Wooden Handles on tools

[Gil Knowles]

Is it just me but I hate the lacquer finish which comes on a lot of hammer and chisel handles. It does not look good or feel good to me. I either sand or strip off the lacquer and then finish with BLO. I really like the feel of BLO on a well sanded handle.
Gil

[Joel Goodman]

Agree. I've been using a product called BenMatte that's a tung oil with some resins added that seems like a cross between oil and varnish. Seems to give a nice finish and you renew it like BLO by just adding another coat. I just "bobbed" and refinished the handles on my A1 chisels that always seemed top heavy. Look better and feel better in the hand.

[Sean Hughto]

Plus one. I even like it on my plane knobs and totes:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/3029105774_333e2181f4.jpg

[Peter Pedisich]

Sean, that green looks great against the tote color! the shavings look even better...

Recently I acquired some hammers that I sanded off the poly/lacquer and used an oil & beeswax mixture. On one of them I used a rasp to change the oval handle to an octagonal shape for a big improvement.
The coatings make my hands sweat like making a presentation to 150 people.

Pete

[Gordon Eyre]

Plus one. I even like it on my plane knobs and totes:


Took the liberty of enlarging your picture and fixing the color balance so that I could get a better look at your plane. Quite a pile of shavings you have there.

http://www.pbase.com/greyflash/image/137468899/original.jpg

[Sean Hughto]

It's just a sw era 5, but it was my first rehab/intro to planes - over 15 years ago now. If you want a larger pic without losing resolution:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/3029105774_d55b79555e_o.jpg

[Gordon Eyre]

Thanks Sean, looks like a nice rehab and I like the finish on your tote.

[Bob Smalser]

BLO is fine only if you rub in a little bit every week. Otherwise it deteriorates over time.

I like Birchwood Casey Truoil, a polymerized linseed oil akin to a thin wiping varnish. It's expensive, but it feels cooler than shellac, protects the wood better as it was designed for gunstocks, holds up to abuse well and is renewable like shellac.

I do 6-8 coats and rub out with #0000 and carnuba wax after curing.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/21878325/368790362.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/21878325/361219109.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/21878325/361219073.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/5313557/277998735.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/9131162/266910305.jpg

[Wes Grass]

Exact opposite here. Can't stand the feel, or smell, of linseed oil. Used to go hang out at a friend's house, and he'd bring out a rifle he stripped and refinished. Used nothing but BLO, and I could feel and smell that stuff on my hands for days. Or on my cheek if I shouldered it to see how it pointed.

Just soaked some wood screws I made for a Moxon vise, to hopefully make the threads a bit more durable and self lubricating. I'm giving it a week to dry and then I'll cut the handles down and finish them with shellac.

[Chris Griggs]

I've used Tried and True Orig (which is pretty much just BLO) and Watco Danish Oil to refinish a few saw handles - both work pretty well, give some good protection and don't leave a film, but I do prefer the added protection and smoothness of the Watco. Also, even though it leaves a film I sometime like the feel of a thin spray coat of Bullseye Sealcoat dewaxed shellac to top things off - for me it makes the handle feel smoother than just a straight oil or oil varnish blend finish, but not slippery like a laquer or straight varnish can do.

[Pam Niedermayer]

If necessary, I apply a smidgeon of blo to a handle to get me over an extremely dry period before I can apply hand oil through use, never have to reapply.

Pam

[Sean Hughto]

BLO is fine only if you rub in a little bit every week.

Yeah, I tend to look around for tool handles when ever I have a paper towel with blo on it from a project or whatever, and give them a fresh, thin coat. Builds and renews.

I tried the True Oil. It leaves a good finish, but I have to say that it has an unpleasant smell to me. Strangely the smell of BLO I don't mind at all.

[Andrae Covington]

Offtopic but, what are these?



http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/5313557/277998735.jpg

[Dave Anderson NH]

Andrae, those are caulker's mallets for installing oakum along the seams of boat and ship planking.

[Jim Koepke]

+1 on bare wood with BLO, beeswax or a combination of the two.

jtk

[Andrae Covington]

Andrae, those are caulker's mallets for installing oakum along the seams of boat and ship planking.

Ah, thanks. I figured in a Bob Smalser posting it was probably related to boat-building.

[jamie shard]

For those that don't like the smell of BLO, this washing technique does seem to reduce the smell quite a bit... and makes the oil much lighter in (initial) color:

http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=1576

I haven't done it enough to say more, but I was surprised how much less funky it was after washing.