I don't know if I'm the only one but this guy's enthusiasm for this stuff is completely infectious. Sitting here in an apartment in Memphis some 500 miles away from my old man's home and all of our tools I want to refinish our maul handle with my Esee. Keep it up man, you obviously love what you do.
Hehehe. Yeah, same here. Used to woodcraft, build etc. with my grandpa in my teens and early twens a lot. We were more "practical" about things and not as enthusiastic as Wranglerstar here though. Eversince may grandpa died, the workshop and property kind of went to shit. I get called in from time to time if things really need to get done but for the most part I shy away because I am "too busy". This video makes me nostalgic as hell and I wish I wasn't trapped in my stupid city life several hours away from it all. One thing is for sure though: I will finally rehandle that one axe that has been wobbly for years now. ;) A note on linseed: You can just go oldschool and use regular, unprocessed (nutritional) linseed oil without petroleum additives. As he mentions for unboiled linseed oil already, it will take a lot longer to dry and harden out and you may even want to soak the wood in it for like a week (capped PVC tubes are great for this) because it does not penetrate the wood as well. But it smells a lot better, you can get it all over you without worries and it gives your deprived city mind the "back to the roots" feel you might need, hehehe.
And six years later another person gets infected. I can’t stop watching these videos. Absolutely love this man. Like having a dad that I never had. Thank you sir for all these videos!
im 39 yrs. old and I found you videos about 4 to 6 months ago and for a guy that didn't have a father that tought nor maybe didn't know himself show how to find or even use these tools the proper way thank you for your channel. My wife and I have two young girls and I want to teach them these skills so they will always have a wood working skill and know how. keep up these outstanding teachings and hopefully You tube will realize your valuable teachings.
Ok Cody.....you already know your videos has a lot of teaching. So after a hell week of work, dealing with people who not have any sense and do not respect anything.......wacht one of your video is the thing that relax me and reset me mind and soul. It is like balsamic lotion on a burn. thank a lot
Thank you for these videos. My dad passed two years ago. Yesterday I was in his quite extensive woodworking shop. I found two old axes. One of the had the characteristics that you've shown me to look for. It was nicked pretty bad and the handle was painted red, although it was flaking. I use my angle grinder and re profiled the blade to get the nicks out. Then I used the knife Method on the straight handle and I just put the first boiled linseed oil on. It's looking so good. Lots of work to do on the head. I just wanted to thank you for this great info.
I am so glad that I discovered Wranglerstar. I love creating axes and hatchets and have not been doing it for very long. I am learning a lot here. Thank you.
Add another, cheaper, tool to the list: My grandfather used a broken Coke bottle as a scraper. He had other tools he could have used, including spoke shaves, but he preferred the Coke bottle. There is no edge on metal as sharp as broken glass. He preferred the Coke brand because of the thicker glass. He particularly liked to use glass when a handle had been exposed to water and the grain of the wood raised. A few strokes with the glass would re-level the surface.
Using a shard of broken Coke Bottle as a scraper was one of the first methods I was taught to re surface and profile worn shovel handles It'll smooth that raised grain in a minute !
I have a couple I have to hang new handles on some day. I am so happy I have you to guide me through it. I will try to get video of it and will for sure give you credit for where I learned the methods.
I just subscribed last week and this series couldn't have come at a better time.I just received my husqarvana multi purpose axe today it's a nice axe,but a little ruff around the edges so thank you for sharing your knowledge with us
Even though we have heard and seen a lot of this stuff over and over from you (and others), these are still my favorite wranglerstar videos to see show up in my TH-cam feed.
I admire your passion for the little details. I wish more people had the attention to detail. Maybe things would last longer and we could have more "Made in America with pride "
Enjoyed this video, better than the first one. Part is due to you finishing a step and part is due to you giving an idea of what you want to do to the axe in the next video. This makes the video more complete and ties into your next video better~! Cheers.
Another trick I've heard of is to coat the head (just the steel) in Vaseline and fill a small container (something the whole head will fit into) with BLO and actually submerge the top half of the axe head into the BLO. Leave it in there over night and the wood will soak up a lot of BLO deep into the handle. After its done soaking, take the axe out and clean it up, clean off all that Vaseline and put a couple coats of teak oil or tung oil to seal in the BLO. This also helps keep the steel tightly fit and prevents it from coming loose over heavy use. Hope this helps some of you out there:) -Shane
Hey Cody, I just finished restoring my grandfathers old Hults Bruk axe and put a new handle on it. I didn't have any good tape about to try your method for linseed oil so I got creative. I put a little oil in a very small dish, just big enough for top of the handle sticking out of the head. I stood the axe upside down in the oil and let the capillary action suck the oil up into the handle. It actually worked out really well. Thank you again for all the videos. They were a huge help in restoring my grandfathers axe.
On the handles for my shovels, maul, axe, demo hammer, and wheel barrel (when I swap them out), I put them into a kiln at 250 for 4 hours, post finish and mineral spirit wipe down, to drive out the water first then liberally apply the oil. takes 6 or 7 coats to actually get a decent amount starting off. It is pretty cool watching it soak right into the grains. I would certainly not recommend it if it is already mounted because that destroys the fit, but for new handles, it works nicely. When you fit it completely dry, then apply the oil once mounted, it is an unbelievably tight fit! Loving these series lately. The war bag was a great one for me to see.
