Making a mycarta axe handle. What materials/methods?

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gomipile

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Apr 17, 2010
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I want to make a fairly long axe handle that is more shock resistant than wood. I'm wondering whether I should use fiberglass, cloth, rope, or something else to reinforce the epoxy. Also, what orientation(s) should the fibrous material have? What are some good mold materials and techniques to ensure that it comes out straight?

Has anyone made a mycarta/fiberglass handle for something big like an axe?

I'd appreciate anyone's recommendations and thoughts on this.
 
Just out of curiosity, what are you going to be using it for so that wood just isn't shock resistant enough? And what wood are we talking about?
 
thegeek574 said:
Just out of curiosity, what are you going to be using it for so that wood just isn't shock resistant enough? And what wood are we talking about?
Click to expand...

It's actually for a polearm, so the haft will be about 6 feet long. Wood is fine, I just want to do something different, and have it be at least as strong and shock resistant as wood.
 
Carbon Fiber Rod?
Fiberglass rod?
Hollow Fiberglass tubing?

As far as wood goes, ash makes superb pole arm hafts.
 
Could be fun altought I have some doubt about result usefulness.

For orientation, better would probably be something like this:

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As far as wood goes, would soaking a long-cure epoxy into the surface of an ash staff improve its mechanical properties in any way? The person I'm building this for wants it to be heavier than average anyway, and it would help with that as well.
 
I would take a wood haft and wrap it with s-glass cloth. It has better strength and impact resistance than normal (e-glass) cloth. Or take and wrap a bit of Kevlar around the haft where you are concerned with impact. Kevlar can be difficult to work though, it doesn't wet out as nicely as glass cloth. Carbon Fiber is not as impact resistant, and if it does break and you get a splinter from it, watch out - it hurts, for a long time! Your body will not reject it like other materials, you are carbon based after all.


-Xander
 
you can use a hardwood core and a seamless composite sleeve impregnated with epoxy to cover it... here's one of mine in carbon fiber/Kevlar hybrid over aircraft alloy

occam20121view13.jpg
 
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