Gransfors Bruks handle

raindog101

raindog101

Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
3,130
Hey guys, new to this forum and wanted to ask all you experts an axe question. Just picked up a GB Small Forest Axe, and was wondering if you folks that have a GB do anything special to condition the handle, or do you like it as is? I was thinking about sanding it down, and putting a few more coats of linseed oil on it. I guess they put one coat on at the factory, then coat it with beeswax, if I read the Axe Book right. Any other axe tips would be welcome. I've only ever owned a Fiskars X7, and a big ol' Craftsman splitting maul from Sears.
 
There is an old saying. Blo for once a day for a week. Once a week for a month. Once a month for a year. Once a year for life. I think that's it lol. But seriously, maybe a light sanding if you want it to receive the blo better and make sure any wax is off
 
I've added some BLO right over the existing finish and it still seemed to absorb some. Try that first, and if it sits on the surface, then maybe sand a little. The eye portion of the handle did take some BLO decently too.
 
Beauty. I had the same question. :thumbup:

That's what my plan was with my GB SFA but I've been so busy using mine! Ha.
 
I have Gransfors, Wetterlings and Husqvarna in wood handles. I am too lazy or disinterested to go through all the sanding etc. I just slather the stuff on and they all suck it up eventually. My small forest and Wetterlings hatchet have taken a deep golden hue on the wood. My Scandinavian forest has taken on a 50\50 absorption so far which is good enough. Everyone of them was given a slather and left to sit for 24 hours or longer. I did this a couple of times with them all when new. A generous wet wiping once a year for a couple of hours soak, then a wipe off, is more than enough for me these days.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I've been doing a bit of web research, and the recommendations seem to run the gamut from more simplistic (rubbing on some BLO) to the seriously involved, like this fellow:
http://thewoodslife.com/?p=1676
He goes all out, throwing in tung oil, BLO and kerosene, raw linseed oil, beeswax, you name it. Seems like it would certainly do the job, but it also looks like a helluva lot of work. I worry a bit because I'm in a pretty arid part of the country (high desert of Colorado), and have had wood knife handles shrink on me before. I think that would be a bad thing were it to happen with an axe. So I'm probably going to spend a little more time and effort to keep this issue at bay. Just not to the extent that the dude in the above link went to.
 
I like to put the axe head upside down into a couple of inches of BLO to swell the haft right into the eye. Two or three good applications of BLO and then a few applications of beeswax. Being a wood lover, I like to do a thorough job of sanding the handle to bring out the grain, which the linseed oil accentuates. I wouldn't bother with the sanding for a working axe - waste of time and might make the handle slick. Some people, I hear, mix BLO with Swedish oil to thin it up so that it soaks in more easily - likely for a darker colour as well, but I would love to hear more about that.
 
I've had a small forest axe for 5 years or so. Whatever they put on the handle at the factory has lasted no problem. I keep it indoors mostly though.
 
That's the beauty of it. No matter what you do, it's likely better than nothing, and even nothing is ok if that's what you want!
 
raindog101 said:
Anyone do anything in particular to seal the end grain at head and butt?
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Hafts are treated with oils (and even 'pretty' coatings of shellac or varnish if appearance is what you're looking for) so as to prevent them from prematurely weathering or drying out. I am not a purist and use whatever is on hand whether it be teak & tung furniture oil or ordinary motor oil. End grain is particularly susceptible to drying out (leaving you with a loose head, or a cracked butt) so every now and again I clamp my user axes upright and drip oil on the ends over and over for a day or two until such time that non-drying oils no longer soak in.
 
I was thinking of making my own sealant, consisting of equal parts BLO, turpentine, and spar urethane. I think I read that on a woodworking website somewhere.
 
You could just use some beeswax. It seems like if you seal it too well with varnish or poly, you won't be able to get any oil back in when it will eventually need it.
 
SC T100 said:
You could just use some beeswax. It seems like if you seal it too well with varnish or poly, you won't be able to get any oil back in when it will eventually need it.
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Indeed! A material that sets or dries will slow down wood drying/shrinkage but not stop it from happening. If you're gonna varnish the haft make sure to leave the end grain (head end for sure) open for routine application of oils (or waxes, I suppose). The beauty of oils is they physically soak in, waxes are coatings/sealants
 
Very easy to make a paste wax with any oil and beeswax. Great all over and the end grains, too.
 
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