Staining an axe handle

I

ItalianStallion303

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Mar 22, 2015
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26
Hey guys!

So I recently bought a Husqvarna carpenter's axe and I would like to stain it a darker colour.

I currently have some nice red chestnut minwax oil-based stain, some BLO and some Birchwood Casey Gunstock oil lying around. What would you guys recommend for staining and finishing?

Should I mix the stain and BLO?
Should I apply the stain then apply BLO or the Gunstock oil?

Any other advice would be appreciated!
 
If the stain is just a stain you can use it and then follow it with whatever else. If it is a finishing stain with poly or lacquer in it, nothing else that you follow with would get into the wood. The gunstock oil would be nice, just don't finish it super smooth.
 
Not familiar with Birchwood Casey gun stock oil. But if you are speaking of Tru-oil then that is a varnish, despite its name. It's a really good product but most folks don't like varnish on handles. My only complaint with them is they can be slick.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. The stain just says "Minwax wood finish-penetrating stain". Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I assume it's not a varnish because on the directions it says to apply a "clear protective finish" like "Minwax polyurethane" afterwards.

Hmm I think I'll just stick with the BLO then.

Should I sand before I apply the BLO or just after everything has been applied? Any tips on what grits to use?

I've heard of mixing the BLO with mineral spirits, any recommendations on that topic as my finish?

(I fully intend to sand off the existing finish as well)
 
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I've heard people have good results with water-based stains or leather stain, followed by BLO or other oil finish.
 
SC T100 said:
I've heard people have good results with water-based stains or leather stain, followed by BLO or other oil finish.
Click to expand...

The only thing is, I'd rather not go out and buy new water-based stain if you know what I mean. So I'm just wondering if the two oil-based products mentioned above will still turn out alright?
 
Gotcha. You can also use coffee or wine if you have it around. Or just pick up some Rit dye. It's super cheap.
 
I dunno, I tried regular ole wood stain and Hickory totally rejected it. Only tried it a couple times though, and I'm sure it is dependent on the wood.
 
Hmm, coffee or wine hey? Never heard of that of one. And I definitely have some of that "lying around".

What I'll probably wind up doing is just testing it on a spot on the lower end of the handle and remove it, if it doesn't work out.
 
These days I never use stain on a haft that I will use with sweaty hands. There is a good chance of absorbing the stain into your skin. I have already absorbed too much chemical into my body in my life. I like to finish my hafts with a mix of raw linseed oil and pure gum turpentine. Then I wax with a salad bowl finish of beeswax and food grade mineral oil. For a patina I rub the haft with some charred wood from the fire pit or woodstove. After rubbing in the charred wood real good, I rub off the excess. This gives me what I feel is a safe finish, and darkens the haft by filling the pores. The haft then has the look of a somewhat well used by sweaty hands haft.
 
Old Axeman said:
These days I never use stain on a haft that I will use with sweaty hands. There is a good chance of absorbing the stain into your skin. I have already absorbed too much chemical into my body in my life. I like to finish my hafts with a mix of raw linseed oil and pure gum turpentine. Then I wax with a salad bowl finish of beeswax and food grade mineral oil. For a patina I rub the haft with some charred wood from the fire pit or woodstove. After rubbing in the charred wood real good, I rub off the excess. This gives me what I feel is a safe finish, and darkens the haft by filling the pores. The haft then has the look of a somewhat well used by sweaty hands haft.
Click to expand...

I like this. I have used the linseed oil/turpentine mix although I usually use just linseed oil. I don't always wax but when I do mine is a mix of beeswax/linseed oil/turpentine. I've never pre-aged the look as I figure time will take care of that for me, but it is something that I may try at least once.
 
I second the suggestion for Tru Oil. It's nontoxic and leaves a beautiful coat on Husqvarna axe handles. Definitely remember to sand the old finish first. It's pretty rough, but Husqvarna does use nice wood for the handles. In fact, once you refinish the handle, I think you'll be really pleased with the result. I've done two.

