Slippery handle

[upnorth]

Good day gentlemen. I have a couple of fairly new axes that I have Lindseed oiled and used. They are still as slippery as goose snot. I have read that bees wax will give a better grip. Are there any other alternatives ? Thank you.

 

[sutured]

Good day gentlemen. I have a couple of fairly new axes that I have Lindseed oiled and used. They are still as slippery as goose snot. I have read that bees wax will give a better grip. Are there any other alternatives ? Thank you.

Did you sand off the factory coating before you put on the BLO? If not it's a bit like putting BLO on a finished hardwood floor.

 

[Square_peg]

Yeah, make sure the factory finish has all been sanded off. Tung oil makes a significantly grippier finish than linseed oil. And if you still need more grip then try a little friction tape.

 

[bjp]

yes, beeswax will help.

a bit of sno-seal will work, too.

as the others have said, though, make sure you removed the original finish first.

 

[upnorth]

A factory finnish ? I hadn't noticed that on my G.B. small forest and Wetterlings hatchet. Thanks for the tips.

 

[bjp]

A factory finnish ? I hadn't noticed that on my G.B. small forest and Wetterlings hatchet. Thanks for the tips.

Gransfors and Wetterlings don't come with the "factory finish" referred to above. The above comments would apply to most stand-alone (replacement) handles and to some mfrs. such as Council, in which case a clear-coat or varnish would be on the wood. Applying linseed oil to such a finish would result in a perpetually slippery handle -- the clear-coat would need to be sanded off first.

Sorry for the confusion.

-ben

 

[Liam Ryan]

I like the finish tung oil gives, though BLO penetrates and protects better, supposedly.
Maybe try an initial BLO treatment, then use tung oil for upkeep.
The best tung finish is let it dry for a day or two, then a quick rubdown with fine steel wool and repeat. A few times doing this and it will give a nice dark (darker than BLO anyway) finish that is slightly grippy and tough. Old timers use tung oil on their rifle stocks.

 

[upnorth]

Gransfors and Wetterlings don't come with the "factory finish" referred to above. The above comments would apply to most stand-alone (replacement) handles and to some mfrs. such as Council, in which case a clear-coat or varnish would be on the wood. Applying linseed oil to such a finish would result in a perpetually slippery handle -- the clear-coat would need to be sanded off first.

Sorry for the confusion.

-ben

Thanks. I assumed that the G.B. was uncoated as it drank the Linseed like a wino at a refinery. The Wetterlings I was less sure of, but the handle was dull/non reflective and slowly accepted a couple of coatings before wipe off.

 

[upnorth]

I like the finish tung oil gives, though BLO penetrates and protects better, supposedly.
Maybe try an initial BLO treatment, then use tung oil for upkeep.
The best tung finish is let it dry for a day or two, then a quick rubdown with fine steel wool and repeat. A few times doing this and it will give a nice dark (darker than BLO anyway) finish that is slightly grippy and tough. Old timers use tung oil on their rifle stocks.

Thanks. Now this is interesting as I have seen darker finnishes and wondered if some guys were staining. It was probably just the tung oil. I should try it out.

 

[Liam Ryan]

Just made up a batch of my own version of linwax last night, (equal parts BLO, beeswax and turpentine) but I used tung oil instead, as that's what I have.
Smells pretty strong of turpentine, I might make up a batch with mineral spirits too and see if it keeps the beeswax scent better.

 

[upnorth]

I decided to ''run what ya brung'' one more time with the Linseed oil. When I first coated them I let soak for about an hour then wiped the oil off. Then about a week later or so I repeated. This was about a month or two ago and both pieces took on a honey coloured hue. A few nights ago I put another coating of Linseed on them and left them over night, with a morning wipe off. The Wett. hatchet is a deeper honey colour and the Bruks Small Forest took on a much darker attractive moderate brown. This axe has gotten a lot more use than the hatchet. I am leaving both alone now until another oiling next year or so. The handles went from very slippery to just right, very slightly tacky. With some more use, sweat, and dirt on them they should be were I want to be. I love the look and feel of both pieces now.