Old Hickory handle rework advice

Thanks, I did now know mineral oil softens wood. I've used it on multiple wood handles already.
I was just trying to use what I have laying around, and not go out to buy stuff. Out of your suggestions, I have some rustoleum clear coat spray.
Those are the original handles, and they were a little oversized. I haven't sanded them down all the way to the metal, still debating on that.
 
There isn't much you can do with wood that is already oiled.
Gun enthusiasts used to paint oil-soaked stocks with whiting (similar to plaster of Paris) to soak oil out.
 
There are various food-grade butcher block waxes available as well, most of them beeswax based.

Mineral oil will slowly evaporate with enough time, but it'll take a long while.
 
To give you an idea of what those handles can look like, here are two that I worked on. Both were finished with wipe on polyurethane (Minwax brand).

7" Old Hickory finished. Beginning of video shows 10" before reshaping and finishing.

10" Old Hickory finished.

Brian.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! I finally decided going the wax route. First I sealed the blade end of the handle with superglue. Then I used Turtle wax ice'n shine, which is a very liquid wax (with solvents I imagine). I applied it on the handle multiple times, and the absorbed it all. The result? - swolen fibers at the end of the handle, and the wood still getting wet. I would not use this again (pretty easy to use on a car though).
After a little bit of sanding (the swollen fibers) I used and old cleaner wax I have (at least 15y old) - Turtle Wax ultra gloss. This worked much better and water beads off.
It's not up to the standards of this forum, but I learned a lot. Thanks!
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