Avoid the cheap linseed oils at the hardware store. Most of them use petrochemicals.
 
The only problem with my finish is, I have been told, that raw linseed oil and pure gum terp. are getting hard to find. I have enough for the rest of my life, unless I add to my axes, adzes, hatchets, etc. I told the wife I would add no more to a 60 year collection. That's what I told her.
 
Here is a handle staining thread worth a read:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1372303-staining-an-axe-handle

My experience with dye has been less than stellar - Probably me.

I'm a fan of Watco Danish oil as it smells "like home" but BLO, Mineral Spirits, and maybe a touch of Watco turns the color a little bit without sealing the wood. Too much Danish oil in the mix and I feel like you can't get BLO to soak in after it's applied.

Another thing to keep in mind is if you do stain your handle and actually use it then wherever it gets scuffed you have a difference in color.
 
Old Axeman said:
These days I never use stain on a haft that I will use with sweaty hands. There is a good chance of absorbing the stain into your skin. I have already absorbed too much chemical into my body in my life. I like to finish my hafts with a mix of raw linseed oil and pure gum turpentine. Then I wax with a salad bowl finish of beeswax and food grade mineral oil. For a patina I rub the haft with some charred wood from the fire pit or woodstove. After rubbing in the charred wood real good, I rub off the excess. This gives me what I feel is a safe finish, and darkens the haft by filling the pores. The haft then has the look of a somewhat well used by sweaty hands haft.
Click to expand...

I recently used Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner and liked what it did to an old dry birch handle. I wonder if that is similar to what you are using Old Axeman?

Ingedients: Food grade mineral oil stabilized with Vitamin E, beeswax, and carnuba wax.
 
BLO, Turpentine and Pine tar has become my standard. Followed by paste wax of BLO and beeswax.
 
So many options based on individual experiences... Thanks for all the tips!

Well I think I may have to do some experimenting and learn as I go, I guess. I'll think I'll stick to my tried and true Tru-Oil. I've had some beautiful results with it on maple guitar necks.

I was thinking of sanding the original finish with 150 grit. But I'm not sure how many coats I'd need and what to use for the final sanding (or if I'd need it at all).
 
Another option could be to get out the blowtorch and burn the handle to a dark brown then sand back to whatever sort of light/dark mix you want then apply blo which will really darken it and bring out the affect.
Ive done this only once so far and im happy with the results.
Before and after.
LX0lVrJ.jpg

pSEIn8N.jpg

Ofcourse you could make it as dark as you want or whatever sort of burn pattern this is just my example.
Its darker in person but i never need a pic of it when it light out for a good pic
 
ItalianStallion303 said:
Thanks for the responses guys. The stain just says "Minwax wood finish-penetrating stain". Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I assume it's not a varnish because on the directions it says to apply a "clear protective finish" like "Minwax polyurethane" afterwards.
Click to expand...

You have it right, the Minwax you have is a stain, not a varnish.

ItalianStallion303 said:
Hmm I think I'll just stick with the BLO then.

Should I sand before I apply the BLO or just after everything has been applied? Any tips on what grits to use?

I've heard of mixing the BLO with mineral spirits, any recommendations on that topic as my finish?

(I fully intend to sand off the existing finish as well)
Click to expand...

I like to use just thinned BLO myself, I have a bucket of it for soaking the heads and then just wipe down the rest of the handle. If you have somewhere to store the mixed stuff, you can thin half your BLO and use it for the first couple coats, then switch to unthinned. I usually do 50-50 for thinned, either with paint thinner (watch out for green brush cleaner! not what you want) or turpentine. The turpentine usually smells nice :D some cans are pretty pungent though.

The lacquer on finished handles can be a real pain to take off, I would start with something pretty coarse like 60 or 80 grit and then finish up with 150 or so. I have one maul handle I reshaped from a mattock and left it rough (36 or 24 from the belt sander), I kinda like how grippy it is in use (but then I use gloves too, not everyone does).
 
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