu.edu/lcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/Pruning.pdf
 
My teacher uses Lysol to clean between trees, to clean sap she uses the sanding blocks used to clean metal, and a good old sharpener. She's had her tools 40years, I do the same things as she does.

Aaron
 
Great tips everyone!

As far as alcohol wipes to look for, are there any specific brands I should buy? Any that are just strictly alcohol wipes?
I use a bottle and a rag mostly, but I keep a bunch of the single wipes in with my tools bag so I always have them. (for club meetings, workshops etc.) You can get them cheap at Pharmacies like CVS or Walgreen's.
 

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Back in the day when doing mass pruning of hundreds we used to
use a 10% Clorox dip between plants right at the bench. Dip; shake;
redhead NEXT!
But now I could not even begin that nonsense. Spray bottle of alcohol
sitting under a bench doesn't take up any room. Hit it between plants
Shake of the tool; Wipe it off and move on. Only problem I have ever
encountered was certain plastic bottles do not hold up long to alcohol.
Big deal. $1 every day all day at any cheap-o-mart. Be certain to finish
with a clean and oil afterwards.
 
I see a lot of people recommending 3 in 1 oil for cleaning tools, and it's supposed to be great at getting the sap off of my tools after pruning ficus. Is there a particular brand I should look for? Do I need to wash the tools after applying it so it doesn't come in contact with the tree? Am I overthinking this?
 
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