Sticky BLO handle

F

Frank01

Joined
Sep 9, 2015
Messages
58
Hi Guys,

For sure not the first one to ask....I apply BLO to a HH handle and it came out sticky, the old handle that I restored came out great but, this one not.

I put some BLO on a rough to rub the handle trying to dissolve the excess of BLO. Seem to be ok but hours later still sticky

What should I do?

Thanks in advance
 
If its sticky, you put on too much.
About all you can do to fix it is scrape it off the surface.
You can use a scraper & coarse steelwool / potscrubber with solvent such as mineral spirit. You probably have to get a bit agressive with the scrubbing.

Old weathered wood will soak up alot more oil than fresh wood.
Assuming you applied same amounts, Probably why your old haft turned out ok & new haft was gummy.
 
This happened to me a few times when I was first starting out, lacquer thinner worked well to remove it. Sanding will just make it gum up on the sandpaper and take forever. But as someone said before you're putting too much on, once you've put it on lets it sit for a few and then wipe all the excess off.
 
There is a product called Castrol Super Clean that basically "Supercleans" old dirty oily greasy surfaces but it is strong so I like to scrub like crazy with a rag or paper towel for no more than a minute and then rinse off with water. Great if an old handle is in nice shape with a decent patina and you want to clean it up without sanding before applying some wax or stain to really bring out the color and grain...pretty sure it would remove any excess BLO.

http://www.superclean.com/products/
 
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Lieblad said:
If its sticky, you put on too much.
About all you can do to fix it is scrape it off the surface.
You can use a scraper & coarse steelwool / potscrubber with solvent such as mineral spirit. You probably have to get a bit agressive with the scrubbing.

Old weathered wood will soak up alot more oil than fresh wood.
Assuming you applied same amounts, Probably why your old haft turned out ok & new haft was gummy.
Click to expand...

Second on that.

I would go over it uniformly with a scraper. That would not gum anything up, add any other chemicals, or change the color. There is really very little material to remove to get paste the tacky stuff.

If you don’t have a dedicated scraper you can use the back of a hacksaw blade. Not prime but you can make it conform somewhat to the natural oval/round shape of a handle. Follow the grain on the draw. Similar to a drawknife but lighter and more shallow.

In fact, think of it as a “Draw Scraper lol”. When you get the gunk off, see how it works on transitions in the swell and shoulders…

As far as your problem with it being tacky?

I do it more than I would like to admit.
 
I bought a new quart of BLO a few months back. I opened it a few weeks ago and it's not BLO! The stuff is clear, don't have the characteristic smell..and will NOT absorb or dry. Any ideas of what I have?
 
quinton said:
I bought a new quart of BLO a few months back. I opened it a few weeks ago and it's not BLO! The stuff is clear, don't have the characteristic smell..and will NOT absorb or dry. Any ideas of what I have?
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What does it say it is on the container? And what brand?
 
quinton said:
I bought a new quart of BLO a few months back. I opened it a few weeks ago and it's not BLO! The stuff is clear, don't have the characteristic smell..and will NOT absorb or dry. Any ideas of what I have?
Click to expand...
Did you get it from an itinerant sales person who was briefly in town selling a do all product out of a truck or van? Went by the name of Doctor so-and so and claimed the product would, grow hair, cure rheumatism, etc.? Did they start their pitch with "Step right up folks"?

Bob
 
rjdankert said:
Did you get it from an itinerant sales person who was briefly in town selling a do all product out of a truck or van? Went by the name of Doctor so-and so and claimed the product would, grow hair, cure rheumatism, etc.? Did they start their pitch with "Step right up folks"?

Bob
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I'm sure Quinton didn't fall prey to a shyster and his shill but that made me laugh.


This stuff is terrific on handles as well - never comes out tacky...



water.jpg



Used straight that is. Be sure to not leave the used rags in a heap - combustion danger.
 
rjdankert said:
Did you get it from an itinerant sales person who was briefly in town selling a do all product out of a truck or van? Went by the name of Doctor so-and so and claimed the product would, grow hair, cure rheumatism, etc.? Did they start their pitch with "Step right up folks"?

Bob
Click to expand...
No..no.. and no, but, If I had known he was going to charge me $14 for it, I would have bought a jar of Vaseline from him too.
 
Agent_H said:
I'm sure Quinton didn't fall prey to a shyster and his shill but that made me laugh.


This stuff is terrific on handles as well - never comes out tacky...



water.jpg



Used straight that is. Be sure to not leave the used rags in a heap - combustion danger.
Click to expand...

What a great idea! That would be great for hikes, camping, or survival situations where the weight of regular water would be cumbersome!
 
Lieblad said:
If its sticky, you put on too much.
Click to expand...