Great video Cody. My family just bought a bunch of property, and we need to take care of a bunch of downed trees. I'm planning on picking up a nice GB or maybe a husqvarna, and this video series is a great resource for keeping it in top condition
I like the sharp knife work the most. I just bought a new hickory handle for my old splitter. I will use my fixed blade skinning knife to remove the varnish. Thanks for the video. I had used sandpaper in the past.
+Wranglerstar I haven't done it but I agree that a nice sharp knife is a good way to do the job. easier to control the depth of the cut/scrape by controlling the angle of the blade. With the spoke shaver you can only control the depth of the blade not the angle (much) Thank you for another video. I always click yours first :D
Search for OLD books that people think are out dated...old gunsmithing has real good old ways to finish or refinish the stocks....i mean old 1900 to late 1940es ..they are out there...gar.sales...auctions...even used book stores....ya get me....
Liked your review of Husqvarna axes, so I ordered the carpenter's axe and the multi-purpose models. Haven't got the second, but the carpenter's axe arrived today and it is awesome. Sharp right out of the box, the sheath has a welt added to protect the blade and the grain is impeccable. I can hardly wait to test it out. Thanks.
Reminded of a buddy who took old blades from a 4 inch wide power planer and used them to make scrapers. he attached handles he made from epoxy putty to fashion make-shift pull knives. He also ground them into odd curves for antique restoration. I use Turpentine mixed with my boiled oil for faster drying and deeper penetration. I can do 3-4 coats a day and it smells GREAT.
Ting oil works extremely well, my mother refinished her walnut piano with it and it gets smooth and warm and durable, nice tone, repels moisture and gets better the more you handle it
Thanks again. Have an axe from my wife's father who passed. In the process of restoring some of his tools to functional shape but as a reminder and a trophy. This should work excellent.
Thank you/ I think do such a beautiful job explaining your subjects and are very educational. That's why I really enjoy watching your videos a following you, wishing you and your family well.
Just ordered a new Husqvarna Forest Axe and Small Hatchet ($62 & $35 via CPO) and will use some or all of your 'upgrades' when they arrive. Might opt for 100% Pure Tung Oil...but that's just a druther. Totally agree with your scraping preference though. But I'd seriously consider using a Japanese Carving File...the best designed and made wood files anywhere...commonly available...various sizes & shapes. They're like using a file made up of hundreds of little scrapers! Anyway, I've got a number of other choppers around here but among them would most highly recommend the Stihl hatchet sized splitter...the only non maul sized splitter I've ever seen or used that actually is well thought out and works like a dream. Other than the above I wanted to leave you a huge "thank you" for your great Vids. Loved the 'won the lottery' saw Vids and the felling of the big Doug Fir.
I like the card scraper. It's affordable, you could probably make one if you had to. Also, it seems a little easier than the knife, less chance of doing some damage. Keep up the great work Cody, I love every video!
just found your channel.. its fantastic! just scrapped down my cold steel trail boss handle and thought I had BLO but only had teak oil so I used that. looks good so far.
Just in an effort to be a little helpful- you seem to love wood as much as I do- get on the Veritas website and look at what you need to have and use scrapers effectively? Once you stone an edge square and burnish a good hook on it, a scraper can almost replace sandpaper, a hand plane, even some spoke shave work- a tiny investment and then you can even recycle handsaw blades and such... : ) Best thing ever to clean a workbench... PS- Ever used Danish oil? Really penetrates to preserve wood, doesn't load up on the surface, a very close-to-the-wood finish like it's not even there, stops right at the surface. Smells great too...
I'm sure Cody knows of this, but in case there's fellow viewers who don't; one way of making quality sandpaper last much longer is to keep old shoe soles around and use it as an eraser on the sandpaper. The rubber will pickup built up wood dust off the paper, helping keep the abrasion surface effective for much longer. On cheaper sandpaper I'll also use duct tape on the back to keep it from cracking or tearing. Have a good day.
Mr Wranglerstar consider buying or if you have one an Ontario old hickory knife that's been used to death. I've shaped two of them one small one large into designated axe scrapers to get rid of varnish. When they are sharpened flat on a grinder their very thin stock makes the best handle scraper I've found.
Quite a timely set of videos to watch... I've just purchased a Husqvarna Camping Axe... Will be following your recommendations for the axe/hatchet (and to be honest the rest of my outdoor tools - shovel, adz etc)... Greetings from Australia btw
Cody, in medieval times, linseed oil was boiled with "litharge", a lead compound, to decrease the drying time. Now, it refers to linseed oil, an edible oil from pressing flax seed, to which drying agents have been added. Much better than adding lead compounds which will pollute many times worse than the dryers now added. You can increase it's protective abilities by rubbing in several thin coats, with your fingers or the heel of your hand, rather than using a very thick coating. Dries in about an hour or two, then put on another thin coat, etc. Some of the firearms that I restore have as many as thirty coats, producing a beautiful soft finish. Not rain proof! Tung oil can be used in the same manner; it produces a more waterproof finish. And when you are done with the bottle or can, invert it on the shelf. This will keep the top surface from polymerizing, making it difficult to get out of the container.
a note on the boiled linseed oil, make sure that you're not using steel wool to remove the finish or smooth the wood if you're using it. the chemicals that are used are oxidizers meaning that the tiny metal particles that are embedded in the wood will rust and then bleed unto your wood, that reigns true for any project you use boiled linseed oil in.
