Two ways to clean a trowel at the end of the day, and the slow way won for me | Archaeology Discoveries

Wesley Walker · 2026-10-28T06:30:03.905261+00:00

I have been helping out on a small dig down in Tucson since April, mostly grunt work, and I got into a dumb argument with a volunteer about how to clean trowels before packing up. He scrapes the mud off dry right away with a putty knife, while I have always soaked mine in a bucket of water for ten minutes and then wiped it down. I figured soaking was gentler on the steel, but after three weeks of watching both methods, I have to admit his way is better. Wet mud gets into the rivet and the seam where the blade meets the handle, and soaking just pushes grit deeper in there. Dry scraping leaves the surface clean and I can see any nicks right away. My trowel started wobbling at the handle last Friday and I am pretty sure the bucket is to blame. So now I scrape dry and wipe with a rag dipped in a little oil, and the wobble is gone. Have any of you worked with someone who had a strong opinion on tool care that turned out to be correct?

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Two ways to clean a trowel at the end of the day, and the slow way won for me | Archaeology Discoveries - Babble Community