Sir, I have come to respect you greatly! My Grandfather taught me this, when using oil: Once a day for a week; Once a week for a month; Once a month for a year; Once a year forever. God Bless!
@@anthonyreynolds2775 I know that now, but I didn't when I was applying it and now it is already sticky. Any suggestions for how to get the sticky dried oil off and make it not sticky?
@@anthonyreynolds2775 On day 6th this happened to me, maybe I used a towel that was dirty or as you said excess oil was the culprit. How did you fix the sticky?
Got a rusty camp axe with a rotten handle a few weeks ago. I restored the head, and hand carved a new handle from vine maple, finally finished putting it together today, and I just started sealing the handle with boiled linseed oil because I remembered watching this video a while back. Thanks for all the great videos and information!
My grandfather used to drill a hole in the end of the shovel handle put a 50/50 mixture of turpentine and boiled linseed oil in the hole and plug the hole with a dowel. They used this same treatment for axes and even fence posts. Some of those same wood fence posts are still standing 5 generations later.
I've heard of old farmers putting hydraulic oil on fence post to the same way and there all still around to but the old farmers aren't the fence post lasted longer
My dad used to stand fence posts in a drum of old motor oil for several days. When I was a kid I asked him why he did that. He said it keeps the worms and fungus in the ground from eating the wood. He would also pour a little oil on the top of the posts every so often. He said it helps keep the water from soaking in through the top and rotting the posts. The water will also freeze and split the posts.
Hello, I enjoy your videos on the tools and how best to maintain them. I recently replaced two ax handles using many of your methods and I thank you very much!! I watched your video "How To Care For Your Ax & Other Wood Handle Tools" and followed instruction on using Boiled Linseed Oil to preserve the new wood handles. Well I wanted to share that Linseed Oil on rags can Spontaneous Combust and has caused many fires. I was fortunate that the rags didn't combust in my basement but did discolor and char. People need to read the manufacture instructions and warnings on the product containers. I thought this learning was important enough to share with your veiwers and hope they use caution with the used soaked Linseed Oil rags. Again Thanks for sharing all the information!!
Before watching your channel I knew very little about tools . I really appreciate the time you take to explain things for guys like me. Ty brother and God bless.
thanks to you i managed to get 2 hatchets and 1 camp axe all american made from ebay, i got replacement handles and sanded off the shellac and treated them to boiled linseed oil, they are fantastic now. my thanks Cody - Dave
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." Abraham Lincoln Saw this quote posted on the wall in the hall in my kid's highschool and I like what it's saying about being prepared to take on a task.
My old landlord used to refinish antiques using boiled linseed oil and Turpentine, a 30/70% mix, the oil = 70%. The Turp helped the oil penetrate far deeper into the wood fibers, important in OLD wood and helped in drying quickly. Smelled beautiful too!!
Good job Cody, nice clear presentation. Really helpful tips and thanks for sharing the story you told that your Grandfather passed on to you. My own father is a wonderful story teller and I could almost finish his stories for him at this stage but I love hearing them from him, and now my daughters hear them too. It is amazing what realizations a person has when they mature. If I'm ever half the man my Dad is I will be happy.Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you Sir, I brought my dads old axe, choppers & hand axes with me when he died & they were just left in the shed. I just went out and bought some boiled Linseed oil & will begin the process of bringing them all back to life. I recall dad buying them 58 years ago!!!Thanks again. Chris.
Christopher Poole, I'm sure your Dad would be proud to see you taking care of his tools. I just rehung my Grandfathers Double bit again. I think of him when I use this axe. I'm also going to make it a better sheath. I last hung this axe when I was in high school 35 years ago but I had let my kids use it and the learning process was hard on the handle:-)
60 years ago, my grandfather would prepare his tools for chopping cotton each May. He started with a broken Coke bottle. The extremely sharp edge was used to scrape the wood to remove the palpable grain in the wood from swelling and shrinking as the water content changed. After he had the handles smooth, he put on boiled linseed oil as you did. Of course, he then sharpened the tool.
Found 2 granfors bruks heads in the inlaws shed! one single 2.5 pound and a wide face double, cleaned them up right and followed the "how to handle an axe" video, there the only tools I keep in the house! I also threw my Fiberglass handled axes in the garbage, where cheap offshore crap belongs. Thanks Cody!!!!!
Nice video Cody. I have found that cutting Linseed oil with about 50/50 with Gum Turpentine will give you a better penetration into your tool handles. It does require 2-3 coats but the Turpentine penetrates the wood much better than the pure Linseed oil.
nice vid (as always)! A friend of mine straitened a rock-pick handle once by heating up some water and pipping it in there repeatedly until it was all hot; then he strapped it to a big wooden beam with ratchet-straps. After a few days it was nice and straight. on the down side it tool another few days for it to dry out again.
I inherited several tools from my father in law. thank you for putting up this video. I needed some advise to help me take good care of them. knowing how to protect them and use them properly will stretch out their life span so hopefully my boys can use their Opa's tools in days to come. thanks again Cody
My grandpa used to work for TrueTemper here in Charleston, WV. He said when they demolished the building, the workers founds heads and tools stashed all over by employees.
My granfather worked as a maintenance mechanic for the inland steel coal company in the 40's,50's and 60's he got his training in chicago where they gave him this newfangled tool called the channellock pliers he carried them for almost 40 years I still have these old channellocks.
my great grandpa used to be a black smith and when he passed my dad wanted to junk every thing in his shop, and I told him before he did that to let me come down and see what I can salvage out of there. I found the holy grail of double bit axes I found four sager chemical heads and about thirty true temper but most of the true temper ones have a lot of dings and chips off the edge. So I ended up paying my dad for the heads I paid junk weight for them which here in Missouri is about 200 a ton.
