My mom loves to go to estate sales and thrift stores and get thigns for me, recently she found a carpenters hatchet, and a rubber handled Estwing hatchet for $6 total. I don't like the rubber handle for blistery reasons, and would like to replace it with wooden scales. has anybody done this? I have seen people do it with the leather handles that tend to crack with age, but I don't know if it is the same inside. Is it even worth it, should I just develop the callouses and call it a day? I have restored many tools in the past and am by no means inexperienced, although I have only used epoxy once or twice, and when I have tried to peen pins on full tang knives the handle material has always cracked. I prefer to stay away from epoxy as it could be unreliable, and would much rather go with a mechanical attachment method.

 

Ps: I'm only going here because I haven't found any videos of people doing this, other than Diresta's, and even than it was on a different model, though I bet it is the same. I don't have a router or a particularly advanced set of chisels, but I would like to use the hatchet to help me make axe handles. Thanks, Sparky

Is it a one piece hatchet or a head and handle. It sounds like a one piece roofing hatchet. I'm not sure what is under the rubber grip. It's only six bucks, try it and let us know how it goes.  If I had to guess I'd say there's probably some sort of tang under the rubber. Drill a few holes and rivet a set of scales on it after you get the rubber off.

If it's two pieces, a handle and head cut off the handle drill out the handle left in the eye and put a new one on it drive in a wood wedge and a metal one crossing the wood one diagonally if you want. Some people only use the wood wedge and epoxy. I like a wood and metal wedge. Soak the head in boiled linseed oil so it swells up the wood in the eye and finish the handle with a couple coats of BLO.

Pnut

I had one like that (rubber handle), I wrapped it with tape used for tennis racket's which solved the problem of the grip irritating my hand.

16 hours ago, pnut said:

Is it a one piece hatchet or a head and handle.

It's an old one peice. I think it's from the eighties. I have done normal hatchets and axes before, and that's why I am asking what I should do. I like the rivet Idea, I will try that.

9 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

I had one like that (rubber handle), I wrapped it with tape used for tennis racket's which solved the problem of the grip irritating my hand.

Yeh I just like the finish of wooden handles, it's a lot more traditional and beautiful.