Those sand boxes for tools

smiler127, Nov 22, 6:55pm
Haven't a clue of the proper name but I want to fill a container with sand to stand my tools in. Does the sand need oil adding to it to oil the tools? Can this stand out in all weathers or does it have to be undercover (container will have drainage)? Thanks!

skin1235, Nov 22, 7:09pm
no idea either, but consider sawdust rather than sand, and in the shed not outside, the handles last longer, no leeching when raining etc
definitely needs oil, can use used engine oil but there is a potential to contaminate your garden on the first dig, perhaps a vegetable oil, or well used cooking oil from the deep fryer

sparkyz, Nov 22, 11:13pm
My first job after leaving school was in the gardens of a hospital. They had a big wooden tea chest filled with oiled sawdust. At the end of the day we cleaned all the tools we had used and plunged them into the sawdust before putting them away. This put a thin oil film on them and prevented rusting etc.
Worked very well.

Tools left outside will rust or rot. Not a good idea.

smiler127, Nov 23, 12:27am
That's the kind of thing, thank you. I can get sawdust too from the farm shop.

Should I add enough oil to make it clumpy or just a few mls?

acrobat, Jul 22, 7:07pm
Oh, garden implements, like spades and forks etc?
When you said "tools" I was thinking drills and hammers, no way would you want to put them in sand!