Great Video thank you for share this, I always use Boiled linseed oil to treat tool handles, works awesome! Please remember to dispose of linseed oil rags properly as they are very combustible!
A hint to help speed the drying. Cut your boiled linseed oil 50/50 with Gum turpentine (NOT Mineral Turpentine) apply it in the sunshine, it helps the mix penetrate into the wood and the turpentine speeds the oxidation of the oil so that it solidifys inside the wood cells and prevents shrinkage. Also as Jusb1066 stated paint or soak the wedge end. I build a dam around the wedge end with linseed oil based window putty and fill it with 10 - 15ml of the linseed oil mix at a time, keep refilling until it stops sucking it in.. I believe it should be at least a couple of times a year for the first few years then its just maintaining the oiled finish.It's worth the effort to load the wedged end with oil. All the best to you.
If you have spare handles, you can actually take a large PVC tube and cap one end and put the handles in there and then fill it with linseed oil and cap the other end and set it off to the side. The linseed will actually permeate into the wood. When you need to handle take it out and use this mixture (continued in reply)
A couple of years ago I tore down a egg shed or garage for a neighbor of mine inside this old century garage was a double bedded axe It sat around in the back of my truck for at least a year recently my wife and I bought a house now I have my own workshop Since watching your channel I have bought a draw knife and a belt sander and have started to refurbish the axe
Thank you for all your videos. Something that you might want to try is sealing with paraffin wax after your last coat of boiled linseed oil. I melt a stick or two in a cookie tin, it only takes a few seconds on a hot plate. Then I use a piece of burlap or duck cloth to rub it into the wood and metal surfaces. You can use a blow dryer on high heat or a heat gun on low to keep it wet enough to distribute across the surface. It seals both wood and metal as well as fills in rough grain & grips well.
You mentioned hard times. Worked on a farm for a living in Missouri have a mouse hawk I made and used black motor oil soaking 12 hours came out perfectly
I’m watching these in a kind of catch-up mode. It’s always fascinating to see how some things change in six years (it’s now 2018) and how some things never change. Even way back here you’re recommending the boiled linseed oil. I guess that’s what I’ll be getting this fall when I do all my handles for the first time, that and a spoke shave. I also noticed some of the other handle-care videos didn’t mention the steel wool. I know that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve gotten away from it. Just observing. It’s also interesting to note that later on your preference seems to be applying the oil by hand using rubber gloves. I can definitely see that there could be a little less waste from what the rag would soak up. I’m always grateful when you share a story or two from your past. The typewriter story was a good analogy. Would have loved to have met your grand-dad. Thanks for the essential tool descriptions at the end. That information will be very good to have. Oh yeah! That reminds me about another apparent change in preference. Looks like lately your preference in wedges is plastic. That’s all I’ve seen so far in all the videos I’ve watched that came after this. Last but not least, I really appreciate the in-depth description of how to choose a good handle for your axe that you wrote below the video. That is EXACTLY what I was hoping to find out from you at some point. Now I can just go back here and read it. Cool!!! As always, thank you for the professionalism that you put into your videos, even all the way back then.😊
Or perhaps they varnish in a half - pitched effort to protect the wood while it's waiting to be purchased and used in an effort to prevent damage? Idk though, just a thought 🤷
That's true about the Ford axles! A long time ago i had the great pleasure of being a blacksmith apprentice and our master told us that when we wanted to find the best and cheapest iron at a scrapyard we should always look for Ford axles and springs, the older the better. Old ones are better because they have a very nice amount of carbon for forge work. modern ones tend have either too much of not enough. same with railroad spikes, new ones(after about 1980-90) have too much and are to brittle
I have always been a fan on lighter mauls 4-5 lbs. but i recently bought a Gransfors bruk after finding the wranglerstar channel. I now run a Gransfors Bruk large long splitting axe and it is the finist slitting tool i have ever used! and i split madrone and black oak.
Ive been watching your videos for a fairly long time now, and i really must say that your a very talented man, and im a finishing contractor for 20 years, plus an avid bushcrafter, and outdoorsman. Ive recently aquired a wetterlings hunters hatchet 115. And im also starting to aquire alot of traditional hand tools and you have really helped me learn alot. So thank you.
you can also use danish oil, which is linseed oil with mineral spirits or varnish already mixed in. it gives you an oil finish, but wears much better and last longer.
Excellent review wranglerstar! You know what? I had a great day today. I modified my log splitter, build myself a Hookaroon, put on it a nice hickory handle, sand it down and add some double boiled linseed oil to it. How about that for a joyful day? Thank you for your great video. ('' inspirational " )
I would like to mention that just because the ford axles were better for wedges, doesn't mean that they were the best for axles. Softer steels have their place too. If something is too hard it becomes brittle, and in an axle, that could well lead to it breaking. In fact, the problem with many of these Chinese steels is not being too soft, but being too hard.
your answer to survival919 answers my question thank you Cody ... i just got my first Grandfores Burks small forest axe so excited in my first real axe ...well hatchet lol investment (plan to get the others also) I have same splintery feeling and dry looking handel issue , I was searching for this answer and I should have came straight to your channel right away ... thank you. and enjoying your new book also blessing to you and yours. Emmaye
GM cams used to wear out quickly because they used a soft steel. They changed steel in the early 90's I think it was. 80's were most notorious for the soft steel problem. Ball joints also.