The scraping method works the best. I strip all the stocks on my firearms and put on a boiled linseed oil finish. If they get scratched or dinged, it is a lot easier to repair them, plus the finish doesn't shine in the woods like a high gloss finish does.
One thing that works nice with the boiled linseed oil is to wet sand the handle with it. It is how they used to finish gun stocks. The fine dust is worked into the pores of the wood and helps seal the grain. Afterwords if you use some burlap you can buff it like you would with shoes and it shines the wood nicely. It is not necessary with an handle that is used regularly, but with one rarely used or something you display.
In Laura Ingalls Wilder's book "Farmer Boy," there is mention of Almanzo's father scraping an axe handle with a piece of glass as the family sat by the fire in the evening. I'd assume that would be similar to what you are doing in this video.
When applying BLO I just pour some into my gloved hand and wipe it in, there's a good amount of excess which I leave for a few hours, then I wipe it off before it becomes gummy. Good video, thanks for your time and knowledge, not bad for a west coaster ;)
Same, also taught by my grandfather. When the glass gets dull, you can break it once again to get a sharp edge. I also now use glass for rounding edges and stuff, works really well.
I leave the varnish on the end of the handle, that part never rubs my hands, and the varnish helps slow the take up and loss of moisture in the handle. I have a piece of pvc drop the handle in, pour the oil in, let it soak an hour or so, wipe it down hard 1st with a rag, then with bare hands. Wipe it again an hour or so later, then leave it alone a week. Then just refresh it any time I think it needs it after. I live on he Oregon coast though, and linseed takes a long time to harden here. I've noticed you guys east of the mountains have it set up faster there, I'm sure because of the dry air.
Thank you! Now my Ka-bar is no longer hair shaving sharp! Its fine! its really enjoyable to scrape all that finish off! Plus I really like whet stoning knives and was planning to put a better edge! Thank you for all your content I love the way you do your videos! Some people are to nutty your real down to earth. John 3:16
I like to use the bushcraft knife to take off all the varnish, then finish the handle with 80, 120 and finally 320 grit sandpaper to give it a really good hand feel
+Forge North ... Cut a rubber band per se off an old ten speed bicycle inner tube . Stretch the rubber band over the proud part of the axe handle versus using tape to form a bowl for soaking the top in BLO... tighter fit, reusable for other handles, multiple treatments etc ... hope that helped relay my thought. Stay Safe
I fiddle with axes as well. Doing them up or altering them and edging them with what ever i can put on them. You do have the long end there. Its not always about what you buy, it is about what you make it into :)
one of the great things about the 4 in hand is that its mostly kid friendly, they can carve and shape wood with it rather than use a knife, works great at making things like slingshots.
I find over here in the UK the best quality linseed oil is the stuff used for oiling cricket bats, always seems to be low on any sort of chemicals and to me produces a nicer finish than the tins from hardware stores.
Have you ever heard of Renaissance Wax? It's a micro-crystalline wax polish and it absorbs into wood so well. Because of the micro wax if you apply a couple coats and buff it in it has a great waterproofing effect as well.
I use a Q tip and dip it in a cap full of BLO and use it to coat the end of the handle. Another way is to pour some no in a dish and stand the axe in it, overnight and then wipe off any blo off the axe head when you are through.
I have found thay raw linseed oil is faster in the long run. It soaks in so fast that I usually have my initial 26 coats coats done in a week and it is dry enough to use after a night by the radiator in winter or 24 hours on my deck in the summer.
Warm the combo of boiled linseed oil/turpentine/bees wax is all I'd usually use on wood handles. Nothing better than that beeswax feel. Even better to wet-sand with the cooled down version of that combo.
You mention never having seen varnish on the head end of the axe handle. Sadly, I have. The local general market has a tool stall, and the axes they sell are ... let's be charitable and call them "for people on a very limited budget". Sadly, when you look onto the head end of the handle, they are usually cut too short, and then the shortfall is made up by pouring an epoxy resin into the end.Those which are cut close to flush usually have a varnish over the end. I think that, until proven otherwise, you could use the presence of varnish at the head end as an indicator of lower specification, mass-produced-to-a-budget items. A very informative video as always. As a side effect of your videos, all the wooden handles i have access to at home and at work are now de-varnished and cleaned up, and given a monthly wipe-over with boiled linseed oil. Heck, even the workshop broom and hand-brush have had "the treatment", and are so much more pleasant to use now!
How do you clear out the varnish from the lanyard hole? When that varnish is removed, there is end grain exposed. I subscribed. I think your videos are tremendous. Very informative and end enjoyable. Thanks for making these available.
Instead of tape for creating an eye "bowl", I cut a cross-section of bicycle inner-tube and stretch that on. Can't take credit for the idea, as I read it somewhere, but it works beautifully and doesn't leak.
Me again . I don't know if we get the same linseed oil as you have but I was always taught to water down the linseed oil with turps (turpentine) so it soaks in further and drys better .
