Sealing the axe eye

T

thunderstick

Joined
Jan 15, 2007
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Who seals the wood in the eye? What do you use?
I use Gorilla glue on the wood haft when installing it so that it is encapsulated in a waterproof seal, in addition to giving more haft to eye grip.
I typically flush cut the top of the eye so I can seal the end grain and don't need to worry about it wearing off. I first stain the end and then apply two coats of clear nail polish. I like the fact that the polish goes on thin and penetrates the small saw and rasp crevices and dries quickly without runs--essentially filling the pores without making a thick top coat. Having done this for years I find that it holds up very well and doesn't flake off--largely because it brushes into the grain. I also apply a thin strip of it to the wood around the bottom of the eye, My intent is to seal the wood at the top and bottom of the eye to help prevent moisture going in or out. This is my process. I know it's not truly "purist" but I'm for function and durability first. I don't see that this overly spoils the traditional look of an axe.
What is your process?
 
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I cut the tongue flush as well. I use 80 grit sand paper and sand it after I cut it flush. Then I clamp it upright and apply blo to the tongue with a q-tip till it won't soak up anymore. It's served me well thus far! I re-apply it yearly when I redo the haft.
I initially used "tung oil"(the fake stuff) for awhile but stopped because firstly it dries and secondly it seals and prevents further application later.
I've found it's the bottom of the eye that invariably fails first so I don't see any point trying to improve the already stronger upper portion. Good idea for a thread though! I'm Looking forward to seeing what everyone else does.
 
Most of my hafts over the years were never touched again after original installation unless they broke. I had one exception where I let let some young guys use my maul and whenever they got it tight they levered it instead of hitting it and worked the head loose. I seated the handle deeper allowing the wood to go proud and then put some cross wedges in to help spread the top and its stayed tight since then. I don't think in the last 10+ years I had any other heads work loose from shrinkage. I try to put my handles by the wood stove or by the dehumidifier for a week or more before I install them to get as much moisture out as possible so that they will tend to absorb more moisture rather than ever getting drier than the time of installation.
 
I usually leave 1/4" proud and then soak the inverted head in a couple of inches of BLO for 48 hours to make sure the tongue swells inside the eye as much as possible. Following that, I also use a mix of beeswax and mineral oil on both ends. The last splitter I did, I cut flush, then drove a couple of 5/8" steel wedges into the wooden wedge and then pounded them in another 1/4" with a blunted cold chisel. Following that, I put on successive layers of crazy glue gel, but found that very time consuming and tedious. It's not a preferred method, but I wanted to try it. I just bought myself some epoxy just in case I ever want to repeat. Rather than successive layers of crazy glue, I would just fill with epoxy. Interesting thread.
 
I do the same thing and dry them out by the fire prior to hanging. (Older photo)
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They were right in the path of that hot air and it gets them super dry. I have never had a head come loose on the top except when using (accidently) wood that wasn't yet seasoned enough.
I only re-apply blo because in time it soaks its way farther down the tongue and I want to keep the top sealed to help keep out moisture.

Square_peg said:
Your method sounds good to me.

I seal top and bottom with a homemade blend of beeswax, BLO and turps. I warm it, pour it on and rub it in. Repeat as necessary.
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I'm just curious SP do you apply your concoction annually? Or just whenever it feels that it's time?
 
I leave the tongue proud and just use plenty of BLO, but I guess glue will work as long as it's not too hard to remove later on.
 
Yankee Josh said:
I'm just curious SP do you apply your concoction annually? Or just whenever it feels that it's time?
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It's just for sealing any small gaps. So I apply it whenever I notice that a gap has reappeared. Varies with use but once a year is probably about average. I do it in conjunction with applying a fresh coat of BLO. If I'm going on a campout or trail work project and I expect wet weather then I'll check my axes before I go. Keep moisture out of the eye.
 
