My trowel snapped on a dig site and I had to improvise

It happened yesterday at the Carter's Ridge site, right when I was carefully working on a clay layer. The steel blade just sheared off clean at the handle. I was stuck for a solid hour because the supply truck wasn't due until the next morning. Ended up using a stiff plastic putty knife from my tool bag to keep going, which actually worked okay for the softer sediment. Has anyone else had a critical tool fail in the field and what did you use to finish the day?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorcarr3mo ago

A putty knife? That's some real caveman tech.

wade5583mo ago

My grandpa was a painter for 40 years and his putty knife collection was serious. He had a thin one for windows and a wide one for drywall. It's not just for globbing stuff on, the right angle gets a perfect smooth patch. Calling it caveman tech misses how much skill goes into using the right tool.

joelsanchez2mo ago

My buddy Marcus had his shovel handle crack right in half last summer at the Hoffman dig. He ended up using a flat rock and a trowel tip to scrape through the rest of the afternoon. We still give him a hard time about looking like a caveman doing it.