Found your channel after looking for refinishing options on my axe and you do some great work sir. I recently pulled an old axe out of the shed that's been sitting for years, the head was rusted and the handle was in a little rougher shape (looks wise) than the the first tool you refinished in this video. The head is still on the handle rock solid so I sanded the rust off and painted it red; then to the handle down with my knife and cleaned up the palm swell with a file and finished it off with 220. My question is what's the best "all weather" finish I can put on the handle? I coated it with Boiled Linseed Oil, but this axe will live mounted in the bed of my truck along with my shovel and jack so it'll be exposed to the elements, my neighbor told me to use Spar Varnish, he said that's what they used on the decks when he was in the Navy and it held up against the open seas.
The problem with varnish on tool handles is threefold- 1. It makes the handle slick in the hand, which can cause you to lose your grip while working, which is dangerous. 2. Because of the slickness, you have to squeeze it tighter to maintain your grip, which will fatigue your hands & forearms faster. It will also raise blisters on your skin more easily.So what do you do to protect it from outdoor elements?My advice would be to use tung oil instead of boiled linseed oil. It usually takes more coats of tung oil to get a proper finish, but tung oil will give the wood some water resistance. The other thing I would also do is make a simple axe sheath you can mount in your truck bed. Get a length of 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe that's a little longer than the handle. Cut a notch in one end the width of the axe head, so when you slide the handle into the pipe the axe head will fit snugly into the notch. Cap off the other end of the pipe. Mount it to the truck bed, tilted slightly to keep the axe head side down- this will allow any water that collects inside the pipe to run out. Secure the axe inside it with a strap over the top of the axe head to keep it from sliding out of the pipe.This will give you a cover for your axe handle to keep direct sun and water off of it. That will greatly reduce exposure damage to the tool, and it should only cost you a few dollars and perhaps an hour's work. Plus it conceals the tool from any would-be thieves that glance in your truck bed.
In the video you talk about using boiled linseed oil on the handles, just wondering have you ever tried Danish oil? I've found it gives a darker look and feels just as good if not better when using the axe without gloves, it's also thinner and I believe it soaks in better(no proof on that but seems like it to me)
Instead of just linseed oil, I like using Tried and True - Original Wood Finish, which is a combination of Linseed Oil and Beeswax. I use it for our wooden spoons, cutting boards and bowls too as well as my axes and other tools. I also sometimes finish both the handle and steel of my axes with Renaissance wax. As one article about boiled linseed oil says, "The problem is that "boiled" linseed oil sold as wood finish contains heavy metal additives to aid drying: lead acetate and cobalt-manganese. These compounds are neither safe for you nor safe for the environment".
Matt Foley I have had my axe for about 3 years and i have used nothing but Mineral oil for both the axe head, to keep it from rusting, and to finish the handle. It seems to work well, i have no complaints with it. The only problem is that it attracts dirt and dust from the air and it makes it have a rotting looks to it but, it actually isn't
is the BOL or just the LO safe during the food processing process? I used BOL on the handle but not on the hammerhead for a rice pounding hammer for fear that the BOL would not be food safe. Wanted to protect the monkeywood hammerhead but did not know what to use.
Just a safety point thats worth mentioning, linseed oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust if left in with other rubbish( or trash for those across the pond) as heat builds up as it tries to evaporate so soak them in water or burn them on a fire.
imjca63 I just got a 13" Husqvarna axe and I was thinking about doing this to protect it. Did you use sand paper on your handle before appling the oil or did you just apply it?
Channel locks are one of the best tools to have in many situations. They are indispensable in some cases. I work in a secure facility and our maintenance personnel are only allowed to carry a pair of channel locks and a dual bit screw driver without having to sign in other specialty tools. They can do many jobs with just those two tools.
On day 6 of refinishing my fireman's pick axe, I noticed that the last layer of linseed oil became tacky the next day, should I use paint thinner to remove this layer and clean the handle then start back with the 30 oiling process? This is going to be a working axe on the homestead once I return there.
I recently inherited a box of old tools from my great grandfather. Old wooden handled hammers of different sizes, a small hatchet and wooden handled screwdrivers. You can almost feel the history of old tools through the handles! I think they put varnish on modern tools because people no longer care for the things they buy, they use them until they break and then chuck them away.
Thanks W. I've got a mess of tools I've neglected too long and you've inspired me to go get the boiled linseed oil and get to work. I also have a mineral oil mixed with bee's wax I use on the chopping block. Ever use that or think it might work? I'm going to try it on one of the tool handles and see how it goes.
i get so tired of people saying i need to use a splitting maul to split wood. thank you for agreeing with me. ive split wood for the past 7 years (im 17) and i always love to use an axe rather than a maul. it just works better for me. but a maul has its place when you have to split rounds.
Can you do a video about restoring the metal (removing rust and chips in the edge) on the tools? For example I bought an old 11 inch digging spade that has a lot of rust on the surface and few minor chips on the edge. Thanks and God bless!
I have an Pulaski JUST LIKE THAT ONE! Except mine has a massively large diameter handle on it currently. I inherited it from my great grandfather, so I don't know if he installed the handle or if it's original, but I hate it. Working on making my own better shaped handle to install! I wasn't sure what it even was for the longest time, but I've used it on many occasions to remove roots and dig trenches.
Nice video! I was hoping to get your take on Axe sharpening though. I'm a firefighter and although I have learned through trial and error how to sharpen my ax, I was never shown a proper technique. You being a wildland ff I was hoping to get your input.
