How to swell an axe haft?

B

Brad "the butcher"

Joined
Dec 15, 2008
Messages
2,012
I have a wetterlings 20 in axe and the wood has shrank leaving space and it now wiggles a lot. I have tried tapping the round wedge to no avail, just to much space.
Should I just tap another wedge in as this does not address the problem
Would really like to be able to hydrate/swell the wood in the head
 
You could try kerosene. You could check out some products that are used to swell the wood in chairs. You could try a wedge if it would fit. I think I would try to rehydrate the wood with kerosene or linseed oil first. Just give it a good soak. If that doesn't work try and bang another wedge into it. Wood shrinks, rehydrate first. Just my thoughts. Regards.
 
I haven't tried it but a blacksmith friend of mine uses antifreeze and swears by it.

Regards

Robin
 
There is a product Behlen Swel-Lock which said to work well per S.A. Wetterlings.

Boiled Linseed oil is a temporary fix per S.A. Wetterlings.

A new handle or re-fitted handle may be the best solutuion.
 
Set a scrap of 2" X 6" on hard ground or floor, thunk the butt of the handle on the board to drive the head of hatchet of axe on tighter/further down the handle on the fatter part of it. drive wedges in more.

I use to burn alot of wood and on splitting mauls after sitting all summer i would stand them up head down in a 5 gallon bucket of water to replace moisture the dried out of handle for a few days. Oils and antifreeze work and they don't dry out as easy,

water is cheap and available and nontoxic.

tung oil or linseed oil kinda costly

antifreeze, $ , dont let the kids or pets drink it

all works, your choice

Pat
 
syltetoy said:
There is a product Behlen Swel-Lock which said to work well per S.A. Wetterlings.

Boiled Linseed oil is a temporary fix per S.A. Wetterlings.

A new handle or re-fitted handle may be the best solutuion.
Click to expand...

I've used the SWEL-LOCK that "styletoy" recommends and it does a great job on some repairs. It's mainly used to hang a new ax handle but it does work on some types of repair jobs.

I've also used raw linseed oil for an overnight soak and it does seem to tighten handles up pretty good.

I've heard from another forum that mixing a little bit of kerosene with linseed oil makes a great re-hydrator as well as a good solution to rub down a handle for long term storage.
 
My Gramp, my dad and I have been making handles between us since the 30's. (Both of them worked in the woods. I just use a good soak, a wet rag or steam. All work pretty good.
 
Axe handles, hammer handles I mix a light oil with kerosene and leave them to soak for a few days, tapping the haft on something solid first works well.

Richard
 
bodgermike,

Welcome to Bladeforums!

It would be interesting to hear more about your family's history with axes and axe handle making.

Thanks for your input,

DancesWithKnives
 
bodgermike said:
My Gramp, my dad and I have been making handles between us since the 30's. (Both of them worked in the woods. I just use a good soak, a wet rag or steam. All work pretty good.
Click to expand...

Hey "bodgermike" I also welcome you to BLADEFORUMS. It's always great to have people aboard that have first hand experience. I was wondering if you could expound on the main difference between raw and boiled linseed oil especially in relation to repairs such as this one we are discussing? Or any of the rest of you guys for that matter.

I was told by a family friend who worked in a hardware store for years that the raw linseed oil was truly best for axe handle treatment. I may just start another thread on the subject because I sure don't want to derail anyones' good threads because this is a subject I want to know more on myself.

I've also been told in a lot of situations that there really aren't any shortcuts on some repairs. So how bad does this particular problem of loose play in the haft have to be before a guy really needs to consider just outright installing a new hickory handle? Great thread guys :)
 
You can use glycerol which should be availiable at the drug store. It is used in food so it can't be that bad. :p

Glycerol is hygroscopic meaning it attracts moisture. So if you soak your handle in it it will attract moisture and thus swell the wood. I have used it on a wobbly friction folder with good success.


Ookami
 
Great info guys, keep it up as I am sure lots are interested.

any info on linseed oil or any type of wood treatment would not be highjacking just interesting

I will be fixing the axe after X-mas and will post my results
 
The old pulpwooders used to keep their axes standing in a shallow pan of burnt motor oil in the back of the shop. I guess burnt motor oil was more plentiful around there than more refined liquids. No loose heads on their axes.
 
Ookami said:
You can use glycerol which should be availiable at the drug store. It is used in food so it can't be that bad. :p

Glycerol is hygroscopic meaning it attracts moisture. So if you soak your handle in it it will attract moisture and thus swell the wood. I have used it on a wobbly friction folder with good success.


Ookami
Click to expand...

Interesting organic compound. Used in antifreeze.

Now to find it locally as Swel-Lock is difficult to find locally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerol

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/glycerol
 
Last edited:
when i worked with a blacksmith resetting leaf springs the old fashion way if one of his hammer heads came loose in the heat he left just the head region in his oil bath over night...next day it would be tight again.

i been doing that for quite some time now, always have a tub of old engine oil in my shop for my hammers and axes.
 
I never had great luck with loose axe heads. You could try soaking it in raw linseed oil. Swell lock didn't work well enough to fix my problem.

I think if something easy doesn't fix the looseness, then you might be happier re-handling it.
 
Do NOT soak it in water or wrap with a wet rag. This is just a stop gap measure that will exacerbate the problem when it dries out. The water swells the fibres and crushes them, then when it dries out it will be looser than before, with each treatment looser. If you soak it in linseed oil, either boiled or raw the wood absorb the oil which upon drying on the surface will slow the drying and seal the wood. Half-dried linseed oil is really sticky and that will prevent movement. Heated linseed oil will uptake into the wood more readily and will saturate the wood more thoroughly than cold.

~Alden
 
I don't like the round wedges, I find that they split and loosen up the wood wedge. Then you loose the head, if you're lucky it won't hit anyone when it decides to go bye byes.

One time I put the wedge in the handle with a coat of Gorilla glue on it. When that crap foamed out it was on there solid as could be. Unfortunately I ran it over and snapped the handle in half :o. It took me an hour and a half to get old handle off. If you're going to do this, you have to do it with a new handle, it doesn't work with handles that are already on the axe, I tried with a Collins axe and it didn't do anything but make a mess.

I didn't do that with my new handle however and it gave me about three weeks of good use before it started sliding, to extend its life I drove a bunch of big nails down in it; that was three months ago and still no sliding. It's not the prettiest method, but it does hold the handle on pretty well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top