When putting an axe handle on, how far is the wedge notch cut into the handle? My son's and I always look forward to your videos.Its always nice to watch Wranglerstar before going to worship, may God continue to bless you and your family.
As far as scrapers go, a 21st century field expedient can be a thickish piece of bottle bottom glass that has fractured and along a 'fortunate' fracture path, leaving a sharp straight-ish edge; if you want to go old school, obsidian baby!
Cody, perhaps someone already asked this, or you discussed it in a video I missed, but re.: boiled linseed oil... do you apply the first 1-2- coats neat, or do you cut those coats with a solvent? I learned from an old-timer to cut the first coats with turpentine: 50:50. It does take longer to cure (a lot), but that's because the oil gets in there a lot deeper. Discuss....
I use bleach to raise the top grain and let it get flattened by use. It feels so good. I use spar urethane for its durability, satin finish and it is thin so I can feel the grain. Did I mention how much I love to feel the grain?
I'm not sure if you know this trick, but if you wet a cloth and wipe the wood with it leaving it slightly damp, and wait a few minutes to let it dry, you will feel burrs, then sand once more with really fine sandpaper like 220 grit before finishing the wood with whatever finish your using, you will get a far better finished product. Please try it and let me know what you think! I find it to be awesome!
I agree. Joe H, the grain orientation should, as a rule of thumb, be as parallel with the blade as possible. Handles the shock of the strike better, less likely to break that way. Know what you're talking about before " keyboard warrior " labeling someone....
I just watched the first two can't wait for the other tip's I also looked on your amazon store and I was thinking to myself why don't you sell axe and hatchet handle's too or is there a way to send you my axe head's and you can hang them and what would be the charge for something like this thankyou
I have a feeling that you are going to tell me that I made a mistake, but I just invested in a Fiskar Ax and Hatchet. I am a little woman (100 lbs) and needed something that my daughter and I could actually swing and use. I liked that it had a lifetime warranty. Your Axes are beautiful. If I was a bigger gal I would definitely invest in one of them. :-)
+TheodorEriksson Thanks Much Theoodor. Being small, I had to work with what I got, and be realistic about it. I picked up several Ax's that were beautiful like Wranglestars. However, I knew that I physically couldn't handle them for very long. We heat primarily with wood. We have for 22 years now. We have a furnace but, I seriously dislike it. Makes my daughters allergies go nuts, and I never really feel warm with it. Nothing like wood heat. I'll use wood and swing an ax until I can't pick one up anymore ;-)
+ce4130 Ce, I actually looked at this one because I absolutely love my Fiska gardening tools. They stay sharp and never have let me down. The weight was just right for me. When I saw that my daughter could swing it too I thought there ya go :-) Thanks for the feed back.
We used to use antifreeze in a pinch, but usually on hammers. We try not to use axes for car repairs. I assure you it has been done, or maybe they were using hatchets.
+BrokenArrowFarm Danish oil is one of my very favorite finishes. I have used it on everything from guitar necks to handles of different sorts. Once it is good and dry, you can burnish it to a satin luster that will last years while continuing to develop a beautiful patina.
I don't know if I'm the only one but this guy's enthusiasm for this stuff is completely infectious. Sitting here in an apartment in Memphis some 500 miles away from my old man's home and all of our tools I want to refinish our maul handle with my Esee. Keep it up man, you obviously love what you do.
Right on, Bro! A year later; have you refinished it yet??
Hehehe. Yeah, same here. Used to woodcraft, build etc. with my grandpa in my teens and early twens a lot. We were more "practical" about things and not as enthusiastic as Wranglerstar here though. Eversince may grandpa died, the workshop and property kind of went to shit. I get called in from time to time if things really need to get done but for the most part I shy away because I am "too busy". This video makes me nostalgic as hell and I wish I wasn't trapped in my stupid city life several hours away from it all. One thing is for sure though: I will finally rehandle that one axe that has been wobbly for years now. ;)
A note on linseed: You can just go oldschool and use regular, unprocessed (nutritional) linseed oil without petroleum additives. As he mentions for unboiled linseed oil already, it will take a lot longer to dry and harden out and you may even want to soak the wood in it for like a week (capped PVC tubes are great for this) because it does not penetrate the wood as well. But it smells a lot better, you can get it all over you without worries and it gives your deprived city mind the "back to the roots" feel you might need, hehehe.
And six years later another person gets infected. I can’t stop watching these videos. Absolutely love this man. Like having a dad that I never had. Thank you sir for all these videos!
This guy is like watching Bob Ross. Very positive and encouraging.
im 39 yrs. old and I found you videos about 4 to 6 months ago and for a guy that didn't have a father that tought nor maybe didn't know himself show how to find or even use these tools the proper way thank you for your channel. My wife and I have two young girls and I want to teach them these skills so they will always have a wood working skill and know how. keep up these outstanding teachings and hopefully You tube will realize your valuable teachings.
Ok Cody.....you already know your videos has a lot of teaching. So after a hell week of work, dealing with people who not have any sense and do not respect anything.......wacht one of your video is the thing that relax me and reset me mind and soul. It is like balsamic lotion on a burn. thank a lot
+Abel Garcia Thank you Abel.
