A Beautiful Handle

[bchee]

I was in Home Depot and saw this Estwing Axe. The handle is beautiful - you have to see it in person. It has a real glossy finish and reminds me of a pool stick. I don't know what kind of wood it is, but it also has this white inlay.
The link is to Sears but I saw it at HD
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00903184000P

 

[folsom]

It is leather

 

[mulepackin]

It is leather

Beat me to it. Leather washers all up and down the shaft of the handle. Lots of knives used to be done this way.

 

[The Muffin Man]

A friend of mine has that Estwing hatchet. It truly is a thing of beauty. The weight is balanced nicely and the overall feel is impressive.

A Similar Estwing hatchet is also used by "Marv" in the movie Sin City.

 

[bchee]

leather? Seriously? It feels like a hard wood handle. I dont get it

 

[The Muffin Man]

leather? Seriously? It feels like a hard wood handle. I dont get it

"SPORTSMAN'S AXE (WITH SHEATH)

Beautiful Leather Grip

World famous Sportsman's Axes are the choice of outdoorsmen everywhere. This axe is forged in one piece with a genuine leather grip. A must for all campers! Includes an embossed leather sheath."

quoted directly from Estwing's site.

Some leather shoes also have layers of hard leather pressed together.

 

[krusty the clown]

leather? Seriously? It feels like a hard wood handle. I dont get it

yup.......leather.

http://www.estwing.com/product.php?product_id=1600

 

[mk2munky]

I'm not really impressed by most of Home Depot's hardware department, but that is definitely one of the items that is nice that they carry. And it's US made, what else could you ask for?

 

[Paladin]

Yes, as said above, the handle is made of stacked leather rings. The legendary Ka-Bar combat knife also used leather. Estwing's are nice hatchets.

 

[mulepackin]

leather? Seriously? It feels like a hard wood handle. I dont get it

Leather is tough stuff. Ya ever look at a genuine leather shoe or boot sole? Those things take a beating and hold up incredibly well. Lots of packings and seals were made of leather back in the days before rubber and synthetics came along.

 

[le6920]

I have several hammers like that. They are my favorites hammers.

 

[Elroy]

There are only a few manufactures that still offer leather stacked handles. Of course Estwing is one. Malco is another.

http://www.malcoproducts.com/products/hammers/index.asp

and

http://www.malcoproducts.com/pdf/catalog/2008/Hammers and Pry Bars 68 69.pdf

 

[Jononon]

A popular handle for craftsmen made knives, too.

Tutorial

 

[tatra]

leather is now being used as a floor covering more and more...........can't wait to see it used in a garage floor..............somebody's gotta do it eventually

 

[Rickster]

Oh yea, it's leather all right! ... and it stands the test of time!

 

[paramudduck]

Very nice there Rick!

 

[mkdive]

I was going to say kbar knives have been using leather for a looooooong time. But the picture beat me to it.

 

[bchee]

A popular handle for craftsmen made knives, too.

Tutorial

That tutorial is really cool. I had no idea. When I picked up the axe I never thought it was something other than wood. They use a good hardener

 

[bchee]

fyi this axe is on sale for $19.15 here
http://www.dynamitetoolco.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=EST-E24A&click=123

 

[Mike83]

I have that hatchet. They use a coating of some sort to seal the handle and the steel end cap adds durability. Somewhere on it there are the words "handle unbreakable under normal use." Unfortunately I don't have many chances to use it. It is a nice tool!

 

[Paladin]

Man bchee, that's a good deal on that Estwing! I just saw one at Cabelas the other night for around $40. I decided for that kind of money I'd get a Marbles hatchet.