March 3, 20188 yr What do i put on my hammer handles? Besides the head and my hand, nothing at all. They get smooth with work and I don't need them to look any particular way. Have a rounding hammer I bought from a Slovenian smith and he sold it to me with a charred handle. Sure looks nice but it is a handle. Nothing more. I feel no difference between that one and the others. I am too distracted by the work at hand ... or should I say handling my work?
March 4, 20188 yr Walnut not good for hammer handles or chisel handles that see impact. Other tools---yes, no, maybe depending on the tool. Note some people will break out with exposure to unfinished walnut. I worked in a wood shop with a guy that if you sanded a walnut panel 75' away he'd get a nose bleed. (Of course American Black Walnut, I don't know about the European varieties)
March 4, 20188 yr THe same with Bald Cypress. We used to make beehives with baldcypress and some workers had real bad allergic reactions to it. Great timber though and very resistant to rot.
March 4, 20188 yr When I worked in the art restoration studio, I would get rashes all over my arms whenever we worked with cocobolo or rosewood. Not fun. Walnut never bothered me, though.
March 4, 20188 yr A while back someone posted a wood toxicity link that listed the type of toxins, it's effects and such. Some woods like cocobolo are toxic in most forms especially the dust but most woods are at least irritants. Keeping it out of your eyes is a must for almost any wood but letting the dust work it's way into open pores will get you too. Bare sweaty skin in a wood shop is contraindicated. It was a good link if said person would please post it again or maybe someone who saved it where they can find it? Frosty The Lucky.
March 5, 20188 yr Reducing viscosity does not increase the depth that oil penetrates, it reduces the amount of time needed for oil to penetrate but not how far into the wood it can go. Capillary action only does so much, there comes a point when hydrostatic pressure balances out with the pressure of the small amounts of air and water moisture that remain in the wool, a solvent can not counter this.
March 7, 20188 yr Quote What do you put on your hammer handles? I usually shape my handles to fit my hand and do not sand them down very far after rasping to shape. Then I just put plain old BLO on them. Works for me. I also do this with my axe handles. The handles I carve myself I never sand or rasp, just carve with a knife and leave the hand carved finish which is really nice.
March 25, 20188 yr Anyone ever try butcher block conditioner? I restored an old butcher block that I got at a shop and put that stuff on it and it soaked it up pretty well. Since I had to make a few hammer handles, I decided to try it. It doesn't darken it much and there isn't any oily residue. I decided to give it a whirl. The purpose is to seal the handle so I think as long as you do that and not make it slippery you'd be fine.
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