Thank you for these videos. My dad passed two years ago. Yesterday I was in his quite extensive woodworking shop. I found two old axes. One of the had the characteristics that you've shown me to look for. It was nicked pretty bad and the handle was painted red, although it was flaking. I use my angle grinder and re profiled the blade to get the nicks out. Then I used the knife Method on the straight handle and I just put the first boiled linseed oil on. It's looking so good. Lots of work to do on the head. I just wanted to thank you for this great info.
I am so glad that I discovered Wranglerstar. I love creating axes and hatchets and have not been doing it for very long. I am learning a lot here. Thank you.
Add another, cheaper, tool to the list: My grandfather used a broken Coke bottle as a scraper. He had other tools he could have used, including spoke shaves, but he preferred the Coke bottle. There is no edge on metal as sharp as broken glass. He preferred the Coke brand because of the thicker glass. He particularly liked to use glass when a handle had been exposed to water and the grain of the wood raised. A few strokes with the glass would re-level the surface.
Using a shard of broken Coke Bottle as a scraper was one of the first methods I was taught to re surface and profile worn shovel handles
It'll smooth that raised grain in a minute !
I'm having fond memories of when glass bottles were the norm and aluminum cans were only for long trips
You didn't wast any time getting back from Texas to put out a good video, WOW!!!
Thanks Cody
I have a couple I have to hang new handles on some day. I am so happy I have you to guide me through it. I will try to get video of it and will for sure give you credit for where I learned the methods.
I am enjoying your videos immensely. I have been inspired to search out old axes here in the UK to restore. Thanks.
I just subscribed last week and this series couldn't have come at a better time.I just received my husqarvana multi purpose axe today it's a nice axe,but a little ruff around the edges so thank you for sharing your knowledge with us
I’ve also used old coolant to soak loose hammers and hatchets in. It works great and doesn’t dry out
I love this channel. You offer a ton of knowledge and experience. You are a good man and your content brings me peace when I watch it.
God Bless!
✝️❤️
Even though we have heard and seen a lot of this stuff over and over from you (and others), these are still my favorite wranglerstar videos to see show up in my TH-cam feed.
Love these videos. I could watch you work on axes and sharpen them every day of the year and not get bored. Thank you. Beautiful axe.
Awesome timing, I let my friend borrow my axe and he nicked the blade, so I am pretty excited to see the sharping videos.
I admire your passion for the little details. I wish more people had the attention to detail. Maybe things would last longer and we could have more "Made in America with pride "
Enjoyed this video, better than the first one. Part is due to you finishing a step and part is due to you giving an idea of what you want to do to the axe in the next video. This makes the video more complete and ties into your next video better~! Cheers.
Another trick I've heard of is to coat the head (just the steel) in Vaseline and fill a small container (something the whole head will fit into) with BLO and actually submerge the top half of the axe head into the BLO. Leave it in there over night and the wood will soak up a lot of BLO deep into the handle. After its done soaking, take the axe out and clean it up, clean off all that Vaseline and put a couple coats of teak oil or tung oil to seal in the BLO. This also helps keep the steel tightly fit and prevents it from coming loose over heavy use.
Hope this helps some of you out there:)
-Shane
Hey Cody, I just finished restoring my grandfathers old Hults Bruk axe and put a new handle on it. I didn't have any good tape about to try your method for linseed oil so I got creative. I put a little oil in a very small dish, just big enough for top of the handle sticking out of the head. I stood the axe upside down in the oil and let the capillary action suck the oil up into the handle. It actually worked out really well. Thank you again for all the videos. They were a huge help in restoring my grandfathers axe.
On the handles for my shovels, maul, axe, demo hammer, and wheel barrel (when I swap them out), I put them into a kiln at 250 for 4 hours, post finish and mineral spirit wipe down, to drive out the water first then liberally apply the oil. takes 6 or 7 coats to actually get a decent amount starting off. It is pretty cool watching it soak right into the grains. I would certainly not recommend it if it is already mounted because that destroys the fit, but for new handles, it works nicely.
When you fit it completely dry, then apply the oil once mounted, it is an unbelievably tight fit!
Loving these series lately. The war bag was a great one for me to see.
I like these DIY vids better than the travel blogs. They pertain to me better.
Great video Cody. My family just bought a bunch of property, and we need to take care of a bunch of downed trees. I'm planning on picking up a nice GB or maybe a husqvarna, and this video series is a great resource for keeping it in top condition
I like the sharp knife work the most. I just bought a new hickory handle for my old splitter. I will use my fixed blade skinning knife to remove the varnish. Thanks for the video. I had used sandpaper in the past.
+Bill and Rosa Off Grid Homestead Thank you Bill,
+Wranglerstar I haven't done it but I agree that a nice sharp knife is a good way to do the job. easier to control the depth of the cut/scrape by controlling the angle of the blade. With the spoke shaver you can only control the depth of the blade not the angle (much) Thank you for another video. I always click yours first :D
+Wranglerstar Are the hickory axe handles from Ace Hardware any good? they say made in america and real hickory on them
i used teak oil on my handle. came out really nice. i wish i had known the old timers oiling schedule when i did it though.
Search for OLD books that people think are out dated...old gunsmithing has real good old ways to finish or refinish the stocks....i mean old 1900 to late 1940es ..they are out there...gar.sales...auctions...even used book stores....ya get me....
