Handle finishing questions

The handle of my 1700 hewing axe got the good pine sap treatment and I like the way it looks but that will really bring up the blisters when working constantly because your hands cannot glide freely and instead build up great friction especially in the heel, so do it for the looks but not better functionality. Tar also causes greater build up of friction and sweat as well and for extended working is not really suitable though for something like a hatchet, carving or carpentry axe can be good. I have never waxed a handle but that's because I don't want a slippery handle that is difficult to get a good grip on. Try it though, it wont last long and then you wont have to put it back on.

No finish is the best finish and then with sufficient use it will start to look good too.

E.DB
 
On my handles I sand them down to the desired smoothness I want. Most times no more than 60 grit, sometimes Ill go to 150. Then, depending on how much use it will see I will rasp the handle toward the foot in order to gain grip/purchase. I don't rasp it a lot, enough to give a different surface from the rest if the handle. To me it depends on the size of the foot. if it is a good sized foot to me u dont need to worry about rasping as much to me. i will then use regular linseed, 2 thin coats, and call it good. I will then re apply linseed as needed based off use, storage, etc. that works best for me, might not be for everyone.
 
mitch8 said:
I've melting in a topcoat of wax(paraffin or microcristaline, not sure what it is) onto my knife handles and liking it in that application. Anyone have any reasons for or against using wax on an axe handle?
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Mitch, BLO really does not seal a handle. More of a preservative. Wax will seal though. I have just used bees wax. So I can't say on paraffin. If I really want a handle to last I will put bees wax on the end grain of the head and around it. It has worked well for me.
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I was always taught that rough handles were one cause of blisters? As a full time student, I don't get to use my axes nearly enough and I have to admit that I have fairly wussy hands. I finish my handles to a very high 1-2k finish then burnish with some denim from an old pair of jeans wrapped around a bone burnished that I use for leather working. The handle then gets a generous helping of tung oil and a couple weeks later, I apply beeswax with the help of a heat gun and some more rubbing. The result is a highly polished, but extremely grippy handle. The beeswax gets grippier as the heat from your hands warms the wood while you work. I've been working lately on some wax that is less grippy to allow your top hand to slide, but still grippy enough to provide a solid purchase. It is a mix of beeswax and carnauba. I have no idea what the ratio is since I was experimenting to find the best grip vs. slip properties. I've been really pleased with the results though and I don't have problems with blisters on the few occasions I do get out and use my axes. I'll try and get some good pics and see what you guys think.
 
Operator1975 said:
On my handles I sand them down to the desired smoothness I want. Most times no more than 60 grit, sometimes Ill go to 150. Then, depending on how much use it will see I will rasp the handle toward the foot in order to gain grip/purchase. I don't rasp it a lot, enough to give a different surface from the rest if the handle. To me it depends on the size of the foot. if it is a good sized foot to me u dont need to worry about rasping as much to me. i will then use regular linseed, 2 thin coats, and call it good. I will then re apply linseed as needed based off use, storage, etc. that works best for me, might not be for everyone.
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This is what I do. After the linseed oil has sat for a couple of days, I give the haft a good rub with a clean rag. When it has dried, you can feel the wood grain. This is for a 2 handed axe, & the haft shape gives grip, not so much a sticky surface. I am an irregular user with soft hands, & sticky surfaces give me blisters.
 
I also usually sand my handles to 60 or 80 grit, followed by light BLO. My very favorite finish, however, is to sand to 60 or 80 followed by sweat, mud etc. They develop a great patina and grip without any oil. Here in the high desert you can get away without oil. (ETA: I just noticed that Ernest already said this. Sorry for the redundancy.) Another favorite is to mix natural beeswax with walnut oil. I mix it so that it is a very loose paste and rub it in with my hands creating heat. Then burnish with denim. Allows great purchase, and is completely nontoxic - you could eat it. In fact I use walnut oil on wooden food utensils and sometimes as cooking oil because it has a higher flashpoint than olive oil.

I have found that I prefer light BLO or no oil on full size axes, and the walnut oil/beeswax on carving axes for whatever reason.

Ernest DuBois said:
Humm, Sometimes I do find myself on the american continent and when that is the case I definitely go to Idaho.

E.DB.
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Well....I would make a generous trade of North American axes for one of them babies!!!
 
I personally like the shoulder and knob to be a bit sticky, but the haft to be smooth so it glides through your hand on the recovery. That way you can feel when your hands hit the ends. I usually thin the handles a bit then sand the shoulder and knob to 60 grit, and the haft to 400. Then liinseed oil and let it ride around in the back truck a few days to bake it. Little bees wax on the ends, and saddle soap in the middle. And dirt for the finish :)
 
I have used an axe some, but not professionally. I agree with the above posters.
I don't think I would put a finish on it at all. Or you might try something that will seal the wood like Minwax wood conditioner.
That is really just a really thin varnish that soaks in and seals the wood. You would play hell trying to develop a topcoat with the stuff. A thinned out varnish of any kind would work too. That would keep the handle from absorbing a lot of moisture anyway.
A hatchet is a different story. The tape would work good on a hatchet.
If the wood gets too rough, you can burnish it with something like a screwdriver.
 
I sand up to 150 and coat profusely with BLO, feels great to me. Blisters happen - whatever. That's what callouses are for.
 
KingKoma said:
You can make wood totally impervious to water with nothing but linseed oil.
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Just in the short term. Nothing I have ever used has really sealed a handle, gun stock or bow. It seems that the finishes that will build up on the surface give the best protection. BLO doesn't build up as far as I know. Maybe you know something I don't?
 
Linseed oil will build up depending on the amount applied and for how long. If you get too much on the handle it will be sticky and pretty much unusable. They use it to oil vehicles with around here, so it does have some pretty good protection properties.
 
Linseed oil takes a long time to harden and so until it does it keeps going deeper and deeper into the wood which makes it all the more durable in the long run as the object- in our case handle - is maintained and also intensifies the visual perception of depth which makes the look of the wood optimal with age. It's not waterproof but water resistant and it would take a real and mistaken effort to seal wood by this or any other method. If it's protection from water you are after then tung oil offers better protection than linseed oil. It's not that tung oil is always better than linseed oil, personally I like them both.

E.DB.

ps. As I move the mouse over the topic headings in the Axe, Tomahawk & Hatchet Forum section a text bubble appears which to me obscures what I want to read in most cases. How do I shut this irritation down? Anyone?
 
Ernest DuBois said:
ps. As I move the mouse over the topic headings in the Axe, Tomahawk & Hatchet Forum section a text bubble appears which to me obscures what I want to read in most cases. How do I shut this irritation down? Anyone?
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move the cursor from the topic? to me, that function, that you can see part of the thread start without clicking it, is really helpful.
 
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