Anyone use antifreeze to tighten up axe heads?

[Double Ott]

Anyone use antifreeze to tighten up axe heads?

I have a collection of crosscut saws. Most are wall hangers, but I have a few nice users. I was over at the crosscut sawyer forum and read with interest about a fellow that was using antifreeze to tighten up wood handle for crosscut saws. Several members jumped in and confirmed that they had done this with success.

There was a concern about your hands coming i contact with it but that was pretty much dispelled.

I asked if anyone had tried using this for tightening up axe handles. The answer yes, that they had done it and it had worked well.

He suggested two ways of doing it. First dry the handle out inside for a week or two. Then just put small amounts of it in the eye of the axe, several times a day for a week or so. Or, just soak the top of the head in a shallow pan with antifreeze in it.

The soaking method sounded easiest to me. I haven't tried it and was wondering if anyone here had.

Loose axe heads seem to be a current and ongoing topic here.

Regards, Tom

 

[Square_peg]

Never tried it but it's believable. Anti-freeze is ethylene glycol. Swel-Lock is dipropylene glycol. Different solvent but similar compounds. Of the two I'd rather handle DPG - it's the base for many perfumes and it's completely harmless.

 

[Steve Tall]

The MSDS for auto antifreezes says to minimize skin contact, while dipropylene glycol is used in products for skin and hair care. I haven't tried either yet, but I'd go with dipropylene glycol (generic swel-lock) before I tried antifreeze on items I handle (like axe handles).

 

[fast14riot]

The best option would be a product called Noburst HD®, all ingredients are GRAS by the FDA and the active ingedient is monopropylene glycol.


-Xander

 

[Square_peg]

Do you know if it swells wood?

 

[fast14riot]

Don't know first hand about that exact product, but I used hundreds of gallons of fresh water system anitfreeze (RV antifreeze at Home Depot and such stores ~$5/gal) in foreclosed homes and it sure does swell wood when you spill it and don't clean it up! Safe for potable water systems.


-Xander

 

[the4th]

Propylene Glycol antifreeze works great. I steer clear of Ethylene Glycol for anything but a vehicle radiator.

 

[Operator1975]

Antifreeze? Really?

 

[M3mphis]

Just make damn sure you use GM OEM approved Dex-Cool. Chevy guys will get that.

 

[CedarEater]

This probably goes without saying but I am going to say it anyway as a friendly reminder. If you go the soaking the head in anitfreeze route be sure to keep the bath of antifreeze out of reach of your pets and small children. Anitfreeze is sweet to the taste. Dogs do love to drink it up and then they DIE. I am not sure if other pets or small children will drink it but I know dogs will.

 

[Double Ott]

This probably goes without saying but I am going to say it anyway as a friendly reminder. If you go the soaking the head in anitfreeze route be sure to keep the bath of antifreeze out of reach of your pets and small children. Anitfreeze is sweet to the taste. Dogs do love to drink it up and then they DIE. I am not sure if other pets or small children will drink it but I know dogs will.

CE THANK YOU for that reminder. I should have mentioned it. We have dogs around and I would have put any antifreeze up high out reach for them. But I'm sure that not everyone was aware of this. How sad an accident like this could be.

Thanks again, Tom

 

[trailtime]

I've used Swel-lock with marginal success, but lately I've been leaving a bit of the handle 1/8"-1/4" sticking up above the head and wedging it wide to expand beyond the eye. That works better for me. I also have a hard swing and use my axes to under buck, a technique that puts cross tension on the head.

 

[Square_peg]

Have you had any issues with underbucking work loosening your axe heads?

 

[the4th]

This probably goes without saying but I am going to say it anyway as a friendly reminder. If you go the soaking the head in anitfreeze route be sure to keep the bath of antifreeze out of reach of your pets and small children. Anitfreeze is sweet to the taste. Dogs do love to drink it up and then they DIE. I am not sure if other pets or small children will drink it but I know dogs will.

That's why I use propylene glycols instead of ethylene varieties. Propylene glycols are GRAS by the FDA (hey, we can trust the gov't, right?) and used in foods, drinks, and even tobaccos.

 

[biglapdog]

Just make damn sure you use GM OEM approved Dex-Cool. Chevy guys will get that.

maybe they should be using Dexron II or Dexron III. I'm sure that's safer....safish.... not really

the funniest part is where you spelled out that the Chevy guys would get it. ha ha.

 

[M3mphis]

maybe they should be using Dexron II or Dexron III. I'm sure that's safer....safish.... not really

the funniest part is where you spelled out that the Chevy guys would get it. ha ha.

Don't get me all confused, Dude. Not too long ago I had to buy Auto-Trak II for like $15 a quart or something stupid - only available from the stealership (at least locally). You know what makes Auto-Trak II better than ATF? It's blue.