Liked your review of Husqvarna axes, so I ordered the carpenter's axe and the multi-purpose models. Haven't got the second, but the carpenter's axe arrived today and it is awesome. Sharp right out of the box, the sheath has a welt added to protect the blade and the grain is impeccable. I can hardly wait to test it out. Thanks.
Reminded of a buddy who took old blades from a 4 inch wide power planer and used them to make scrapers. he attached handles he made from epoxy putty to fashion make-shift pull knives. He also ground them into odd curves for antique restoration. I use Turpentine mixed with my boiled oil for faster drying and deeper penetration. I can do 3-4 coats a day and it smells GREAT.
Ting oil works extremely well, my mother refinished her walnut piano with it and it gets smooth and warm and durable, nice tone, repels moisture and gets better the more you handle it
Thanks again. Have an axe from my wife's father who passed. In the process of restoring some of his tools to functional shape but as a reminder and a trophy. This should work excellent.
Thank you/ I think do such a beautiful job explaining your subjects and are very educational. That's why I really enjoy watching your videos a following you, wishing you and your family well.
Just ordered a new Husqvarna Forest Axe and Small Hatchet ($62 & $35 via CPO) and will use some or all of your 'upgrades' when they arrive. Might opt for 100% Pure Tung Oil...but that's just a druther. Totally agree with your scraping preference though. But I'd seriously consider using a Japanese Carving File...the best designed and made wood files anywhere...commonly available...various sizes & shapes. They're like using a file made up of hundreds of little scrapers! Anyway, I've got a number of other choppers around here but among them would most highly recommend the Stihl hatchet sized splitter...the only non maul sized splitter I've ever seen or used that actually is well thought out and works like a dream. Other than the above I wanted to leave you a huge "thank you" for your great Vids. Loved the 'won the lottery' saw Vids and the felling of the big Doug Fir.
I like the card scraper. It's affordable, you could probably make one if you had to. Also, it seems a little easier than the knife, less chance of doing some damage. Keep up the great work Cody, I love every video!
Thank you for all of your videos, such a wide variety of excellent topics.
just found your channel.. its fantastic! just scrapped down my cold steel trail boss handle and thought I had BLO but only had teak oil so I used that. looks good so far.
Just in an effort to be a little helpful- you seem to love wood as much as I do- get on the Veritas website and look at what you need to have and use scrapers effectively? Once you stone an edge square and burnish a good hook on it, a scraper can almost replace sandpaper, a hand plane, even some spoke shave work- a tiny investment and then you can even recycle handsaw blades and such... : )
Best thing ever to clean a workbench...
PS- Ever used Danish oil? Really penetrates to preserve wood, doesn't load up on the surface, a very close-to-the-wood finish like it's not even there, stops right at the surface. Smells great too...
PS- Post sanding, have you used tack cloth? Can even make your own...
I'm sure Cody knows of this, but in case there's fellow viewers who don't; one way of making quality sandpaper last much longer is to keep old shoe soles around and use it as an eraser on the sandpaper. The rubber will pickup built up wood dust off the paper, helping keep the abrasion surface effective for much longer. On cheaper sandpaper I'll also use duct tape on the back to keep it from cracking or tearing.
Have a good day.
Mr Wranglerstar consider buying or if you have one an Ontario old hickory knife that's been used to death. I've shaped two of them one small one large into designated axe scrapers to get rid of varnish. When they are sharpened flat on a grinder their very thin stock makes the best handle scraper I've found.
These are some of my favorite videos
Quite a timely set of videos to watch... I've just purchased a Husqvarna Camping Axe... Will be following your recommendations for the axe/hatchet (and to be honest the rest of my outdoor tools - shovel, adz etc)... Greetings from Australia btw
Cody, in medieval times, linseed oil was boiled with "litharge", a lead compound, to decrease the drying time. Now, it refers to linseed oil, an edible oil from pressing flax seed, to which drying agents have been added. Much better than adding lead compounds which will pollute many times worse than the dryers now added. You can increase it's protective abilities by rubbing in several thin coats, with your fingers or the heel of your hand, rather than using a very thick coating. Dries in about an hour or two, then put on another thin coat, etc. Some of the firearms that I restore have as many as thirty coats, producing a beautiful soft finish. Not rain proof! Tung oil can be used in the same manner; it produces a more waterproof finish. And when you are done with the bottle or can, invert it on the shelf. This will keep the top surface from polymerizing, making it difficult to get out of the container.
a note on the boiled linseed oil, make sure that you're not using steel wool to remove the finish or smooth the wood if you're using it. the chemicals that are used are oxidizers meaning that the tiny metal particles that are embedded in the wood will rust and then bleed unto your wood, that reigns true for any project you use boiled linseed oil in.
I have found that a tack cloth works well for removing sand paper dust. I really liked this video, I can't wait to try these tips on my own gear.
Love the passion, very informative 👍🏻
So relaxing Cody. Thank you for your hard work!
Looking forward to more axe tips vids!!!!
David is going to get such a nice hatchet!
My dad used to scrape his axe handles with a shard of glass from a quart jar. It worked splendidly.
David is a lucky guy! That hatchet is looking sweet!
The scraping method works the best. I strip all the stocks on my firearms and put on a boiled linseed oil finish. If they get scratched or dinged, it is a lot easier to repair them, plus the finish doesn't shine in the woods like a high gloss finish does.
