Axe handle finishing advise

[AJB]

Merry Christmas all!

Ask me how I know my girlfriend is perfect - because she bought me a Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe for Christmas!

A question for all you much more experienced bods than I. The handle is rougher than I expected, I'm tempted to give it a bit of a sand and oil/wax, but have little experience of such manly DIY, so I thought I should ask first. I'd rather look a tool than wreck one.

Advice please.

AJB

 

[British Red]

I use wire wool and linseed oil for a smooth finish. Some like a rougher finish for carving, but my axes are used for firewood.

 

[Robson Valley]

I use a D-adze and an elbow adze (both blades from Kestrel Tool) and a Stubai for the rough out parts of bigger wood carvings.
I need the rougher surface to ensure striking accuracy. The elbow and Stubai have been whip-finished with tarred #18 nylon seine twine.
Not dirty but just sticky enough that I never need a death-grip to aim them.

Out in the winter, if my leather faced mittens got wet, then frozen, I'd want an axe, every axe, to be something easy to hang on to.

 

[British Red]

Out in the winter, if my leather faced mittens got wet, then frozen, I'd want an axe, every axe, to be something easy to hang on to.

I'm not see what easy to hang on to means, and I can why grip matters on a one handed tool, but the helve on a two handed axe is supposed to slide through the guiding hand?

 

[AJB]

Thank you both.

Red, for nearly 10 years you've been my go to guy for how to do stuff! I'll take your advice, many thanks.

 

[Robson Valley]

I've noticed that my striking accuracy improves.
Possibly that is not quite so important as it is with a wood carving?

 

[HillBill]

I like the upper 3/4 of the haft to be smooth, and the lower quarter to be slightly rougher and waxed.

 

[ozzy1977]

I would just use linseed oil

 

[Fraxinus]

For handworking tools an oiled finish every time, same goes for my canoe paddles, other finishes seem to cause blisters (IMHO)

 

[swotty]

Im just doing the haft of a carpenters axe I got for Christmas. A quick sand with 250 grit sandpaper and then many thin wipes with walnut oil, let it dry in between coats and a light rub with wire wall before the next. I believe it's ...once a day for a week.. .once a week for a month and then once a month for a year!