Gransfors bruks handle treatment..Deep rich color?

[SC T100]

Yeah, ^ this may also be the case. I think mine may be.

 

[olybears57]

I was under the impression that the heartwood (desirable) was the white wood, and the reddish brown wood (less desirable) is the sapwood?

 

[Twoinch]

heartwood is the center of the tree, also graded as "red hickory" by the industry. white hickory is the sapwood, which has traditionally been more desirable for handle making. i tend to go for sapwood handles, but have used both and have never had a failure of red heartwood.

 

[Twoinch]

the handle in the OP is most likely heartwood hickory.

if you would like to color your handles, i would suggest using one of the many colored variations of "danish oil" instead of staining then oiling over top.

 

[newsasquatch]

So does danish oil "set" likr BLO?

 

[300Six]

heartwood is the center of the tree, also graded as "red hickory" by the industry. white hickory is the sapwood, which has traditionally been more desirable for handle making. i tend to go for sapwood handles, but have used both and have never had a failure of red heartwood.

Right you are. Sapwood is usually light coloured and heartwood is often dark due to accumulated minerals. Nothing wrong with either strength-wise but ordinary folks tend to avoid dark or bi-colour handles. If colour is something you really want (other than that aged varnish golden colour look) than poke around in Lee Valley Tools catalogue; they market 'vivid-colour' water-based aniline stains that can really make a handle stand out from the crowd.

 

[Twoinch]

So does danish oil "set" likr BLO?

yes, it actually sets up a tad "harder" than straight BLO, which is why it is considered more weather resistant. you can actually build up a finish with danish oil if used in a certain manner. but when soaked and wiped off, you would be hard pressed to notice a difference between the two, especially if you use natural/non-colored danish oil

you can get it in very small half pint containers i believe, for a few bucks, i suggest anyone that likes the darker grain/lighter wood or weathered look to handles, to give it a try.

 

[newsasquatch]

Thanks for yhe advice!

 

[newsasquatch]

I was creepin on John Neeman tools facebook page, and I saw him putting trewax on an american felling axe. It's a colored wax that hardens unlike straight beeswax. I think thats what they use to give their axes the nice brown color.

 

[300Six]

Perhaps we should step back. If colour of wood is what defines a good axe from a bad one then something is wrong with this picture. Get a chunk of Black Walnut or Black Cherry, entirely disregard advice on orientation of grain, and go to town with shaping it to fit. Guaranteed it'll look like a million bucks!

 

[newsasquatch]

Colour definitely does not define a good axe but I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to play with coloring the handle. Just a fun thing to do.
BTW, I ended up buying some aniline dye, and so far it's looking very cool.

 

[The cow]

I didn't like that light wood. So I'm taking up some space in my bathroom and putting a stain followed by some tung oil in a day or two.

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[newsasquatch]

@ The Cow, I really like your stain job! I just finished my axe handle and hung it. I used Cherry Rosewood aniline dye over a dark brown leather antique gel. I had to use the brown antique gel because I realized that the cherry rosewood is pink when applied on hickory.

Here you can really see that deep rich color, while still being able to see wood grain.

 

[newsasquatch]

Here's some more of the handle

 

[Twoinch]

i will admit that those look good.

i personally dont want mine to look like they have been "colored" or stained. i want just enough to add depth and warmth without looking done up.

i will advise anyone rehabbing an old dried out haft, to NOT use colored danish oil. it will soak up like a sponge and cause it to be SUPER dark. i have an old octagonal kelly perfect michigan that i let the ol lady oil up... she chose dark walnut danish oil, and it turned that handle DARK dark. i will post a pic of it, next to a new handle treated with the same exact oil for comparison when i can snap a pic.

 

[Twoinch]

Here's some more of the handle

man, i like that deep red! almost too nice to use it!

 

[newsasquatch]

Thanks! I think it would have looked a bit more natural if I used wood grain filler. You can see the unstained part of the wood grain. That's the only thing that bugs me.

 

[joejeweler]

Aqua fortis BLO then some gunstock wax is how I did this haft.

You've got to keep your axes separated when stored. That one looks about 2nd trimester preggers to me.

 

[newsasquatch]

Lmao!