Would love to see your pick of different manufactures (past/present) that made good quality steel. How to know if an implement is made of good steel. You can run across anything at these flea markets and yard sales. Thanks Excellent vid. Keep it up
hello you wanted to know what we find. I have a Sager Chemical Ax. ( Michigan double bit1933) it was my grand fathers ax. i have to re-handle it. that will be my next project.
I received a hint years ago to thin boiled linseed oil with mineral spirits or paint thinner to help the oil penetrate the wood grain. Also, it is beneficial to put the handle and a can of thinned oil in the sunlight for warmth and better penetration. You know that replacement handles are expensive and difficult to find good grain orientation. The years of maintaining handles adds beautiful character to the tool. Thank you for your educational videos.
Tried splitting some old oak that had been cut and sitting out for 5 years. It was near impossible. Hard as a rock. I got the Granfors bruks splitting axe, and it is far better than the hardware store junk splitting maul.
We Grand-kids, after we used our hand tools, always cleaned of all dirt and then lightly oiled them before hanging them in their spot on the Garage Wall. If we didn't do that and we got caught the following morning, there was hell to pay. Our Father and Grandfathers made sure of that. Children today don't get the education we did back then.
My grandpa lived in a very quite neighborhood in the woods with people who didn't bother each other but my grandpa when I was 3 he took me into the work shop and gave me a saw and told me to saw a peace of scrap wood and this repeated until I learned to use all the tools he had, then about 8 or 9 he gave me a hatchet and made me cut wood and he made me clean everything but he raised me to be a man not a boy and taught me a lot of life lesson that I still use to this day and kids these days will never learn to take care of each other or themselves it's quite sad really.
0:46 I have one of those! I need to clean it up and get it looking that nice, but I have one! Cody: if you want to know the process to make your own BLO, WoodByWright did a video on how to make it. It is boiled, but you have to do it very carefully because a few degrees past the boiling point is the flash point and that stuff will basically explode if it reaches that flash temp. The home made stuff is a really interesting process and then yields a nontoxic oil that you can even drink. (Dont do that unless you want some long hours of Angry Birds on the throne lol)
Thank you. Great Video. However that's not a Pulaski, that's a Mattock. The Pulaski has a big axe blade and a minor grubbing blade and the Mattock is the reverse. I've found that the splitting maul comes into it's own on longer lengths wood, like a fire place log instead of a stove wood billet and on tougher wood like oak. I think of it as a sledge hammer with a built in wedge rather than a REALLY heavy axe. I didn't know about the different steel in the splitting axe. Interesting.
You are going to force me to restore my Pulaski. It is a True Temper, like yours. I have used it to break up the soil around my roses more than anything else. I have had it for close to forth years.
Hi , I love your videos and find them very interesting . It's great to see the old vintage American tools . I'm a big fan of Estwing tools and just bought the sportsman axe a difficult find here in Ireland and , I would love to know your option on Estwing , loved the one on the Bahco axe. cheers a Irish fan
Help. I have procured both a pulaski and a swamper pattern kelly works flint edge. My problem is the handles. After much searching I have found one decent hickory handle, grain running the right way and no knots. the cheeks arent as wide as the eye however. Is this critical? If the head is hung well will it be ok with an air gap on either side?
Always have been a Ford guy. No great reason and I am not a pro mechanic, and others have chastised me saying parts are almost as expensive as foreign cars, but they just seem to last longer to me.
Sir, I have come to respect you greatly!
My Grandfather taught me this, when using oil:
Once a day for a week;
Once a week for a month;
Once a month for a year;
Once a year forever.
God Bless!
My grandfather took me on my first hunting trip when I was little. I shot a rabbit. I cried. He called me a faggot.
I was applying boiled linseed oil to a new axe of mine, but put too much and now the handle is completely sticky. Any suggestions to get it off?
@@anthonyreynolds2775 I know that now, but I didn't when I was applying it and now it is already sticky. Any suggestions for how to get the sticky dried oil off and make it not sticky?
@@anthonyreynolds2775 On day 6th this happened to me, maybe I used a towel that was dirty or as you said excess oil was the culprit. How did you fix the sticky?
Got a rusty camp axe with a rotten handle a few weeks ago. I restored the head, and hand carved a new handle from vine maple, finally finished putting it together today, and I just started sealing the handle with boiled linseed oil because I remembered watching this video a while back. Thanks for all the great videos and information!
7:34 is an ominously accurate warning.
My grandfather used to drill a hole in the end of the shovel handle put a 50/50 mixture of turpentine and boiled linseed oil in the hole and plug the hole with a dowel.
They used this same treatment for axes and even fence posts.
Some of those same wood fence posts are still standing 5 generations later.
I've heard of old farmers putting hydraulic oil on fence post to the same way and there all still around to but the old farmers aren't the fence post lasted longer
My dad used to stand fence posts in a drum of old motor oil for several days. When I was a kid I asked him why he did that. He said it keeps the worms and fungus in the ground from eating the wood. He would also pour a little oil on the top of the posts every so often. He said it helps keep the water from soaking in through the top and rotting the posts. The water will also freeze and split the posts.
Hello, I enjoy your videos on the tools and how best to maintain them. I recently replaced two ax handles using many of your methods and I thank you very much!! I watched your video "How To Care For Your Ax & Other Wood Handle Tools" and followed instruction on using Boiled Linseed Oil to preserve the new wood handles. Well I wanted to share that Linseed Oil on rags can Spontaneous Combust and has caused many fires. I was fortunate that the rags didn't combust in my basement but did discolor and char. People need to read the manufacture instructions and warnings on the product containers. I thought this learning was important enough to share with your veiwers and hope they use caution with the used soaked Linseed Oil rags. Again Thanks for sharing all the information!!
