Oil it.

tj

@tsugajunkie what kind of oil should I use? Saturated? Polyunsaturated? How often do I need to reapply that?

I use regular motor oil anytime sap or dirt builds up. A couple of drops along the blade and wiped with a rag or paper towel and it cleans up quite nice.

tj

@tsugajunkie I wonder if something simple like mineral oil would work? That is food safe and is used to condition wood blocks.

Clean and oil your shears or pruners after every use. Because some plants can be very sappy or gooey, I spray the blades with WD40 and use some steel wool to burnish off any gunk and to address any rust.

You can even use cooking spray if you want. Just some sort of light oil.

By the way, if anyone knows of a good holster that can handle blades this long, please let me know what I can buy

@krnuttle Butcher block conditioner might work well there, since that is a combination of mineral oil and wax.

By the way, a secret I learned for cleaning cast iron to make it look like new is sprinkle on salt and then oil, and abrade the salt with the oil spread across the surface. All the impurities come right out. Cast iron loves that treatment. You can then wipe off excess oil, and leave it to dry on its own.

“By the way, if anyone knows of a good holster that can handle blades this long, please let me know what I can buy”

My grandfather kept his shears in an oil-soaked, thick, woolly sock😊