Wow! Never considered using a knife for smoothing out the wood handles. Thanks! Gonna try it my next tomahawk project.
Hand scraped w/ tung oil is my liking. I really like the way you work.
One thing that works nice with the boiled linseed oil is to wet sand the handle with it. It is how they used to finish gun stocks. The fine dust is worked into the pores of the wood and helps seal the grain. Afterwords if you use some burlap you can buff it like you would with shoes and it shines the wood nicely. It is not necessary with an handle that is used regularly, but with one rarely used or something you display.
In Laura Ingalls Wilder's book "Farmer Boy," there is mention of Almanzo's father scraping an axe handle with a piece of glass as the family sat by the fire in the evening. I'd assume that would be similar to what you are doing in this video.
When applying BLO I just pour some into my gloved hand and wipe it in, there's a good amount of excess which I leave for a few hours, then I wipe it off before it becomes gummy. Good video, thanks for your time and knowledge, not bad for a west coaster ;)
I really like your workshop 🤙
I like the sharp knife method takes off just enough and it's easier and gratifying nice deerling btw
I've always used broken window glass for scraping varnish from handles, something my grandfather taught me years ago.
Same, also taught by my grandfather.
When the glass gets dull, you can break it once again to get a sharp edge.
I also now use glass for rounding edges and stuff, works really well.
I leave the varnish on the end of the handle, that part never rubs my hands, and the varnish helps slow the take up and loss of moisture in the handle. I have a piece of pvc drop the handle in, pour the oil in, let it soak an hour or so, wipe it down hard 1st with a rag, then with bare hands. Wipe it again an hour or so later, then leave it alone a week. Then just refresh it any time I think it needs it after. I live on he Oregon coast though, and linseed takes a long time to harden here. I've noticed you guys east of the mountains have it set up faster there, I'm sure because of the dry air.
Thank you! Now my Ka-bar is no longer hair shaving sharp!
Its fine! its really enjoyable to scrape all that finish off!
Plus I really like whet stoning knives and was planning to put a better edge! Thank you for all your content I love the way you do your videos! Some people are to nutty your real down to earth.
John 3:16
I like to use the bushcraft knife to take off all the varnish, then finish the handle with 80, 120 and finally 320 grit sandpaper to give it a really good hand feel
Hey Wranglerstar, do you think you'll ever visit the UK? A meet and greet here would be cool!
I use a piece of bicycle inner tube to make my "bowl" for the "proud" end BLO treatment....
Could you explain that a little more thoroughly?
+Forge North ... Cut a rubber band per se off an old ten speed bicycle inner tube . Stretch the rubber band over the proud part of the axe handle versus using tape to form a bowl for soaking the top in BLO... tighter fit, reusable for other handles, multiple treatments etc ... hope that helped relay my thought. Stay Safe
+C. Perry Was just scrolling down to the comments to write just this! Bike inner tubes are some of the most versatile scraps on the planet.
+pawpawtx oh that makes sense, thanks
Very nice video, thanks for sharing!
I fiddle with axes as well. Doing them up or altering them and edging them with what ever i can put on them. You do have the long end there. Its not always about what you buy, it is about what you make it into :)
one of the great things about the 4 in hand is that its mostly kid friendly, they can carve and shape wood with it rather than use a knife, works great at making things like slingshots.
I find over here in the UK the best quality linseed oil is the stuff used for oiling cricket bats, always seems to be low on any sort of chemicals and to me produces a nicer finish than the tins from hardware stores.
Have you ever heard of Renaissance Wax? It's a micro-crystalline wax polish and it absorbs into wood so well. Because of the micro wax if you apply a couple coats and buff it in it has a great waterproofing effect as well.
I use a Q tip and dip it in a cap full of BLO and use it to coat the end of the handle. Another way is to pour some no in a dish and stand the axe in it, overnight and then wipe off any blo off the axe head when you are through.
I have found thay raw linseed oil is faster in the long run. It soaks in so fast that I usually have my initial 26 coats coats done in a week and it is dry enough to use after a night by the radiator in winter or 24 hours on my deck in the summer.
Warm the combo of boiled linseed oil/turpentine/bees wax is all I'd usually use on wood handles. Nothing better than that beeswax feel. Even better to wet-sand with the cooled down version of that combo.
You mention never having seen varnish on the head end of the axe handle. Sadly, I have. The local general market has a tool stall, and the axes they sell are ... let's be charitable and call them "for people on a very limited budget". Sadly, when you look onto the head end of the handle, they are usually cut too short, and then the shortfall is made up by pouring an epoxy resin into the end.Those which are cut close to flush usually have a varnish over the end. I think that, until proven otherwise, you could use the presence of varnish at the head end as an indicator of lower specification, mass-produced-to-a-budget items.
A very informative video as always. As a side effect of your videos, all the wooden handles i have access to at home and at work are now de-varnished and cleaned up, and given a monthly wipe-over with boiled linseed oil. Heck, even the workshop broom and hand-brush have had "the treatment", and are so much more pleasant to use now!
How do you clear out the varnish from the lanyard hole? When that varnish is removed, there is end grain exposed.
I subscribed. I think your videos are tremendous. Very informative and end enjoyable. Thanks for making these available.