Before watching your channel I knew very little about tools . I really appreciate the time you take to explain things for guys like me. Ty brother and God bless.
I was not aware of this. I don't know a lot about the man. I have seen a few of his videos and really enjoyed them.
thanks to you i managed to get 2 hatchets and 1 camp axe all american made from ebay, i got replacement handles and sanded off the shellac and treated them to boiled linseed oil, they are fantastic now. my thanks Cody - Dave
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
Abraham Lincoln
Saw this quote posted on the wall in the hall in my kid's highschool and I like what it's saying about being prepared to take on a task.
My old landlord used to refinish antiques using boiled linseed oil and Turpentine, a 30/70% mix, the oil = 70%. The Turp helped the oil penetrate far deeper into the wood fibers, important in OLD wood and helped in drying quickly. Smelled beautiful too!!
As long as it is NOT mineral turpentine, but VEGETABLE turpentine.
Good job Cody, nice clear presentation. Really helpful tips and thanks for sharing the story you told that your Grandfather passed on to you. My own father is a wonderful story teller and I could almost finish his stories for him at this stage but I love hearing them from him, and now my daughters hear them too. It is amazing what realizations a person has when they mature. If I'm ever half the man my Dad is I will be happy.Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you Sir, I brought my dads old axe, choppers & hand axes with me when he died & they were just left in the shed. I just went out and bought some boiled Linseed oil & will begin the process of bringing them all back to life. I recall dad buying them 58 years ago!!!Thanks again.
Chris.
Christopher Poole, I'm sure your Dad would be proud to see you taking care of his tools. I just rehung my Grandfathers Double bit again. I think of him when I use this axe. I'm also going to make it a better sheath. I last hung this axe when I was in high school 35 years ago but I had let my kids use it and the learning process was hard on the handle:-)
PSA: Linseed oil is great, but use it carefully. It CAN spontaneously combust while drying because it produces heat while reacting with oxygen to dry.
60 years ago, my grandfather would prepare his tools for chopping cotton each May. He started with a broken Coke bottle. The extremely sharp edge was used to scrape the wood to remove the palpable grain in the wood from swelling and shrinking as the water content changed. After he had the handles smooth, he put on boiled linseed oil as you did. Of course, he then sharpened the tool.
Found 2 granfors bruks heads in the inlaws shed! one single 2.5 pound and a wide face double, cleaned them up right and followed the "how to handle an axe" video, there the only tools I keep in the house! I also threw my Fiberglass handled axes in the garbage, where cheap offshore crap belongs. Thanks Cody!!!!!
Nice video Cody. I have found that cutting Linseed oil with about 50/50 with Gum Turpentine will give you a better penetration into your tool handles. It does require 2-3 coats but the Turpentine penetrates the wood much better than the pure Linseed oil.
I love fixing up old tools. Working on a crosscut saw right now. Good video.
nice vid (as always)!
A friend of mine straitened a rock-pick handle once by heating up some water and pipping it in there repeatedly until it was all hot; then he strapped it to a big wooden beam with ratchet-straps. After a few days it was nice and straight. on the down side it tool another few days for it to dry out again.
I inherited several tools from my father in law. thank you for putting up this video. I needed some advise to help me take good care of them. knowing how to protect them and use them properly will stretch out their life span so hopefully my boys can use their Opa's tools in days to come. thanks again Cody
My grandpa used to work for TrueTemper here in Charleston, WV. He said when they demolished the building, the workers founds heads and tools stashed all over by employees.
Cody, I cant tell you how much i appreciate your videos! Great Stuff!!!
My granfather worked as a maintenance mechanic for the inland steel coal company in the 40's,50's and 60's he got his training in chicago where they gave him this newfangled tool called the channellock pliers he carried them for almost 40 years I still have these old channellocks.
my great grandpa used to be a black smith and when he passed my dad wanted to junk every thing in his shop, and I told him before he did that to let me come down and see what I can salvage out of there. I found the holy grail of double bit axes I found four sager chemical heads and about thirty true temper but most of the true temper ones have a lot of dings and chips off the edge. So I ended up paying my dad for the heads I paid junk weight for them which here in Missouri is about 200 a ton.
Thanks for your videos. I just restored a Zenith Marshal Wells axe today and am excited to go use it!
Great Video thank you for share this, I always use Boiled linseed oil to treat tool handles, works awesome! Please remember to dispose of linseed oil rags properly as they are very combustible!
A hint to help speed the drying. Cut your boiled linseed oil 50/50 with Gum turpentine (NOT Mineral Turpentine) apply it in the sunshine, it helps the mix penetrate into the wood and the turpentine speeds the oxidation of the oil so that it solidifys inside the wood cells and prevents shrinkage. Also as Jusb1066 stated paint or soak the wedge end. I build a dam around the wedge end with linseed oil based window putty and fill it with 10 - 15ml of the linseed oil mix at a time, keep refilling until it stops sucking it in.. I believe it should be at least a couple of times a year for the first few years then its just maintaining the oiled finish.It's worth the effort to load the wedged end with oil. All the best to you.
It's funny how axe handles are made of wood.
