Handle refurbish/loose head

E

evergreen88

Joined
Jun 8, 2016
Messages
6
Hi all

I picked up an old Hults Bruk recently and want to keep the handle on it ince it's in pretty good shape. The issue is the head is a little loose (only wobbles 1-2mm) and there's some kind of red, porous-looking glue(?) that was used instead of a wedge. What can I do to tighten up the head with a set up like this? There might be a wedge underneath all this glue stuff?

Thanks

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If the cash-strapped Swede axe makers of the 1980s copied Plumb's 'permabond' way of doing things there won't be a wedge underneath. Try to remove (chip out) the surface layer with a fine chisel to see if there is actually a wedge underneath.

Steel aftermarket wedges (and even the currently fashionable conical ones) are the easy way out of this predicament but wait to hear what some other folks have to say about this. In my opinion metal wedges are to be considered an emergency, lazy or 'last resort' option.
 
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After a bit of research I'm starting to think you're right about the permabond. From what I've read it's a nightmare to get out of there...some people can't even get the handle out using chisels and sledgehammers....

Tightening the head would be ideal but I'm not even sure a metal wedge would do that at this point?
 
I'm slowly working through restoring my HB hatchet. When I drilled out that permabond it was about 7-8mm thick.

So the problem will be if you remove the permabond, the handle will be too shallow. So I think your options will be either leave as is, or completely replace the handle.
 
evergreen88 said:
After a bit of research I'm starting to think you're right about the permabond. From what I've read it's a nightmare to get out of there...some people can't even get the handle out using chisels and sledgehammers....
Click to expand...


Drill, baby, drill.

1-Drilling%20the%20eye.jpg
 
If you can drive the handle on further, do it until the red goo sticks up above the eye, trim it off and look for a wedge. If wedged, remove wedge. If the intent is to salvage the handle, make yourself a wooden drift roughly the shape of the eye. It will drive out - you have to be persuasive. A drift though, will get you much better results than anything else.
 
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