Gregory Mosher
03-02-2019, 8:41 AM
Hi folks, I have an old shinglers hatchet (or riggers axe, not sure which, feels too light to be for a rigger's) and I'm having an issue now with the handle.
It was my grandfather's, it's been sitting in the barn for probably 30 years I would guess, may be made of either ash or oak. I brought it inside to the house for a couple of days (I liked the straight handle with a palm swell that grandad carved, I'm going to be making a new handle out of ash for my framing hammer which is currently curved.) I looked over at it, and the handle is now checking and small splits running up the side, and a few days now after that happened, the head is coming loose on it now as well.
Grandad used it for a very long time but it always held strong, and he continually sealed it, I believe with BLO. Made out of good quartersawn stock etc. it should of been dried, for a very long time. Is it possible where it was sitting in the barn off of the floor in the top of hayloft, (in a dry spot out of the sun etc) the finish just faded away, then began drawing moisture somehow, so 30 years later when it came into the house and it dried out, that it just checked and came loose? I love this hatchet, and would love to save it, especially the handle. Grandad has passed away some 10 years or more ago and it still has the hand filing marks in it, multiple colours of paint on the handle etc. any advice on the how/why this happened, and is there any way to tighten it up again?
Thanks in advance.
Gregory
It was my grandfather's, it's been sitting in the barn for probably 30 years I would guess, may be made of either ash or oak. I brought it inside to the house for a couple of days (I liked the straight handle with a palm swell that grandad carved, I'm going to be making a new handle out of ash for my framing hammer which is currently curved.) I looked over at it, and the handle is now checking and small splits running up the side, and a few days now after that happened, the head is coming loose on it now as well.
Grandad used it for a very long time but it always held strong, and he continually sealed it, I believe with BLO. Made out of good quartersawn stock etc. it should of been dried, for a very long time. Is it possible where it was sitting in the barn off of the floor in the top of hayloft, (in a dry spot out of the sun etc) the finish just faded away, then began drawing moisture somehow, so 30 years later when it came into the house and it dried out, that it just checked and came loose? I love this hatchet, and would love to save it, especially the handle. Grandad has passed away some 10 years or more ago and it still has the hand filing marks in it, multiple colours of paint on the handle etc. any advice on the how/why this happened, and is there any way to tighten it up again?
Thanks in advance.
Gregory