How to darken handle

[Grasshopperglock]

Look up, 'lamp black' The carbon off a candle.

You can mix that in linseed. Along with every other color of oil paint sold at Hobby Lobby.

That's how you tint linseed. Oil painting, paint.

 

[Choctaw Dan]

There is this stuff called wood stain.

And there is this thing called 'using whatcha got on hand.' That's what I did and, luckily for me, it worked.

I freely admit that going to the store and spending money to get the exact-perfect effect/color is also an effective method.

 

[SwedeFP]

Is there a difference do you think in applying raw linseed oil as opposed to boiled linseed oil?

Here is a TrueTemper FSS pulaski handle just raw linseed oil.


Pulaski raw linseed oil handle

https://imgur.com/a/7JjnhGq

 

[farmboy]

I torch 'em, sand down the obvious loose soot down to hard burned lumber, and finish them off with machinist goop, a concoction of 1/3 boiled linseed oil, 1/3 turpentine, and 1/3 natural bees wax, heated and mixed. It gives my a good, deep finish with a dark aged look.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BZQEickS57u3rhNi6

 

[CVamberbonehead]

Keep applying linseed oil or... just go get some wood stain in the exact color you want. Lol
That would be easy, cheap, and give you the best results.

 

[flexo]

apply used vinegar after de-rusting it's dark and stains well fades a bit with aging

 

[Grasshopperglock]

Mixed some wood sealer today.

2 parts mineral spirits, 1 part boiled linseed, and a half part white petroleum wax.

The mineral spirits and linseed get mixed first in a small glass jar. Then it's warmed up in some hot water.

The wax is heated up in something else. Poured in the mixture. Stirred up. It's ready to go.

Apply, let soak for 15minutes. Rub it down with paper towels.

........


*I've read about people also using beeswax or the toilet wax rings from Lowe's. But white wax does fine.

 

[NWFRS]

I like to sand all the finish off the handles and thin them down if they need it. I rub them down with lump hickory charcoal dust, together with isopropyl alcohol to get it down in the pores. I’ll repeat those steps several times, then begin burning with a pencil torch in stages, so as not to get the wood too hot. I repeat this until I’m satisfied with the level of dark. Then I begin rubbing them down with a mix of BLO and beeswax while they’re still warm. I do the same thing on refurbished/rehung axes, but here are a few Swedish axes that I bought new and kept for myself to use when trees fall on our property. Don’t think there’s any benefit. I just like the appearance.

 

[rlewpolar]

I like to sand all the finish off the handles and thin them down if they need it. I rub them down with lump hickory charcoal dust, together with isopropyl alcohol to get it down in the pores. I’ll repeat those steps several times, then begin burning with a pencil torch in stages, so as not to get the wood too hot. I repeat this until I’m satisfied with the level of dark. Then I begin rubbing them down with a mix of BLO and beeswax while they’re still warm. I do the same thing on refurbished/rehung axes, but here are a few Swedish axes that I bought new and kept for myself to use when trees fall on our property. Don’t think there’s any benefit. I just like the appearance.

View attachment 2509837

Beautiful!!

 

[droppoint1]

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[FLINT77]

For a while I was mixing 1:1:1 ratio of raw tung oil, citrus solvent, and pine tar. a couple coats of that darkened the wood up pretty good, but took forever to dry/cure.

the last time I ordered tung oil from real milk paint, I got their 'dark half' oil which has something added to make it darker - but the resuling color isn't as deep or rich as what I was getting by adding pine tar.