Natural Patina

I work around a lot of talented folks that spend a lot of time and energy on fits and finishes. A lot of people search for the perfect patina for an object, and work for hours to get it just right. I appreciate it, enjoy the result, but am not so interested in doing it myself. I am beginning to understand and make peace with the fact that I'm not so much a craftsperson. But I do mightily enjoy making stuff.

So i was working on the ditches today and I noticed the handle on this potato rake has a perfect patina: rich, warm, deep and smooth. As I was sitting the shade (yes, this implies that we had SUN today) I was admiring it, and it occurred to me that this particular patina was old school applied: untold hours of hand labor in tobacco fields under the hot sun, and later in life, tending the huge garden i grew up with. I can assure you this handle never saw anything but use- not a drop of oil, finish, or varnish. So this is a patina gained from 50+ years of near daily use on the farm. My dad was the primary "artist" that applied it, I remember my turns at it, and I'm pretty sure my mom had a hand (so to speak) in it too.

I got this from them last fall, and apparently I'll maintain the patina for a few more years. Right now I'm thinking this would look mighty fine hanging on the wall. Maybe I'll retire it one day.