OldTools Archive
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254784 | bridger <bridger@b...> | 2015‑05‑20 | Re: estwing |
I tried tightening up the peined "rivets" at the butt end but they were too hard to be moved by my ball pein hammer. Instead I shifted the leather discs around to even up the spacing of them on the handle and am figuring to soak them in something to get them to swell back up to size. They seem to still be pretty pliable. I worked the surface of the leather handle a bit with some coarse sandpaper to open it up. I'm wondering what would be an appropriate material to soak them in. I can see not wanting something that hardens and makes the leather brittle, but not something that makes the leather soft and fragile either. A mix of mineral oil and linseed? Maybe top that with shellac or something. I have a can of "neatsfoot compound" but as far as I can tell it's just mineral oil of some kind. It leaves leather smelling permanently like used motor oil. |
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254785 | Philip Yarra <philip.yarra@i...> | 2015‑05‑20 | Re: estwing |
On 20/05/15 14:28, bridger wrote: > I have a can of "neatsfoot compound" but as far as I can tell it's just mineral oil of some kind. It leaves leather smelling permanently like used motor oil. Yes and no... the neatsfoot is an animal oil, but according to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wi ki/Neatsfoot_oil) the "compound" refers to neatsfoot with additives, which may include mineral oils. So there you go, I didn't know that! Cheers, Philip. |
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254786 | Don Schwartz <dks@t...> | 2015‑05‑20 | Re: estwing |
On 2015-05-19 10:28 PM, bridger wrote: > I worked the surface of the leather handle a bit with some coarse sandpaper to open it up. I'm wondering what would be an appropriate material to soak them in. I can see not wanting something that hardens and makes the leather brittle, but not something that makes the leather soft and fragile either. A mix of mineral oil and linseed? Maybe top that with shellac or something. I'd try lanolin. It's good for sheep! Don |
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254817 | Thomas Conroy | 2015‑05‑22 | Re: estwing |
bridger wrote: "... Instead I shifted the leather discs around to even up the spacing of them on the handle and am figuring to soak them in something to get them to swell back up to size. They seem to still be pretty pliable. I worked the surface of the leather handle a bit with some coarse sandpaper to open it up. I'm wondering what would be an appropriate material to soak them in. I can see not wanting something that hardens and makes the leather brittle, but not something that makes the leather soft and fragile either. A mix of mineral oil and linseed? Maybe top that with shellac or something..." To the best of my knowledge and belief there is nothing you can do to reinflate the shrunken leather of a leather washer handle. Nothing. No way. Don't even bother to hope. Don't try to get anything into the leather, it will be worse than useless. I've soaked old leather, of various kinds for for various reasons, in neat's-foot oil. Soaked it in linseed oil. I've used neats-foot-oil/lanolin leather dressings. If you are lucky soaking the washers will do nothing much. If not lucky, you will get a disgusting, gummy, fragile mess. What you **won't** do is improve the handle in any way whatever. Most likely your best bet is to push all the washers up really tight next to each other. Then fill the gap between the last washer and the end, or maybe leave the gap between the two last washers and fill that, by wrapping tightly with thick thread or very thin cord. I might perhaps work glue down between the washers before snugging them up, then lay in the filling cord in glue. When dry put on a coat or two of shellac. The first coat of shellac will soak in a bit but seal the surface, so you might need two or more. Or maybe glue ooze-out will ahve sealed the surface. Smoothing or shaping the surface, or sanding to clean it, probably won't do much good before the shellac is on, but will expose raw leather and require a bit more shellac. Sanding leather, especially old leather, usually doesn't work very well; trimming with a sharp edge tool is much more successful. I would try a float, haven't yet but mean to. I could well be wrong in my opinion; I haven't attempted to restore a leather- washer handle (though I have dealt with old washers on chisel handles, where soaking in BLO with the rest of the handle sometimes is beneficial). If someone has successfully tightened up an old leather-washer handle (without repeaning or adding new solid material like the cord I suggest) I'll be happy to add it to my list of possibilities. But at this point I've got about thirty years' professional experience with old leather (mostly in the form of bookbindings) and I wouldn't waste the energy hoping that its condition will be improved by soaking it in something. Tom Conroy |
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254824 | scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> | 2015‑05‑22 | Re: estwing |
search How Its Made for the Estwing leather handle story. Estwing leather handle tools are a problem. I have cut 3/4 disks (open one end) out of various substances and pounded/glued them in. I tried brass once. Green face shield material is very tough and looks black when light can't go though it easy. Its not the greatest though. You are relying on glue alone to hold the disks you make. The thing about Estwing is that they start with extra long tangs. They stack up the leather, then press on the bottom piece with hydraulic force. The long tangs means they have some distance to compress the leather. Then they cut off the tangs, and pein them. There isn't enough tang left to pein very much trying to re-tighten. One of these days I am going to take nice ax with a loose handle. Cut off the peined tangs. Take off the bottom plate. Weld on new longer tangs. Add more leather and spacer disks. Fabricate a press of some kind to press them hard with the bottom plate on. Cut off and pein the new tangs. Its the only way. I have given this some thought. yours Scott -- ******************************* Scott Grandstaff Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039 scottg@s... http://www.snowcrest.n et/kitty/sgrandstaff/ http://www.snowcr est.net/kitty/hpages/index.html ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2015.0.5941 / Virus Database: 4347/9840 - Release Date: 05/22/15 |
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254825 | Ron Harper <kokomorontoo@g...> | 2015‑05‑22 | Re: estwing |
