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Thread: to infuse or not to infuse

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    395

    to infuse or not to infuse

    Im not sure if this is posted in the right sub fora, but since its about chisles, I chose this one.

    I wan`t to hear if any one has experiense with infused chisel handles, especially the socket type.

    I have finally got my self a nice set of vintage Berg socket chisels. The socket type is almost unknown and was probably never sold here in Scandinavia, so to me its a very rare set and worth restoring.

    They have no handles.

    I want to restore them as close to original as possible so I have bought a very expensive piece of masurbirch of which I think its possible to turn about 40-50 handles.

    I found a guy close to where I live, who has a smal CNC wood lathe, and he agreed to turn the handles for me.

    Now Im thinking of getting the handles stabilized by infusing them with resin.

    Here comes the question: Will infusing make the handles more prone to pop out of the socket ?? Or will it make them less prone to pop out ? I have read somewhere that socket type handles often comes loose because of seasonal changes in humidity. Woulden`t infusing prohibit that ?, thuss make them better ?
    Best regards

    Lasse Hilbrandt

  2. #2
    No idea really about your question, Lasse, but when you want to restore them as original as possible, I would say, forget about such a modern technique!

  3. #3
    Hi Lasse, I wouldn't bother with infusing which requires either a high vacuum setup or someone to do it for you. As a suggestion, when I rehandled a set of James Swan socket paring chisels I varied the sizes of the handles. There were 7 chisels in the set starting at 1/4 inch wide. At each handle I lengthened by 1/8" and increased the diameter by 1/16".
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

  4. #4
    Lasse,

    I think you are overthinking this. Make a few handles and off you go.

    I wouldn't infuse anything until you know specifically what design you want.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Calgary AB
    Posts
    179
    Lasse,

    Why not experiment? Obviously you need a proper setup to infuse, but if you can find a friend or someone who has one it could be pretty fun just doing half original and half infused (or whatever ratio you are comfortable with since you can't undo acrylic infusion) and see which pops out first or more readily. With a good friction fit I can't see the infused ones really budging through normal use or the seasons. Also will be pretty hard to break the infused handles. Blue Spruce does infused handles with their curly maple but the design is a tang or tang and socket.

    Have fun!

    Vince

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Edwardsville, IL.
    Posts
    1,673
    Just my 2 cents worth. The maple burls and other woods I have infused can take a beating and hold up well. The down side is that the wood is less elastic/ more brittle. So the thinner the wood the more likely it can fracture. Should not be a problem with socket chisel handles. I would caution to infuse first then turn as the process will deform the wood. Seems a bit expensive for chisel handles, considering resin here retails for about $80.00 USD per gallon, but I would expect it to work just fine and less likely to expand and contract with the seasons. You can also tint the resin for the desired effect.
    Best of luck to you.

  7. I guess you'll have to do an infused and non-infused handle and report back. My hunch is an infused handle will pop out more easily. Wood has a natural tendency to compress and spring back to a certain degree, which allows the wood to grip the sides of the socket well (except on real cold dry days). Whereas infusing eliminates that.
    Last edited by matteo furbacchione; 06-20-2018 at 5:25 AM.

  8. #8
    I used a chisel with an ash handle for many years. It is the only 1/4 inch chisel I have ever used (except for mortise chisel) and already 40 years old when I started using it. I retired the handle when it was 86 years old. The handle was not worn out; I put on a longer handle because years of sharpening had reduced the chisel to where it was no longer an optimum length. Wooden chisel handles are durable; we have been using wooden handles at least since the bronze age.

    Socket handles tend to be wedged in tighter with use. They are in compression. As with a plane wedge, a wood with a little give to it yields a better wedging action. The taper designed in your chisel presupposes a certain give to the wood. I think that if seasonal changes cause the handle to come out, maybe the chisel wasn't used for six months. Or maybe the wood was too stiff for the taper of the socket.

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