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Tools of the Trade

And Making a Prod That Works

Tools of the trade.

Here is a list of some of the tools that you may wish to use...

1. Small plastic garden tools are available in Canadian Tire or Home Hardware in sets. If memory serves they are only about $2 per tool for a set of 3 in Canadian Tire. Plastic is a must for working around the stones in order not to scratch them.

2. Knives. One member mentioned to us that she has used a sharp knife to cut soil around stones. Since these are metal you would want to avoid any contact with the stones if possible to avoid scratching them but this indeed sounds like a great method. I would think that a bread knife in particular would be a great tool. She also mentioned using a plastic painter's guide available very inexpensively to shield the stone from the knife to avoid scratching and damage to the stones.

3. Shovels. A straight mouth spade will work great if you have one. They are easy to find in stores. You do not need an expensive one. Other shovels will work but are not as easy to use and it is very MUCH easier to cause damage to stones with other types. I would suggest that a straight mouth space and plastic garden tools are the only things that you might want to consider purchasing for this project.

4. Prod replacements. You can use a large screwdriver for instance to stick in the ground. Not as easy, but it does work and you do not have to purchase a prod this way. You probably have one at home for free. Even a broken one will work great.

5. Broom, soft brush, and water pail. A broom or small "whisk broom" can come in very handy to clean gravel or dirt off of stones. A water pail and a soft brush can also be useful to wash off stones and clean them up, etc.

6. Prods. I suggest that you do NOT purchase tile prods from stores. The reason is that they will probably cost you as much as $65 or more. And, they do not work well. Note the instructions here on making your own prod. It is much less expensive. And it will work MUCH better!

Please remember that once soil becomes very dry prods become difficult to use. We all have to use other means until it rains again. If it gets too dry, it can actually stall all of our work almost completely due to hard soil, etc.

7. Wheel Barrow. You may wish to have a wheel barrow if you wish to work alone a good deal. However, this is certainly NOT a necessity. We also realize that these are not easy for some folks to use. They are not easy to carry to the site. And they do cost money. Not everyone needs a wheel barrow to take part in these projects.

8. Leverage tools. Unless you get very highly involved in the project you will not need any of these. Extended experience will show you what might be useful to you if you do decide that you would like to use such. Those more involved with the project will likely provide these.

9. Wooden levers. You may find you would like to make some wooden levers for lifting, but I would certainly not advise you get such til you find if you need them. Again you will not unless you are very much involved with the project.

10. Use of Limestone Mortar requires use of special dental type tools. Please see section on "Pegging Stones" to see information on them.

How to make a proper prod.

If you are a member of our Chatham Kent group, please contact John Skakel. I can get prods made that work great and are VERY inexpensive.

I cannot stress enough that you should try to have a proper prod made rather than purchasing one. They will work much better. Any welding shop will be able to make one for you. Many hobby shops with a welder could as well. If you do not know of such a place near you I suggest you go to a hardware and ask them where they could be found. We use two different sizes.

The most common one is made as follows.

1. Cut a piece of 7/16 inch rod about 40 inches in length. Point one end. Cut a handle for the prod from 1 1/4 inch hollow pipe about 8 inches long. Weld the 40 inch piece to the 8 inch handle to form an upper case "T" shape. Again the bottom end should be pointed. Just above the point where the rod only just becomes 1 1/4 inches across, use the welder to make a knob of metal. The purpose of this knob is to shove the soil away, thus preventing friction all of the way up the hole that is caused by inserting the rod into the soil. The most important two points here are the pointed end, with the round knob only just above the point. This type of prod is great for prodding straight down and finding larger stones lying flat under the ground, etc. This is the first prod you should purchase. It is also great for finding the edges of stones, allowing you to put your shovel closer to them without making physical contact.
2. The second type of prod uses a shaft that is around 50 inches long with a handle about 20 inches across. Otherwise you construct them EXACTLY the same as those above. The longer length of this prod allows you to prod deeper if you wish, but what this is really used for is to prod on an angle to find the smaller stones. Use it to prod in at an angle of about 45 degrees looking for stones with a relatively large up down face, but with a small surface facing upward. The small surface facing upward means that they will be VERY hard to locate by prodding straight down with the prod above.
3. You will find the long prod very cumbersome to use for straight down prodding work. Almost impossible. Similarly the short prod will be too short to allow angle prodding with ease.
4. 3/8 inch rod can also be used. However, it does bend easier although in some cases can go in easier. It is personal preference which one you use. I like the fact that the larger rod is harder to bend.

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