The “fix it" generation

My daughter, who is 40, says my generation, (I’m 73), is the "fix it" generation.

She says her generation, and her kids, would simply throw away whatever was broken and replace it with a new one.

However, she is right. If I can fix it, I will. And incidentally, I now have time to …

I hate the idea of wasting a perfectly good product just because it does not work any more!

So, the other day when the plastic handle on my trusty old garden hand trowel broke, I decided I could make a better one out of wood.

I found an old seasoned piece of Tea Tree, left over from my making walking sticks days, and cut a piece to size.

I made several saw cuts across one end then chiseled out a nice flat area. I got the blade of the trowel and flattened out the curved section with a hammer then drilled a couple of holes in it.

I then drilled the Tea Tree and bolted the blade to it. Simple enough. I bound the top of the handle with some nylon cord, secured it with a couple of tacks, then covered the binding in Aquadere, a clear wood adhesive. This helps keep the binding together and seals it.

I drilled another hole in the handle and threaded through some fine leather binding I had in order to be able to hang my new trowel up.

I hung it on the outdoor clothes- line and sprayed the top of the handle and the blade a gloss black and gave it two coats for good measure. 

Then I lacquered the whole handle, over the binding and all, to further seal the deal and hopefully inhibit any weather destroying my handiwork. 

Sounds a lengthy process, but really all done over a few hours.

So now I have a very distinctive, unique & practical garden trowel that should give me plenty more years of good service! 

Like my Mum said, “waste not, want not!”