Experimenting with the finish on custom tool handles.

With all of the old hammers and hatchets, I have in progress, I have been making handles when I have time. It’s a fun and satisfying project but also a long slow process. Each handle takes about 2-3 weeks to finish. It’s not that they actually take weeks to make, its that I can only dedicate a couple of hours here and there.

This weekend we have two nice days back to back and I was able to get a little time to apply some stain. I saw some pictures of an ax handle finished with colored stain and really wanted to give it a try.

Because I was fooling around a little too much I ended up with glue from electrical tape on the unfinished wood of two handles. It looked pretty bad and I couldn’t get it off without taking off the stain. …and generally making a heck of a mess. So I got this idea, what if I hide it under some fake age… I could just rub charcoal over the area making a cool looking smudge and the ugly tape would be hard to see.

Well, it didn’t work like I expected, but I’d say I accidentally discovered a nice way to really make the grain POP. I’m going to try some other materials and see if I can get some other interesting effects.

Anyhow without further ado here are a couple of items I worked on this weekend showing off their charcoal rubbed goodness.

First a nice old Blacksmithing hammer.
A 24 oz. Plumb Ball Pein Hammer, with a stout, squared off handle.

Plumb 24oz Ball Pein with Green Handle

Next up is a simple and well worn half hatchet. It had a little bend in the bit but since it’s the older style eye, it seemed worthwhile to restore and put back into use.

Craftsman 15 oz.  Carpenters Half hatchet with a contoured rounded handle. 

Craftsman 15 oz. Half-Hatchet w/Green Handle

Craftsman 15 oz. Half-Hatchet w/Green Handle

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