It followed me home (Part 2)



First time I have ever gotten lucky off craigslist! An older gentleman was selling a bunch of stuff and I got this Woodslasher jersey for $10. He said he bought it around 45 years ago. It has the original handle and I think I can save it! Thanks for looking!
I was very surprised when I saw it because jerseys are not common here at all. If it’s a single bit then it’s either a Michigan or a Dayton in my area.
 
Brian Rust said:


First time I have ever gotten lucky off craigslist! An older gentleman was selling a bunch of stuff and I got this Woodslasher jersey for $10. He said he bought it around 45 years ago. It has the original handle and I think I can save it! Thanks for looking!
I was very surprised when I saw it because jerseys are not common here at all. If it’s a single bit then it’s either a Michigan or a Dayton in my area.
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Is that pink color some resin remnants of an epoxy/glue?

I just punched a cutoff haft out of my very worn Bigelow & Dowse connie and it had the same/similar pink on the haft.
 
Miller '72 said:
Is that pink color some resin remnants of an epoxy/glue?

I just punched a cutoff haft out of my very worn Bigelow & Dowse connie and it had the same/similar pink on the haft.
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junkenstien said:
Real nice.Have not seen them up here either.Found a hatchet with Bondo on the handle but that looks like it is from the paint.
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Yes sir it is from the paint. It has the original handle and wedge I believe. And since there were no steel wedges or nails it popped right out and the new edge looks great. I am very happy with it!!
 
Charles, it really depends on how bad off the handle is and if it’s worth keeping. With most of the handles I keep I first take the head off. I will make sure the tongue is in good shape with no cracks (taking the head off is the only way to be sure). As long as that is good I will go over the handle and smooth out any hot spots or areas that might have some damage. You can use a 4 in hand rasp to smooth them out then a little sand paper. Then I oil and oil and oil the handle. After the handle has taken all the oil it can I (as long as there is enough material) I try to set the head lower on the shoulder. Depending on how much of the shoulder is left it could be 1/8 of an inch to a full inch. Just depends on how far from the shoulder it was previously set. Then I put a new wood wedge in and oil the tongue generously. Usually while the handle is soaking in oil I will work on the head. Usually these handles are very dry so sometimes I will get two of those tin foil turkey pans and seal them together with duct tape and shape it to the handle and let it set and soak in the oil for a day or two.

There are many ways to reuse a handle this is just the way I do it. Once you do a few you will get your own system down. The most important part is inspecting the handle. You don’t want to put all that work into something that will break. If you look back you will see a post where this happened to me. So inspect them good.
 
Mr. Rust and Square Peg thank you for the description and the link. As most here
(I assume) I really want to maintain originality (again another assumption) if I can.
It would seem the difficulty (without experience) in choosing re-use vs. replace lies
in thorough inspection and experience. I will give this some thought as I have a
Norlund whose original handle I would like to re-use/re-hang. Good information ,
thank you.

Charles
 
Brian Rust said:
so sometimes I will get two of those tin foil turkey pans and seal them together with duct tape and shape it to the handle and let it set and soak in the oil for a day or two.
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Many moons ago i've spent time at a place where got to watch this local Park ranger do something quite funky:He chucked an axe head down in a vice,and drilled a 1/4" hole in the butt of the handle that faced up vertically.Then he inserted this tiny funnel in that hole,and for several days kept topping it off with linseed oil(don't remember if he cut it with solvent or not).He kept it going till the oil came dripping out the other end at the head...Then he sealed both ends(with some oil-compatible goop,forgot what it was he used...).
I was very interested,never having seen the like.And at one point he demonstrated to me the efficacy of the method.With a 6 lb splitting maul(he was doing it to all the handles he could get his hands on:),he deliberately overshot a stump,kinda scary-hard,and the handle not only didn't get damaged,but visibly flexed and bounced,rubber-like...The degree of deflection it sustained was impressive.
 
We had a thread about linseed oil where this idea was challenged. There was testing that showed that beyond a surface treatment, boiled linseed oil actually weakened wood. Can't find the link now but it was solid. It convinced me that soaking hickory for days in BLO was a bad idea.
 
Yes,though i haven't seen the link that you're referring to(and sorry to write out of sequence/context,i know there's a sizable BLO thread going),but it's a thought long ambient among woodworkers,that linseed eventually polymerises inside wood,severing the fibers with it's hard/brittle fractured particles...
 
So what is the better option? (Not being sarcastic just curious) and I also apologize if there is a thread i did not see it.
 
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