Carbon trowels?

kgreigh

kgreigh

Well-Known Member
evening chaps,of late I have been considering purchasing a carbon steel trowel,I have used one a few times but have almost exclusively used ss trowels,are there any tips or advice you can give on which makes and models are worth a shout,looking after them and if you use a smaller or larger carbon than you do with a stainless.thanks kindly.
 
What do you oil then with? (Don't say oil lol)
Not tried to look after one like that since college, used to shake them in sawdust, shake them off and wax them.
 
Carbon steel gets a lot sharper than stainless steel and for that reason it's why people prefer them to finish with :-)

Someone was telling me it'd only the surface that rusts and once it has gone black it won't rust anymore.... can't remember who it was... maybe @nickelarse
 
It was me indeed. Grandad gibbo told me many a year ago. Let the trowel rust a bit. Then using another trowel or a blade scrape the rust off but not back to metal only to the black which is underneath the rust. Give it a clean off and it won rust again
 
nickelarse said:
It was me indeed. Grandad gibbo told me many a year ago. Let the trowel rust a bit. Then using another trowel or a blade scrape the rust off but not back to metal only to the black which is underneath the rust. Give it a clean off and it won rust again
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And is the black nice to leave on and trowel up with?
It's an education is this!
 
I am sure someone said about putting a wet trowel in lime so it sticks and leave overnight. Something to do with cleaning rust off.
 
kgreigh said:
evening chaps,of late I have been considering purchasing a carbon steel trowel,I have used one a few times but have almost exclusively used ss trowels,are there any tips or advice you can give on which makes and models are worth a shout,looking after them and if you use a smaller or larger carbon than you do with a stainless.thanks kindly.
Click to expand...
A thing of beauty is a well worn carbon steel trowel, always dry mine off end of day otherwise they do get dirty (like mine did recently) quick soak in bicarbonate of soda and good as new ;)
 
Danny said:
Carbon steel gets a lot sharper than stainless steel and for that reason it's why people prefer them to finish with :)

Someone was telling me it'd only the surface that rusts and once it has gone black it won't rust anymore.... can't remember who it was... maybe @nickelarse
Click to expand...

I disagree. If you don't use it for a while it will be equivalent to using a rake on topsoil.
 
If using carbon all the time they are fantastic after time when you get a edge to them, but if you use if for some bonding or hardwall will rust if not cleaned and dried properly. All I ever used to use was a 18" carbon was the best trowel I had was like a samari sword for sharpness until the dozey labourer stood a fully loaded hod against a wall and it feel onto my trowel:muyenojado:
 
Yeah the black thing I told u is for the top. Underneath it will still rust cos u need it clean. And the rust will form on the clean bit. Depends how often u use them. I hadn't used mine for about 3 weeks and was fine today. If ur not gonna use it for a while u can wd40 but real men just deal with it!
 
Just blackened one off last night. The black should stop it from oxidising.

Carbon trowels?
 
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