I stopped using metal trowels after a dig in Cornwall last summer

I used to think metal trowels were the only way to go for fine work, but after hitting a buried sherd wrong and chipping it, I switched to a good quality nylon one for the delicate bits. Has anyone else found plastic or resin tools better for fragile finds?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorlewis18d ago

Oh man, I feel that so hard. It's awful when you're mid-dig and you chip something good like that, makes you want to just pack it all in for the day. I made the switch to resin trowels about two years ago for my test pits, and honestly I've never looked back when it comes to the actual delicate scraping. I still keep a metal one in the kit for when I need to chop through tough clay or roots, but for any kind of fine work around pottery or bone I won't touch metal anymore. The resin just gives you that bit more control and doesn't leave those nasty scratch marks on the finds either.

ellis.susan18d ago

taylorlewis you nailed it with that 'makes you want to just pack it all in for the day' line. Same thing happened to me on a site in Norfolk a couple years back, dug up a nice bit of Roman pot and dragged a metal trowel right across the surface. Left a scratch that wouldn't come out, ruined the whole piece for the records. I switched to a resin trowel after that and it's night and day for the fragile stuff. Still keep a metal one in the bag for cutting through stubborn soil, but for anything around pottery or bone I won't even reach for it anymore. That control with the resin is just better, no question.