Chisel handles

[Garden Shed Projects]

I wonder if I could ask the advice of the group. I have found a chisel role that I put in a cupboard at least 20 years ago. The role contains 6 Stanley Fat Max chisels that haven’t faired very well as the rubber inlay in the handle has perished.

The one on the right is as found but the one on the left has the rubber removed mostly just crumbled in my fingers. It’s a shame as I think with a bit of elbow grease the blades could be brought back into service.

Can any one advise on a product they would clean or dissolve the rubber without damaging the plastic of the handle.

 

[D_W]

Mineral oil on the handles and then buff with a rag and see what happens.

 

[Orraloon]

If you have a lathe then replace with a wooden handle. Will look like a real chisel then. Usually the tang in a plastic handle is strait so drill a hole to size and epoxi it in the wood handle.
UpCycle an Old Chisel - YouTube
The video is just a guide to the process as the turning is a bit a$$ backwards. Its best to drill the hole and then turn but the guy still gets the job done.
Regards
John

 

[Garden Shed Projects]

If you have a lathe then replace with a wooden handle. Will look like a real chisel then. Usually the tang in a plastic handle is strait so drill a hole to size and epoxi it in the wood handle.
UpCycle an Old Chisel - YouTube
The video is just a guide to the process as the turning is a bit a$$ backwards. Its best to drill the hole and then turn but the guy still gets the job done.
Regards
John

It did occur to me that replacing the handles with wooden ones could be the way to go but with the straight tang I wasn’t certain it would work. Would epoxy allow them to be used with a mallet?

 

[Orraloon]

Yes. Get a reasonably good fit and use slow setting epoxi not the 5 min stuff.

Regards
John

 

[Garden Shed Projects]

I don’t have a lathe but the London pattern, I think it’s called, should be achievable. Thanks.

 

[Argus]

It did occur to me that replacing the handles with wooden ones could be the way to go but with the straight tang I wasn’t certain it would work. Would epoxy allow them to be used with a mallet?

I did it once to a set of 4 Stanley 5001s that I had from the 1960s that had some terrible handle-damage, though the blades are good once cleaned.

As far as the Stanleys were concerned, I clamped the blade of each in a vice and used another embedded in the plastic to drive off the dead handle stub. These were not glued, just a very tight fit from new.

The tang in each case was cylindrical, about 1-3/4 " long (from memory) and exactly 3/8" diameter. They had an oval key-form sticking out on each side about halfway down.

I turned the blanks to shape, using some old Apple-wood. (As Oraloon said, it's best to start with a tang-hole on the axis, and turn the shape registered from there).

In this case, the hole was exactly 3/8" diameter (exactly the same as the tang diameter) and 1/8" deeper than the length of the tang. At the finish, I needed to score a long groove inside each to take the key, then hammered each one home.

I used no heat, no glue, just a tight fit and a hole drilled exactly on the axis...... the same as the originals, but in wood.

Would I do it again? Probably not.
They are now used as a second-best set, but they do work and it was an interesting exercise.

 

[D_W]

It did occur to me that replacing the handles with wooden ones could be the way to go but with the straight tang I wasn’t certain it would work. Would epoxy allow them to be used with a mallet?

drill the hole slightly oversize knowing you'll need the slop to adjust the assembly straight, half fill the hole with epoxy and then seat the chisel and adjust how it's seated so that it's straight as you rotate the handle in a circle (if you choose to replace handles).

It'll hold up fine. If it ever breaks, you can just belt sand the excess epoxy off of the tang and do it again. Epoxy will have no issue with mallets.

 

[IWW]

If you don't have a lathe & you are not overly fussed by plastic, just tidy your handles up a bit with rasp & files, scraper, sandpaper or whatever combination you have to hand so they'll be more comfortable then go ahead & tidy up the blades & use 'em.

Personally, I have an aversion to plastic handles on any tool & much prefer the feel of wood - particularly in the hot humid weather that we get for much of the year where I live. Having a lathe makes the job easier, but you can certainly make perfectly servicible handles without one. The octagonal part of the "London pattern" is easy enough, but it's a lot easier to finish it off if you have a lathe or something that can substitute for one:

I've replaced many a damaged plastic handle & never felt the need to resort to glue despite the short, round tang. You can usually find a drill bit that's close enough to give you a firm fit. Some of my replaced handles have served for 30 years plus & show no signs of wanting to fall off (unlike those on my LN socket chisels! )......

Cheers,

 

[Orraloon]

Here is a clever jig to cut handles on the bandsaw. Not used it myself but may be something to pass the time on a wet afternoon.
Handle Making Jig - How to Make Tool Handles - YouTube
Regards
John

 

[JimB]

I came across an old book that suggested that apprentices put the final shape their own handles once they had fixed them to the chisels. Good practice with spokeshaves etc.

 

[Garden Shed Projects]

Here is a clever jig to cut handles on the bandsaw. Not used it myself but may be something to pass the time on a wet afternoon.
Handle Making Jig - How to Make Tool Handles - YouTube
Regards
John

That definitely looks doable. It’s a job on the list for next year. I will post some picks of how I get on.
Thanks all for the advice.