Need advice to to restore Craftsman axe handle.

E

Epicurian

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Sep 12, 2010
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So a friend showed me a Craftsman axe(sorry no pics) left outdoors far too long. The head is in great condition considering, however the handle is completely weathered gray and dried out.

Can it be restored by soaking in linseed oil? Open to suggestions.
Or can it be restored once that dried out? Otherwise in good shape with good tight grain with 11 to 5 orientation.

Anyway to date this one? The handle is slender, good grain etc, seems better than more modern ones.

Again apologize for no pictures. Thanks in advance.
 
It can be restored when very dry. Boiled linseed oil will work very well and chances are it will darken the handle up quite a bit and look stunning. If this is your only concern then you are in very good shape. If using just linseed oil, careful as oily rags can self ignite. Boiled linseed oil will not do this.
 
If it's a tight, original handle, the BLO is the best bet to restore it and maintain the value of an original handle. If your friend wants to use the axe for its designed purpose, why not just rehang it? The BLO will probably damage any original stickers, but shouldn't hurt branded trademarks.

Photos would help in deciding if it is worth keeping the original haft. That's a great question. I'm looking forward to see what others think. I tend to rehang at the first start of a problem, but I understand wanting to keep an original handle.
 
Some of the older handles have better shape than the new ones. If it's sound then it may be worth saving. Lightly sand it and then douse it with numerous coats of BLO. When they're really dry like that they will drink it up. Brush on the first couple coats and really concentrate on the end grains, they're like sponges.
 
I like to re-use the old handle when I can. As others have said, they take on a darker hue when blo is applied. Sometimes even a lovely curly grain will show up. Older handles tend to be thinner, sometimes a bigger swell and have a better overall profile. I sand down any gouges or rough areas before applying the oil.
 
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