It's like the ultimate 'Fuck you' to trees.
hahaha awesome
Lol
If you have spare handles, you can actually take a large PVC tube and cap one end and put the handles in there and then fill it with linseed oil and cap the other end and set it off to the side. The linseed will actually permeate into the wood. When you need to handle take it out and use this mixture (continued in reply)
A couple of years ago I tore down a egg shed or garage for a neighbor of mine inside this old century garage was a double bedded axe
It sat around in the back of my truck for at least a year recently my wife and I bought a house now I have my own workshop
Since watching your channel I have bought a draw knife and a belt sander and have started to refurbish the axe
Sage advice Cody! Ever since I was a little boy I've loved splitting wood and the maul is by far my favorite, but we a ton of oak.
I did this with my old pick! Man it really would hurt my hands but its so much better now! thank you
Thank you for all your videos. Something that you might want to try is sealing with paraffin wax after your last coat of boiled linseed oil. I melt a stick or two in a cookie tin, it only takes a few seconds on a hot plate. Then I use a piece of burlap or duck cloth to rub it into the wood and metal surfaces. You can use a blow dryer on high heat or a heat gun on low to keep it wet enough to distribute across the surface. It seals both wood and metal as well as fills in rough grain & grips well.
You mentioned hard times. Worked on a farm for a living in Missouri have a mouse hawk I made and used black motor oil soaking 12 hours came out perfectly
I’m watching these in a kind of catch-up mode. It’s always fascinating to see how some things change in six years (it’s now 2018) and how some things never change. Even way back here you’re recommending the boiled linseed oil. I guess that’s what I’ll be getting this fall when I do all my handles for the first time, that and a spoke shave. I also noticed some of the other handle-care videos didn’t mention the steel wool. I know that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve gotten away from it. Just observing.
It’s also interesting to note that later on your preference seems to be applying the oil by hand using rubber gloves. I can definitely see that there could be a little less waste from what the rag would soak up.
I’m always grateful when you share a story or two from your past. The typewriter story was a good analogy. Would have loved to have met your grand-dad.
Thanks for the essential tool descriptions at the end. That information will be very good to have. Oh yeah! That reminds me about another apparent change in preference. Looks like lately your preference in wedges is plastic. That’s all I’ve seen so far in all the videos I’ve watched that came after this.
Last but not least, I really appreciate the in-depth description of how to choose a good handle for your axe that you wrote below the video. That is EXACTLY what I was hoping to find out from you at some point. Now I can just go back here and read it. Cool!!!
As always, thank you for the professionalism that you put into your videos, even all the way back then.😊
Or perhaps they varnish in a half - pitched effort to protect the wood while it's waiting to be purchased and used in an effort to prevent damage? Idk though, just a thought 🤷
Excelent videos, I like very much to see the wood works you've posted. Regards from Argentina
Great video!
Solid info on the pulaski... although what you have there is not a pulaski, it's actually a cutter mattock.
Excellent video. This is where I come to learn. Hope all is well with the wild fires.
That's true about the Ford axles!
A long time ago i had the great pleasure of being a blacksmith apprentice and our master told us that when we wanted to find the best and cheapest iron at a scrapyard we should always look for Ford axles and springs, the older the better.
Old ones are better because they have a very nice amount of carbon for forge work. modern ones tend have either too much of not enough.
same with railroad spikes, new ones(after about 1980-90) have too much and are to brittle
I have always been a fan on lighter mauls 4-5 lbs. but i recently bought a Gransfors bruk after finding the wranglerstar channel. I now run a Gransfors Bruk large long splitting axe and it is the finist slitting tool i have ever used! and i split madrone and black oak.
Fiberglass handles - you are spot on about them.
Ive been watching your videos for a fairly long time now, and i really must say that your a very talented man, and im a finishing contractor for 20 years, plus an avid bushcrafter, and outdoorsman. Ive recently aquired a wetterlings hunters hatchet 115. And im also starting to aquire alot of traditional hand tools and you have really helped me learn alot. So thank you.
you can also use danish oil, which is linseed oil with mineral spirits or varnish already mixed in. it gives you an oil finish, but wears much better and last longer.
Boiled Linseed Oil. New tool. Every day for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year.
Excellent review wranglerstar! You know what? I had a great day today. I modified my log splitter, build myself a Hookaroon, put on it a nice hickory handle, sand it down and add some double boiled linseed oil to it. How about that for a joyful day? Thank you for your great video. ('' inspirational " )
I
Learned a lot from you sir, reconfirm my a few practices I have already use. A great informative yet humbled video. Thank you much
So are we. Looks like we are out of the woods. Tomorrow will tell
I would be lost without my pair of X-Large channel locks...
did I say plant? No he was a mechanic and a Ford dealership. Back then dealerships would work on anyone's car
yes you are right I remember now it was Andy Rooney. Who did I say it was???
I would like to mention that just because the ford axles were better for wedges, doesn't mean that they were the best for axles. Softer steels have their place too. If something is too hard it becomes brittle, and in an axle, that could well lead to it breaking. In fact, the problem with many of these Chinese steels is not being too soft, but being too hard.
your answer to survival919 answers my question thank you Cody ... i just got my first Grandfores Burks small forest axe so excited in my first real axe ...well hatchet lol investment (plan to get the others also) I have same splintery feeling and dry looking handel issue , I was searching for this answer and I should have came straight to your channel right away ... thank you. and enjoying your new book also
blessing to you and yours.
Emmaye
GM cams used to wear out quickly because they used a soft steel. They changed steel in the early 90's I think it was. 80's were most notorious for the soft steel problem. Ball joints also.
