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I Forge Iron

Setting Handles


Leland

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Hey, guys:

Just got done reading about quartz sand and pine tar in another (enviable) thread about a new guy's nicely forged hammer. Instead of muddying his thread with my comments, I'll post 'em here.

I drill the butt end of my handles, making a 3/8" x 3" hole which is then filled with mineral oil and plugged with a bit of dowel. The oil swells the wood and prevents the head's loosening due to seasonal shrinkage.

Does it work? Well....I got a hammer that I attached to a handle in '81 (I was using boiled linseed oil back then) and the head's still tight after 2+ decades.

Gotta admit that I was kinda sceptical when I read the tip in one of my Dad's Popular Mechanics mags way back when, but the preliminary results look promising!

Leland

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Caleb - I use both a wooden wedge, plus a steel one perpendicular to it, just as usual. Come to think of it, I believe (can't remember specifically, tho') that I soaked the slit end of the handle in oil prior to setting.

Fe-Wood -- no discernible differences of any sort. If I didn't know about the handle having been modified, I wouldn't be able to tell by using it.

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I also use a wood and then a metal wedge and then soak the entire handle and hammer head in hot linseed oil for 1-2hours and then let it stay in the oil for 2 more days and then take it up and wipe it off and let it dry for a few days and then ready for use and I am 100% sure that it will never get loss with above normal use..
I use the same for axes, sledges and such..

DC

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If I understand you correctly your drilling a hole from the end of the handle ,filling with oil then plugging the hole and to oil soaks all the way to the head ...would that not weaken the handle at the grip? also could you just drop the whole hammer; head and all in a bucket of oil?

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Hi, Jimbob:

Yep, you understand correctly, and you're right -- the drilling does weaken the handle. However, the small amount of wood removed is from the less-critical portion (the butt) where there is less stress and more wood than at the head/handle juncture. Also, the hole is aligned axially with the wood grain, and centered in the handle -- bottom line, the weakness introduced is merely academic, having no practical impact on usage.

Soaking the handle in oil is a good initial step (and I've known other smiths who simply periodically drop their hammers in the quench tank to swell dried handles), but the hole provides a reservoir that continually wicks oil to the head of the handle, preventing the wood fibres from drying out. Well, for 28 years on one hammer, anyway -- test isn't over yet ;0)

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I wonder if someone could install a zerk fitting on the head of a hammer and periodically inject a shot of mineral oil? I once read covered wooden bridges were often fitted with an oiling system to extend the life of the bridge; I figure it could adapted to hammers , too. Just an idea.

A shot of WD-40 right at eye is probably the best way to deliver mineral oil to the head of a hammer. It make a reasonable finish for the handle, too, just ask Hofi.

Steel wedges should be driven in at a 45 degree angle, as apposed to perpendicular to the wood wedge, so the wood will expand in both directions. The wood wedge gets you close, but the steel wedge locks it up. Some will argue the steel wedge is tapered in both directions and would be accomplish the same thing if driven in perpendicular, but I've seen many hammer handles that were split by the steel wedge, negating any lateral locking movement. Check store bought hammers, especially the high end wood handled ones and you will see the steel wedges driven in at an angle.

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Leland, that's an interesting method. What does the oil pocket do to the handle where you hold it (as opposed to the bit that goes in the head)? I would imagine the oil penetrates to the surface of the handle quicker than all the way to the head?

I might try this on a store-bought hammer and it seems like a good idea for an axe as well. They should try this in the school where I take blacksmithing classes because a lot of the factory-made hammers there have loose heads. I usually dunk the one I'm going to use in a quenching bucket while I start the fire. That swells it enough to use it for a few hours.

-the new guy

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Hey, nett:

That's a good point about the angle of the steel wedge -- hadn't thought about the destructive potential of my perpendicular placement.

napakettu: I haven't noticed oil on the surface of the butt end of the handle (where the hole and plug are located) -- I suspect it's all wicking with the wood grain, rather than across.

The hole's 3/8" D x about 3" deep, and I've thought about using knobs or turning such on the plugs I use, so the plugs can be removed and more oil added later. Of course, all that bother might make nett's zerk fitting idea look even MORE tempting to try!

Anyway, I'm sold on the oil-in-the-handle method. I've had framing hammers with fibreglass handles/epoxy setting come loose (day job's contracting) more than the oiled wooden ones have.

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