Tool care 14th March 2025 workshop

 After all the orchard winter pruning, it was time to turn our attention to the tools we use  and their condition. Some of the secateurs and loppers we brought along were rather rusty and not as sharp as needed for a clean cut when pruning our orchard trees.

Gavin from The Orchard Project agreed to lead a workshop on tool maintenance. This took place on 14th March at the croquet club room. The ten people who attended were a mix of orchard volunteers from Mayow and other Lewisham orchards along with croquet club members, all keen to improve our tool care skills.

Gavin talked about the equipment  for cleaning and sharpening. He showed us how to take apart secateurs in a systematic way so that it can be put back together correctly. He showed us some of the many types of tool cleaning and oiling resources available commercially, some of which are more nature friendly than others. We learned about a lanolin-based oil which is made from sheep's wool and is more benign to plants. Most of us had previously heard of, or used, WD40.  But, looking at the ingredient list, we understood that it contains chemicals we should avoid in an organically-managed orchard. 

We were keen to practice our newly-learned skills though not everyone could stay for that.

Chatting at the end of the session and afterwards, we unanimously agreed it had been a very helpful session. We went home with lists of items to buy to get our tools back to their best.