Found your channel after looking for refinishing options on my axe and you do some great work sir. I recently pulled an old axe out of the shed that's been sitting for years, the head was rusted and the handle was in a little rougher shape (looks wise) than the the first tool you refinished in this video. The head is still on the handle rock solid so I sanded the rust off and painted it red; then to the handle down with my knife and cleaned up the palm swell with a file and finished it off with 220.
My question is what's the best "all weather" finish I can put on the handle? I coated it with Boiled Linseed Oil, but this axe will live mounted in the bed of my truck along with my shovel and jack so it'll be exposed to the elements, my neighbor told me to use Spar Varnish, he said that's what they used on the decks when he was in the Navy and it held up against the open seas.
The problem with varnish on tool handles is threefold- 1. It makes the handle slick in the hand, which can cause you to lose your grip while working, which is dangerous. 2. Because of the slickness, you have to squeeze it tighter to maintain your grip, which will fatigue your hands & forearms faster. It will also raise blisters on your skin more easily.So what do you do to protect it from outdoor elements?My advice would be to use tung oil instead of boiled linseed oil. It usually takes more coats of tung oil to get a proper finish, but tung oil will give the wood some water resistance. The other thing I would also do is make a simple axe sheath you can mount in your truck bed. Get a length of 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe that's a little longer than the handle. Cut a notch in one end the width of the axe head, so when you slide the handle into the pipe the axe head will fit snugly into the notch. Cap off the other end of the pipe. Mount it to the truck bed, tilted slightly to keep the axe head side down- this will allow any water that collects inside the pipe to run out. Secure the axe inside it with a strap over the top of the axe head to keep it from sliding out of the pipe.This will give you a cover for your axe handle to keep direct sun and water off of it. That will greatly reduce exposure damage to the tool, and it should only cost you a few dollars and perhaps an hour's work. Plus it conceals the tool from any would-be thieves that glance in your truck bed.
In the video you talk about using boiled linseed oil on the handles, just wondering have you ever tried Danish oil? I've found it gives a darker look and feels just as good if not better when using the axe without gloves, it's also thinner and I believe it soaks in better(no proof on that but seems like it to me)
It's not really boiled, but treated with hot air blowing through it. They also put in some additives to speed up the drying process.
Instead of just linseed oil, I like using Tried and True - Original Wood Finish, which is a combination of Linseed Oil and Beeswax. I use it for our wooden spoons, cutting boards and bowls too as well as my axes and other tools. I also sometimes finish both the handle and steel of my axes with Renaissance wax.
As one article about boiled linseed oil says, "The problem is that "boiled" linseed oil sold as wood finish contains heavy metal additives to aid drying: lead acetate and cobalt-manganese. These compounds are neither safe for you nor safe for the environment".
That's interesting. I make my own mix to finish the exteriors of my bee hives. A thrift store crock pot works great for mixing & storing.
Matt Foley I have had my axe for about 3 years and i have used nothing but Mineral oil for both the axe head, to keep it from rusting, and to finish the handle. It seems to work well, i have no complaints with it. The only problem is that it attracts dirt and dust from the air and it makes it have a rotting looks to it but, it actually isn't
is the BOL or just the LO safe during the food processing process? I used BOL on the handle but not on the hammerhead for a rice pounding hammer for fear that the BOL would not be food safe. Wanted to protect the monkeywood hammerhead but did not know what to use.
Why the wax?
These old vids are the best, they are not too fast and the title tells what the video is about.
lol, I drive Fords too. Mine are all 20+ years old and still going =D
"If you're of smaller stature or a woman.." Thanks for lumping me in with the females, Cody. Hahaha
i watched ray mears fashon an axe handle for his GB out of an ash log. it looked amazing. wood is the only choice for a legacy tool.
Just a safety point thats worth mentioning, linseed oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust if left in with other rubbish( or trash for those across the pond) as heat builds up as it tries to evaporate so soak them in water or burn them on a fire.
Great vid, just did my Husqvarna campers axe and it looks great !! thanks...
imjca63 I just got a 13" Husqvarna axe and I was thinking about doing this to protect it. Did you use sand paper on your handle before appling the oil or did you just apply it?
I first sanded using 180 grit then applied the linseed oil and it looks and feels great...
Every so often an old Wranglerstar video would have me think that one side of my earphones is broken.
Channel locks are one of the best tools to have in many situations. They are indispensable in some cases. I work in a secure facility and our maintenance personnel are only allowed to carry a pair of channel locks and a dual bit screw driver without having to sign in other specialty tools. They can do many jobs with just those two tools.
You mean Andy Rooney. Not Mickey Rooney. LOL Andy was the writer and on 60 Minutes. Mickey was the actor and on the Movie Screen. :>)
Love these old videos
On day 6 of refinishing my fireman's pick axe, I noticed that the last layer of linseed oil became tacky the next day, should I use paint thinner to remove this layer and clean the handle then start back with the 30 oiling process? This is going to be a working axe on the homestead once I return there.
You talking about economic collapse or great depression 10 years ago hits hard nowadays.
Could you do a video on gloves and/or other PPE? Which gloves to buy and how to care for them etc.
I recently inherited a box of old tools from my great grandfather. Old wooden handled hammers of different sizes, a small hatchet and wooden handled screwdrivers. You can almost feel the history of old tools through the handles! I think they put varnish on modern tools because people no longer care for the things they buy, they use them until they break and then chuck them away.
autobody shops. Is for using on a long board
Thanks for all the great videos. Now I have a reason to go to garage sales.
Thanks W.