> > Apparently they have not made a warrington model? |
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254859 | CGRAF <adveniam@a...> | 2015‑05‑27 | Re: estwing |
More than a few moons ago I would send them back and get them re-handled. Don't know if they still provide this service. It used to be the norm in many product lines. You could not wear out a Zippo. My Dad sent his WWII era lighter back several times. It always came back the original case filled with new guts. Mike Graf On 5/22/2015 3:12 AM, Thomas Conroy via OldTools wrote: > bridger wrote: > "... Instead I shifted the leather discs around to even up the spacing of them on the handle and am figuring to soak them in something to get them to swell back up to size. They seem to still be pretty pliable. I worked the surface of the leather handle a bit with some coarse sandpaper to open it up. I'm wondering what would be an appropriate material to soak them in. I can see not wanting something that hardens and makes the leather brittle, but not something that makes the leather soft and fragile either. A mix of mineral oil and linseed? Maybe top that with shellac or something..." > > To the best of my knowledge and belief there is nothing you can do to reinflate the shrunken leather of a leather washer handle. Nothing. No way. Don't even bother to hope. Don't try to get anything into the leather, it will be worse than useless. I've soaked old leather, of various kinds for for various reasons, in neat's-foot oil. Soaked it in linseed oil. I've used neats-foot- oil/lanolin leather dressings. If you are lucky soaking the washers will do nothing much. If not lucky, you will get a disgusting, gummy, fragile mess. What you **won't** do is improve the handle in any way whatever. > > Most likely your best bet is to push all the washers up really tight next to each other. Then fill the gap between the last washer and the end, or maybe leave the gap between the two last washers and fill that, by wrapping tightly with thick thread or very thin cord. I might perhaps work glue down between the washers before snugging them up, then lay in the filling cord in glue. When dry put on a coat or two of shellac. The first coat of shellac will soak in a bit but seal the surface, so you might need two or more. Or maybe glue ooze-out will ahve sealed the surface. Smoothing or shaping the surface, or sanding to clean it, probably won't do much good before the shellac is on, but will expose raw leather and require a bit more shellac. Sanding leather, especially old leather, usually doesn't work very well; trimming with a sharp edge tool is much more successful. I would try a float, haven't yet but mean to. > > I could well be wrong in my opinion; I haven't attempted to restore a leather- washer handle (though I have dealt with old washers on chisel handles, where soaking in BLO with the rest of the handle sometimes is beneficial). If someone has successfully tightened up an old leather-washer handle (without repeaning or adding new solid material like the cord I suggest) I'll be happy to add it to my list of possibilities. But at this point I've got about thirty years' professional experience with old leather (mostly in the form of bookbindings) and I wouldn't waste the energy hoping that its condition will be improved by soaking it in something. > Tom Conroy > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool > aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage, > value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of > traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools. > > To change your subscription options: > http://old tools.swingleydev.com/mailman/listinfo/oldtools > > To read the FAQ: > http://swingleydev.com/archi ve/faq.html > > OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/ot/">http://swingleydev.com/ot/ > > OldTools@s... > http://old tools.swingleydev.com/mailman/listinfo/oldtools > |
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254860 | Kirk Eppler <eppler.kirk@g...> | 2015‑05‑27 | Re: estwing |
On Wed, May 27, 2015 at 4:38 PM, CGRAF |
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254868 | bridger <bridger@b...> | 2015‑05‑28 | Re: estwing |
The hammer in the OP is different from other estwings I have seen in that it lacks the non-leather colored stripes just below the head end and just above the butt end. Which could account for the leather washers being a little loose. I had assumed that the lack of those accent stripes was an age thing- that estwing introduced them some time after this hammer was made but this could also be interpreted as evidence that the handle had been repaired, but not all of the parts had been installed. |
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254876 | Peter McBride <peter_mcbride@b...> | 2015‑05‑29 | Re: estwing |
Renovating Estwing? ... How about improving their product range? They never made the framing hammer with the best handle, or at least never sold it here in Aust. Friend of mine, Matty, wanted the blue plastic gone from his framing hammer. I found one donor that was run over by the lawn mower. Found that lost hammer from a few years ago the hard way. hehehe He had another basket case, and between them he had enough of the plastic coloured disks, and just enough of the leather. Pics here, taken on the phone camera last night. www.petermcbride.com/temp/i mages/estw0.jpg www.petermcbride.com/temp/i mages/estw1.jpg Cheers, Peter In Main Ridge, VIC Australia On 29/05/2015 4:46 AM, bridger wrote: > The hammer in the OP is different from other estwings I have seen in that it lacks the non-leather colored stripes just below the head end and just above the butt end. Which could account for the leather washers being a little loose. I had assumed that the lack of those accent stripes was an age thing- that estwing introduced them some time after this hammer was made but this could also be interpreted as evidence that the handle had been repaired, but not all of the parts had been installed. > > |
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254886 | CGRAF <adveniam@a...> | 2015‑05‑30 | Re: estwing |
This url has an interesting rebuild of an estwing handle. http://www.damnyak.ca/2012/02/estwing-hammer- rebuild.html">http://www.damnyak.ca/2012/02/estwing-hammer-rebuild.html Mike Graf |
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254902 | Kirk Eppler <eppler.kirk@g...> | 2015‑06‑01 | Re: estwing |
Nice link, makes it look easy, though I suspect he left out the hard parts of compression, etc. On Sat, May 30, 2015 at 3:33 PM, CGRAF |
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