In sweden they cut the firewood in longer pieces and after that they cut of a full length of bark and it will dry fast. Love the vid.
try an elastic band around the tape at the bottom to keep linseed oil from leaking out while it soaks in
Love these videos. You have converted me. No more varnished handles for me!!!!
is there a part 3 up? this series is really cool
Instead of tape for creating an eye "bowl", I cut a cross-section of bicycle inner-tube and stretch that on. Can't take credit for the idea, as I read it somewhere, but it works beautifully and doesn't leak.
Me again . I don't know if we get the same linseed oil as you have but I was always taught to water down the linseed oil with turps (turpentine) so it soaks in further and drys better .
I’m with you. The 4 in hand stays in my pouch. I use it all the time.
i thought that you said to apply BLO with a glove and not use a rag because it wastes alot?
That's what I thought.
When putting an axe handle on, how far is the wedge notch cut into the handle?
My son's and I always look forward to your videos.Its always nice to watch Wranglerstar before going to worship, may God continue to bless you and your family.
I wonder if you could use a plastic quart oil can and cut the top off, clean it out, add BLO, and set your Axe in there to get it to soak in.
As far as scrapers go, a 21st century field expedient can be a thickish piece of bottle bottom glass that has fractured and along a 'fortunate' fracture path, leaving a sharp straight-ish edge; if you want to go old school, obsidian baby!
Thanks for the info I need to handle a hatchet and all the shop handles are soaked in varnish! How does the knife edge hold up to the scraping?
Cody, perhaps someone already asked this, or you discussed it in a video I missed, but re.: boiled linseed oil... do you apply the first 1-2- coats neat, or do you cut those coats with a solvent? I learned from an old-timer to cut the first coats with turpentine: 50:50. It does take longer to cure (a lot), but that's because the oil gets in there a lot deeper.
Discuss....
Great video,Thank you for the tips!
I use bleach to raise the top grain and let it get flattened by use. It feels so good.
I use spar urethane for its durability, satin finish and it is thin so I can feel the grain.
Did I mention how much I love to feel the grain?
I'm not sure if you know this trick, but if you wet a cloth and wipe the wood with it leaving it slightly damp, and wait a few minutes to let it dry, you will feel burrs, then sand once more with really fine sandpaper like 220 grit before finishing the wood with whatever finish your using, you will get a far better finished product. Please try it and let me know what you think! I find it to be awesome!
A scraper or knife are what I use on many of my wood projects. For tight in work I also use a utility knife blade on its own like a scraper.
7:34 that grain orientation is aweful!
I agree. Joe H, the grain orientation should, as a rule of thumb, be as parallel with the blade as possible. Handles the shock of the strike better, less likely to break that way. Know what you're talking about before " keyboard warrior " labeling someone....
I like that shirt you're wearing
I know right? I'd love if anyone knew what it was.
Nice job! The only thing i leave the varnish on is my rakes...
How do you like that axe? I throw axes somewhat competitively and I use the Prandi german axe
I just watched the first two can't wait for the other tip's I also looked on your amazon store and I was thinking to myself why don't you sell axe and hatchet handle's too or is there a way to send you my axe head's and you can hang them and what would be the charge for something like this thankyou
Very informative video. Thank you. I am curious about the saw blades you have on the bench; are they something new?
I have a feeling that you are going to tell me that I made a mistake, but I just invested in a Fiskar Ax and Hatchet. I am a little woman (100 lbs) and needed something that my daughter and I could actually swing and use. I liked that it had a lifetime warranty. Your Axes are beautiful. If I was a bigger gal I would definitely invest in one of them. :-)
+TheodorEriksson Thanks Much Theoodor. Being small, I had to work with what I got, and be realistic about it. I picked up several Ax's that were beautiful like Wranglestars. However, I knew that I physically couldn't handle them for very long. We heat primarily with wood. We have for 22 years now. We have a furnace but, I seriously dislike it. Makes my daughters allergies go nuts, and I never really feel warm with it. Nothing like wood heat. I'll use wood and swing an ax until I can't pick one up anymore ;-)
+ce4130 Ce, I actually looked at this one because I absolutely love my Fiska gardening tools. They stay sharp and never have let me down. The weight was just right for me. When I saw that my daughter could swing it too I thought there ya go :-) Thanks for the feed back.
Bob Ross of homesteading
Happy little axe
There's no mistakes just happy axeidents
Little paint thinner, then just beat the devil out of it
We used to use antifreeze in a pinch, but usually on hammers. We try not to use axes for car repairs. I assure you it has been done, or maybe they were using hatchets.
you should do a video on how to maintain or service a 4-in-hand
Or files in general, but yeah that's a great idea
Forge North I'm pretty sure he has done a video series on files, but I don't think he's done one on maintenance of files.
+Grant Butler yeah I meant maintenance too, it's one of those tools like saws that people just think are disposable
Tips are great, I learned a lot. If I may: how do you feel about axes you find at Lowe's and Home Depots?
I found Danish oil from tried and true works great for handles also, and it doesn't have any of the heavy metal driers in it.
+BrokenArrowFarm
Danish oil is one of my very favorite finishes. I have used it on everything from guitar necks to handles of different sorts. Once it is good and dry, you can burnish it to a satin luster that will last years while continuing to develop a beautiful patina.