I've got a mess of tools I've neglected too long and you've inspired me to go get the boiled linseed oil and get to work. I also have a mineral oil mixed with bee's wax I use on the chopping block. Ever use that or think it might work? I'm going to try it on one of the tool handles and see how it goes.
i get so tired of people saying i need to use a splitting maul to split wood. thank you for agreeing with me. ive split wood for the past 7 years (im 17) and i always love to use an axe rather than a maul. it just works better for me. but a maul has its place when you have to split rounds.
Can you do a video about restoring the metal (removing rust and chips in the edge) on the tools? For example I bought an old 11 inch digging spade that has a lot of rust on the surface and few minor chips on the edge. Thanks and God bless!
I have an Pulaski JUST LIKE THAT ONE! Except mine has a massively large diameter handle on it currently. I inherited it from my great grandfather, so I don't know if he installed the handle or if it's original, but I hate it. Working on making my own better shaped handle to install! I wasn't sure what it even was for the longest time, but I've used it on many occasions to remove roots and dig trenches.
Nice video! I was hoping to get your take on Axe sharpening though. I'm a firefighter and although I have learned through trial and error how to sharpen my ax, I was never shown a proper technique. You being a wildland ff I was hoping to get your input.
great video I have read that linseed oil can be put on cutting boards and bowls, but boiled linseed oil is poisonous.
Very interesting information. I really learned something new. Thank you. Stay safe.
Would love to see your pick of different manufactures (past/present) that made good quality steel. How to know if an implement is made of good steel. You can run across anything at these flea markets and yard sales.
Thanks
Excellent vid. Keep it up
Having owned a Hal dozen F250’s I have to agree.
hello you wanted to know what we find. I have a Sager Chemical Ax. ( Michigan double bit1933) it was my grand fathers ax. i have to re-handle it. that will be my next project.
Varnish on new handles and new tools with varnished handles is for shipping. It’s so they don’t get stained or discolored.
I received a hint years ago to thin boiled linseed oil with mineral spirits or paint thinner to help the oil penetrate the wood grain. Also, it is beneficial to put the handle and a can of thinned oil in the sunlight for warmth and better penetration. You know that replacement handles are expensive and difficult to find good grain orientation. The years of maintaining handles adds beautiful character to the tool. Thank you for your educational videos.
40% contained should be out by the 12th or 13th calm winds.
Tried splitting some old oak that had been cut and sitting out for 5 years. It was near impossible. Hard as a rock. I got the Granfors bruks splitting axe, and it is far better than the hardware store junk splitting maul.
We Grand-kids, after we used our hand tools, always cleaned of all dirt and then lightly oiled them before hanging them in their spot on the Garage Wall. If we didn't do that and we got caught the following morning, there was hell to pay. Our Father and Grandfathers made sure of that. Children today don't get the education we did back then.
My grandpa lived in a very quite neighborhood in the woods with people who didn't bother each other but my grandpa when I was 3 he took me into the work shop and gave me a saw and told me to saw a peace of scrap wood and this repeated until I learned to use all the tools he had, then about 8 or 9 he gave me a hatchet and made me cut wood and he made me clean everything but he raised me to be a man not a boy and taught me a lot of life lesson that I still use to this day and kids these days will never learn to take care of each other or themselves it's quite sad really.
How many years ago was the axle metal story from, because I don't know if the steel is still as good today. Thank you. I enjoy your videos.
It's May 2020 and your comment at 7:33 is suddenly very prescient. refinishing some tool handles real soon.
0:46 I have one of those! I need to clean it up and get it looking that nice, but I have one!
Cody: if you want to know the process to make your own BLO, WoodByWright did a video on how to make it. It is boiled, but you have to do it very carefully because a few degrees past the boiling point is the flash point and that stuff will basically explode if it reaches that flash temp. The home made stuff is a really interesting process and then yields a nontoxic oil that you can even drink. (Dont do that unless you want some long hours of Angry Birds on the throne lol)
Thank you. Great Video.
However that's not a Pulaski, that's a Mattock. The Pulaski has a big axe blade and a minor grubbing blade and the Mattock is the reverse.
I've found that the splitting maul comes into it's own on longer lengths wood, like a fire place log instead of a stove wood billet and on tougher wood like oak. I think of it as a sledge hammer with a built in wedge rather than a REALLY heavy axe.
I didn't know about the different steel in the splitting axe. Interesting.
I could not find your video on replacing handles. Should I be looking for a different title?
Thanks.
You are going to force me to restore my Pulaski. It is a True Temper, like yours. I have used it to break up the soil around my roses more than anything else. I have had it for close to forth years.
You have to know when to keep your job n family life seprate sorry 4 your decay wasant fair good luck my friend thanks 4 your info
Hi , I love your videos and find them very interesting . It's great to see the old vintage American tools . I'm a big fan of Estwing tools and just bought the sportsman axe a difficult find here in Ireland and , I would love to know your option on Estwing , loved the one on the Bahco axe. cheers a Irish fan
Help. I have procured both a pulaski and a swamper pattern kelly works flint edge. My problem is the handles. After much searching I have found one decent hickory handle, grain running the right way and no knots. the cheeks arent as wide as the eye however. Is this critical? If the head is hung well will it be ok with an air gap on either side?
I have never used one
Always have been a Ford guy. No great reason and I am not a pro mechanic, and others have chastised me saying parts are almost as expensive as foreign cars, but they just seem to last longer to me.
What axe was shown in the thumbnail? I like the overall triangular wedge shape of the head.