Warning: My dig trowel snapped mid-excavation at a Roman site in Colchester last Tuesday

I was scraping away compacted soil around a potential posthole when the handle just gave way after 4 years of use. Had to finish the layer with a paintbrush and a jam jar lid while my backup trowel was back at the van. Has anyone else had their go-to tool fail at the worst possible time?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarah_mason29d ago

Real talk, is a broken trowel really that deep though? Like yeah it sucks in the moment but you made do with a paintbrush and a jam jar lid, which honestly sounds kind of hilarious. I've borrowed a neighbor's rusty spade to finish up a day of digging and it was fine. Lost an old friend feels like a bit much for a piece of metal you bought for like fifteen quid. Maybe just buy two next time so you're not having to scrape with a butter knife like some kind of medieval peasant.

victorhill19d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, you're not wrong but also you're kind of missing the point. I once spent a whole afternoon digging with a bent kitchen fork because my trowel broke on a rock and I was too stubborn to walk back to the car. Ended up looking like a raccoon trying to open a garbage can. But that feelings thing, I get it. That trowel had been with me through three seasons of fieldwork, it had the perfect worn-in handle and that satisfying clink when you hit good soil. It wasn't just a fifteen quid tool, it was my main squeeze. Now I've got a backup trowel in my bag at all times because I learned my lesson the hard way.

angela68729d ago

Oh man, that's rough. Ngl I snapped my favorite digging knife clean in half last summer while trying to pry out a stubborn root at a medieval site. I felt like I'd lost an old friend honestly. Ended up having to use a rusty butter knife from the site hut for the rest of the day, which was humiliating. Tbh I still get a little bitter thinking about it.