Although it still feels like summer, fall is upon us, and that means winter is just around the corner. While the changes coming will vary widely based on where you live, it’s always wise to prepare your tools and equipment for the change of seasons. So, we wanted to gently remind you that there are items to prepare for cold weather beyond your house and cars, and we have a few tips, using abrasives of course, that can help you do just that.

Most of us not be mowing lawns much longer. In addition to draining all the fuel from the tank, you should clean all the old grass from under the mower and take a few minutes to maintain the blade. The cutting edge should be scraped and cleaned and probably has a few nicks that need to be buffed out. The flap sander we made in a previous blog post uses cloth shop rolls in whatever grit you need for cleaning and sharpening the blade. Any deeper nicks can be removed quickly with a mill file. The beveled edge can be filed to remove burrs, but most of the sharpening should be done by flattening the back of the blade to restore the edge.

Smaller hand-held tools like sheers and clippers also benefit from some attention before being stored. Non-woven abrasive pads are excellent for cleaning pitch and rust from these blades without damaging the edges. They come in green (coarse), maroon (medium), grey (fine), or white (non-abrasive) so you can choose the right abrasive for your needs. After cleaning and reassembling your clippers, be sure to wipe them down with a light coat of oil to keep them shining until spring.

Winter grilling is a thing, so our grills do not get put away, but cleaning and maintaining your grill while the weather is still mild makes sense. On many grills, the racks that you cook on are ceramic coated to prevent rust and you do not want to damage that coating. Non-woven abrasive pads can be used to remove the burned-on debris without damaging the coating. The heavy buildup on the back of the rack can be cleaned with the green or maroon pads, and the tops with the grey or white pads.

Shovels and hoes work best with a sharp edge, but they dull quickly in use. A belt sander equipped with a 100 or 120 grit belt can restore the edge quickly and easily. Sharpen the bevel on the face and use the sander to just flatten the back to get the right working edge. Note also that there is no attempt to remove the light surface rust on this shovel head. If you polished the blade, it would only immediately rust again, and light layer of rust actually protects the blade. Any deep rust or pitting should be removed, but this tool does not need that.

There are hundreds of little things needed to be done around the house and shop to get ready for cold weather. We hope we've reminded you of a few you may have forgotten, and have given you some inspiration on how sanding and abrasive supplies can help you get ready.