I have a different opinion/mindset. You can never use too much BLO. It absorbs into the grain and then (eventually) oxidizes and hardens which ultimately strengthens and hardens the wood (haft/handle). I try to fully submerge my newly re-hafted tools for a few weeks in BLO before laying them out in the sun for a bit longer. I do physically hang some of my tools on a wall but they are by no means 'wall hangers'. Recently I got really lucky and found an absolutely beautiful (oval, ball pein hammer) grain in a haft at my local hardware store. I split an engine & transmission last night and made the thing black. I cleaned it up but it probably looks gross like people complain about --too much BLO so its a little gummy, dirty, feels weird, etc.

I'm a nerd so I'm typing from a computer over my workbench. When I look up at the wall at my dad's, grandfather's and grandfather-in-law's tools I see very dark/black handles on everything. I use & abuse the heck out of my tools so when that gummy coating starts to wear off and the wood looks light I know its time to give it another bath in BLO.


Added bonus: Easier to see overstrikes with that gummy "too much BLO" surface.

(If you are restoring wall-hangers or trying to re-sell tools please disregard everything I said. I know nothing of that world.)
 
1215 said:
I have a different opinion/mindset. You can never use too much BLO. It absorbs into the grain and then (eventually) oxidizes and hardens which ultimately strengthens and hardens the wood (haft/handle). I try to fully submerge my newly re-hafted tools for a few weeks in BLO before laying them out in the sun for a bit longer. I do physically hang some of my tools on a wall but they are by no means 'wall hangers'. Recently I got really lucky and found an absolutely beautiful (oval, ball pein hammer) grain in a haft at my local hardware store. I split an engine & transmission last night and made the thing black. I cleaned it up but it probably looks gross like people complain about --too much BLO so its a little gummy, dirty, feels weird, etc.

I'm a nerd so I'm typing from a computer over my workbench. When I look up at the wall at my dad's, grandfather's and grandfather-in-law's tools I see very dark/black handles on everything. I use & abuse the heck out of my tools so when that gummy coating starts to wear off and the wood looks light I know its time to give it another bath in BLO.


Added bonus: Easier to see overstrikes with that gummy "too much BLO" surface.

(If you are restoring wall-hangers or trying to re-sell tools please disregard everything I said. I know nothing of that world.)
Click to expand...

Submerging your handles in BLO is different than just applying a lot and leaving it. As long as there isn't too much left on the handle when you take it out of the BLO bath it shouldn't get sticky but if you put a lot on and leave it it will dry before it all has a chance to soak in and leave it sticky. And when it comes to the handle finish there's no real right answer, just whatever your preference is. That said I could never leave my handles sticky and gummy, is one thing for an axe handle I'm typically using outside and usually have work gloves on or my hands are already dirty, but if it's my hammer or something I use in the workshop I don't want to have to wash my hands after every time I use it. Not that I care if my hands are dirty or sticky but if I'm working on a project I don't want to get shit all over it, but to each his own.
 
Frank01 said:
Hi Guys,

For sure not the first one to ask....I apply BLO to a HH handle and it came out sticky, the old handle that I restored came out great but, this one not.

I put some BLO on a rough to rub the handle trying to dissolve the excess of BLO. Seem to be ok but hours later still sticky

What should I do?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Presuming HH means House Handle. If not please ignore. I've had what your describing happen with hafts from this manufacturer. One of the many reasons I will never purchase from them again. I tried every trick I know and on portions of the haft the finish would not cure. Stayed sticky like your describing.
 
If an oil-based finish doesn't dry, most likely it's gone off. They all do in time.

If you're desperate, you can filter it through a stocking to get rid of the gelled lumps and then add a bit of white spirit - but no guarantees.
 
Ziggy99 said:
If an oil-based finish doesn't dry, most likely it's gone off. They all do in time.

If you're desperate, you can filter it through a stocking to get rid of the gelled lumps and then add a bit of white spirit - but no guarantees.
Click to expand...

Good point. But that wasn't the case with the hafts I had / have from said manufacturer.
 
Jlemay18 said:
Submerging your handles in BLO is different than just applying a lot and leaving it. As long as there isn't too much left on the handle when you take it out of the BLO bath it shouldn't get sticky but if you put a lot on and leave it it will dry before it all has a chance to soak in and leave it sticky. And when it comes to the handle finish there's no real right answer, just whatever your preference is. That said I could never leave my handles sticky and gummy, is one thing for an axe handle I'm typically using outside and usually have work gloves on or my hands are already dirty, but if it's my hammer or something I use in the workshop I don't want to have to wash my hands after every time I use it. Not that I care if my hands are dirty or sticky but if I'm working on a project I don't want to get shit all over it, but to each his own.
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Yep, understood and 100% agree. Actually if you submerge in BLO while they don't get quite as nasty, the wood will purge/bleed BLO a bit and that can gum up quite a bit. I just pulled one out of a bath and now that its gotten colder it'll be weeping BLO for a while. A bit of a pita when trying to use the tool for working on things like walnut & cherry.
 
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