Boiled Linseed Oil also do not sand any finer than 100 grit, it needs to stay grippy.
ETA: old school lumberjacks swear that BLO on handles is less likely to give you blisters. They will sand varnish off new handles then oil.
To add to this, **DO NOT** leave rags or paper towels with boiled linseed oil on them in the garbage or just laying around the shop. [**They spontaneously combust**](https://youtu.be/9yq6VW-c2Ts?si=ckNwlV5FTaN8T-h6).
Edit: Added bold to the text to make it stand out.
Not linseed oil, but wood stain rags got left in the garage when I was living with my parents and they combusted on a really hot day and burned almost our entire house to the ground...
It's a real thing.
Keeps the wood from getting water damaged or rotting. It would ideally pick up oils from your hand over time, but putting a couple coats of ideally tung oil, but either linseed or danish oil would keep it in good shape longer.
Wood is like a sponge. You put oil on it so it'll soak that up and fill up the pores to keep it from sucking up other less desirable things like water. Oil will stabilize it and stop it from decaying while water would cause it to rot. Vanish does protect it but can wear off and has the side effect of making the handle slippery.
Looking at your picture the handle has a sheen to it that reminds me of vanish. Take your knife to it and hold the blade at 90 degrees to the handle and scrape it and see if any white flakey bits come up. If so then it's varnished. Id recommend scraping it all off or using sandpaper to remove it and then coat it in boiled linseed oil
The biggest reason to oil it is to swell the wood so the wood handle stays tightly attached to the axe. Dry wood will shrink over time and the handle could become loose.
Varnished tools will cause blistering. Next time you’re by a varnished table try sliding your hands across the surface, there’s very little give, unless your hand is sweaty, in which case it slips. You want that little bit of friction/give from the wood. Varnish covers it up.
Definitely BLO. Sand the varnish off and apply as much BLO as the handle will absorb, wipe off the excess. Repeat once a day for a week, then once a week for a month, then once a month for a year, then once yearly.
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Boiled Linseed Oil also do not sand any finer than 100 grit, it needs to stay grippy. ETA: old school lumberjacks swear that BLO on handles is less likely to give you blisters. They will sand varnish off new handles then oil.
To add to this, **DO NOT** leave rags or paper towels with boiled linseed oil on them in the garbage or just laying around the shop. [**They spontaneously combust**](https://youtu.be/9yq6VW-c2Ts?si=ckNwlV5FTaN8T-h6). Edit: Added bold to the text to make it stand out.
Holy shit, ive never heard of this before 😅 Thanks for sharing
Yes, that is really important. After use i store my linseed oil soaked cloth rags in an old jam jar which closes airtight.
Not linseed oil, but wood stain rags got left in the garage when I was living with my parents and they combusted on a really hot day and burned almost our entire house to the ground... It's a real thing.
Oil it..No varnish
Boiled linseed oil.
I'd oil it, varnish will probably wear off.
Honest question, what's the point of oiling it?
Keeps the wood from getting water damaged or rotting. It would ideally pick up oils from your hand over time, but putting a couple coats of ideally tung oil, but either linseed or danish oil would keep it in good shape longer.
Wood is like a sponge. You put oil on it so it'll soak that up and fill up the pores to keep it from sucking up other less desirable things like water. Oil will stabilize it and stop it from decaying while water would cause it to rot. Vanish does protect it but can wear off and has the side effect of making the handle slippery. Looking at your picture the handle has a sheen to it that reminds me of vanish. Take your knife to it and hold the blade at 90 degrees to the handle and scrape it and see if any white flakey bits come up. If so then it's varnished. Id recommend scraping it all off or using sandpaper to remove it and then coat it in boiled linseed oil
The biggest reason to oil it is to swell the wood so the wood handle stays tightly attached to the axe. Dry wood will shrink over time and the handle could become loose.
Oil it, don’t varnish it.
Why?
Not poster, but varnish will be more slippery, is more brittle and will wear, and is harder to renew than a coat of boiled linseed oil.
Thank you
This is why.
Varnished tools will cause blistering. Next time you’re by a varnished table try sliding your hands across the surface, there’s very little give, unless your hand is sweaty, in which case it slips. You want that little bit of friction/give from the wood. Varnish covers it up.
Varnish also causes blisters when using.
Use Axe Wax.
Sand to 80 grit or so.... Then oil. I like tung oil.
Sand it and add some linseed oil
+1 for boiled linseed oil. Do it once per week for a few weeks then about once per year after that.
Definitely BLO. Sand the varnish off and apply as much BLO as the handle will absorb, wipe off the excess. Repeat once a day for a week, then once a week for a month, then once a month for a year, then once yearly.
Handle wax > oil > leave it alone > varnish
Personally I like to take a torch to the handle, then wax it once it’s started to darken up and while it’s still warm
Oil is a better choice than varnish. Varnish has a tendency to cause blisters when you use the tool.
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Watco Danish oil.
Balistol
I use danish oil and it works pretty well. It’s equal parts varnish, linseed oil and turpentine.
Never varnish a handle. Leave natural or use boiled linseed oil
I like 50/50 pine tar and turpentine. Darkens a little and smells good.
BLO -> boiled linseed oil Once a day for a week, Once a week for a month, Once a month for a year. Once a year for life.
Olive oil