What finish to use on a hammer handle??

[s9plus20]

I just finished putting handles in 2 hammers.  Both handles are hickory. Both hammers will be used for woodworking and will not be exposed to any grease.

So..... what finish would you suggest?   Danish oil? Tung oil?  BLO? (boiled linseed oil),  raw linseed oil? Stain then polyurethane? Witches brew? (equal parts of BLO, polyurethane and either naphtha or paint thinner )

I have a couple of old plumb hammers that I purchased new 30 years ago. They were stained red but I cant remember if there was a light coat of poly on them or not.  Most of the finish, including the stain, has long gone away. They still feel good and don't need any work done on them.

On these new hammers I am thinking BLO.

What do you think???

Frankie

As this is still a work in progress, I still have some cleanup to do around the head portion of the handles.

[rfd8w5]

I just finished putting handles in 2 hammers.  Both handles are hickory. Both hammers will be used for woodworking and will not be exposed to any grease.

So..... what finish would you suggest?   Danish oil? Tung oil?  BLO? (boiled linseed oil),  raw linseed oil? Stain then polyurethane? Witches brew? (equal parts of BLO, polyurethane and either naphtha or paint thinner )

I have a couple of old plumb hammers that I purchased new 30 years ago. They were stained red but I cant remember if there was a light coat of poly on them or not.  Most of the finish, including the stain, has long gone away. They still feel good and don't need any work done on them.

On these new hammers I am thinking BLO.

What do you think???

Frankie

As this is still a work in progress, I still have some cleanup to do around the head portion of the handles.

[Stwood_]

I coat all my wooden handle tools in BLO.

[Phil S.]

Another vote for BLO.  I also coat the head and it is a fairly durable rust preventative on the non-wear surfaces.

Phil

[Laid-Back]

I just finished putting handles in 2 hammers.  Both handles are hickory. Both hammers will be used for woodworking and will not be exposed to any grease.

So..... what finish would you suggest?   Danish oil? Tung oil?  BLO? (boiled linseed oil),  raw linseed oil? Stain then polyurethane? Witches brew? (equal parts of BLO, polyurethane and either naphtha or paint thinner )

I have a couple of old plumb hammers that I purchased new 30 years ago. They were stained red but I cant remember if there was a light coat of poly on them or not.  Most of the finish, including the stain, has long gone away. They still feel good and don't need any work done on them.

On these new hammers I am thinking BLO.

What do you think???

Frankie

As this is still a work in progress, I still have some cleanup to do around the head portion of the handles.

Bout twice a year I drag out everything I got that is wooden from chisels to shovels to planes and give them the BLO treatment. Some of them has been getting treated for 35+ years. especially the end grains

[Admiral]

I use Tru-Oil, good enough for gun stocks, good enough for me.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

BLO. 50-50 blo to turp. Do it at 70 degrees. Saturate it and let it sit for an hour. Then wipe it down and let it gas for a week. Mark your calendar and repeat about every three years. Go easy, too much BLO will turn it black.

[bandit571]

The first thing I do with new hammer handles, is scrape off the factory finish......it does look nice and shiny, but too slick for my hands.   I also add a wrap of black tape down on the end of the handle....more of a way for my hands to tell when they are too far down..


[attachment=8177]
Then put them to use.    For some reason, BLO coated handles in my shop start to get green fuzzies...not the most wholesome looking handle..


One little tip I learned, when fitting a handle to the head....use a piece of glass to fine tune the fit.   You can scrape away  the waste, and even reshape the handle to fit YOUR hands.

[Stwood_]

Then put them to use.    For some reason, BLO coated handles in my shop start to get green fuzzies...not the most wholesome looking handle..

Caution.....Those may be cooters.....

[s9plus20]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I finished them off with a coat of BLO. They turned out great!

Frankie