I haven't found it difficult to remove a haft with gorilla glue. It will peel off from the steel when the head is removed. I have only replaced one that I recall when the handle broke. I used a 1/4" junk chisel to scrape out the eye and it cleaned up nicely.
I think of the Gorilla glue benefits as follows:
1. Seals all the wood in the eye--I put it on my wood center wedge also so the kerf gets at least partially filled
2. Fills all the voids in the eye because it expands thus leaving no room for moisture
3. Filling all voids also creates a complete surface friction contact between the haft and the eye to maximize against slippage. The eye is fitted till it curls wood everywhere and then glued and installed. After 24 hrs of dry time I typically install 1 metal wedge. It can be in the kerf or cross the kerf because the glue holds everything tight when installing the metal. It is now so tight that the metal wedge drives in very hard. Then I seal the top with the clear nail polish making sure the cross wedge is well sealed and doesn't become a moisture channel into the wood.

I prefer this over epoxy because it expands and because it does not bond as hard to steel and it is less apt to run everywhere. It starts expanding right away when it pushes out which prevents it from running. You can also get quick set gorilla glue so that you can trim the excess off 2 hours later. Then you rough sand the wood where you removed the glue so it can absorb finish. I have gone to all 60 grit sanding on my handles. It opens the grain making it look better and allows the finish to penetrate better. You also get better handle grip.
 
thunderstick said:
I haven't found it difficult to remove a haft with gorilla glue. It will peel off from the steel when the head is removed. I have only replaced one that I recall when the handle broke. I used a 1/4" junk chisel to scrape out the eye and it cleaned up nicely.
I think of the Gorilla glue benefits as follows:
1. Seals all the wood in the eye--I put it on my wood center wedge also so the kerf gets at least partially filled
2. Fills all the voids in the eye because it expands thus leaving no room for moisture
3. Filling all voids also creates a complete surface friction contact between the haft and the eye to maximize against slippage. The eye is fitted till it curls wood everywhere and then glued and installed. After 24 hrs of dry time I typically install 1 metal wedge. It can be in the kerf or cross the kerf because the glue holds everything tight when installing the metal. It is now so tight that the metal wedge drives in very hard. Then I seal the top with the clear nail polish making sure the cross wedge is well sealed and doesn't become a moisture channel into the wood.

I prefer this over epoxy because it expands and because it does not bond as hard to steel and it is less apt to run everywhere. It starts expanding right away when it pushes out which prevents it from running. You can also get quick set gorilla glue so that you can trim the excess off 2 hours later. Then you rough sand the wood where you removed the glue so it can absorb finish. I have gone to all 60 grit sanding on my handles. It opens the grain making it look better and allows the finish to penetrate better. You also get better handle grip.
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I have an old hammer I purchased a couple months ago that someone gorilla glued a axe haft in, I will see how the removal goes. He filled a lot of gap!
 
I try to get the wood fit as tight as possible just as if I was not using any glue. The glue is just an added bonus for me.
 
I have only had one of installs with glue come loose and that was because young fellows were using my maul in huge rounds that had the felling cut on the top with the open strands. They sunk the maul and would power lever it to get it loose rather than striking the handle. So it loosened some--but when it loosened--well it was loose so I could easily reset it deeper and let the haft go a 1/4" proud and cross wedge the top. Its stayed tight thus far with a fair amount of splitting. However now the glue is just working as a wood sealant and is not adhesion gripping the eye--so its a traditional fit. However it makes the point I was making earlier--Gorilla glue, in my experience, does not make as strong a bond to the steel like it does to the wood. It does not grip the steel as strong as epoxy. The expansive filling of the voids and the added adhesion creates more resistance to slippage than a traditional fit.
 
I use 1:1:1 blo/beeswax/turpentine, like SP. I make a big batch every few years. It fills any voids around the head. I also wipe it on the head after hanging, fills any pitting and tends to stay put in that capacity. I use it on all sorts of shnit. Plus I love the smell of turpentine.
 
BLO soak the top of the head and eye after hanging. I treat the whole haft with a few coats of BLO over several days after the hang is complete (apply, wipe down, let cure for a day, sand lightly, repeat). Then I seal everything up with a mix of beeswax and mineral oil, paying special attention to the top and bottom of the eye and the end of the handle. If there are any voids, I am sure to fill those in with the beeswax and oil mix. After a couple of days, the oil soaks into the wood, leaving a wax plug in place to prevent moisture from gathering there. I generally re-apply the beeswax mix occasionally when doing other maintenance on an axe, like honing the bit. Just a little bit on a rag and rub it in. I find it leaves the haft with a satin finish that doesn't feel sticky or too slick.
 
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