Can i save this hammer handle

[Kielbasavw]

Got myself a donkey **** body hammer a bit back. The handle came with a little bit of a wiggle, and while sitting in the garage it adjusted to the weather here and is now a little bit more loose. No where near loose enough to slip off. Just a bit of a wiggle.

It's an Indestro super, with original handle and markings. It's in very good shape no cracks chips or anything of the such. Looking at the wedge area it seems a little beat up / brittle. Anyway i could throw in another wedge to save it? If that won't work, I wouldn't mind cutting it off and re shape and re use the same handle just be a couple inches shorter :/

 

[jakemac]

Pry out the wedges and remove the handle.
Next, cut a thin kerf in top of the handle about 1/2 - 2/3 the depth of the head.
Make a thin wooden wedge. Slightly wider than the kerf. (hardwood if available, but pine would do in a pinch)
Put the head back on the handle. Make sure it sits all the way down.
Drive in the wooden wedge. Then trim it flush.
Drive in the steel wedges width-wise at an angle.
Done.

 

[Finky198]

take a good punch and drive the metal wedges in a little better then pour some boiled linseed oil on it and let it swell over a day or 2 then wipe off the excess you should be fine with that

 

[Coach James]

If you use that hammer on a donkey, he's not going to be very happy.

Coach

 

[senlow]

Pry out the wedges and remove the handle.
Next, cut a thin kerf in top of the handle about 1/2 - 2/3 the depth of the head.
Make a thin wooden wedge. Slightly wider than the kerf. (hardwood if available, but pine would do in a pinch)
Put the head back on the handle. Make sure it sits all the way down.
Drive in the wooden wedge. Then trim it flush.
Drive in the steel wedges width-wise at an angle.
Done.

This is the right way to do the job.

 

[Kielbasavw]

It looks like it has 2 wooden wedges going width wise how would that affect cutting a kerf perpendicular.

 

[Youngguns]

A properly hung hammer doesn't need a steel wedge. Which is why I use the following method to remove wedges:

Center punch the steel wedge.
Drill the wedge with the appropriate drill bit for whatever screw you have laying around.
Grab a slide hammer, attach it to the screw, and pop it out.

Works with wood wedges as well if you're careful (plus a little lucky).

"It looks like it has 2 wooden wedges going width wise how would that affect cutting a kerf perpendicular."

Cut the kerf normally, and cut the location of the wedges as well (forming perpendicular kerves). If you wanna be **** about it, drill a hole through the bottom of each kerf as a stress reliever. When you're re-wedging the handle, wedge the two perpendiculars first. Then, using a chisel, form a split in them for the main wedge. Finally, drive the main wedge home.

 

[ssdave]

The "take out the metal wedges and redo the wood wedges" guys have got it right, and described the process perfectly.

The only thing that I do more than that is mix up some epoxy, and liberaly coat the outside of the wood and the inside of the hole before installing the handle again. I epoxy in the wedges, and then put the hammer on end, head side up, and coat the top of the end with epoxy also. That seems to keep the wood from drying out further, I haven't had one come loose again that I've treated that way.

dave

 

[Kielbasavw]

I will try pulling the steel wedges. I think it may be a bit easier to use stud welder to pull them out.

 

[1950mercury]

take a good punch and drive the metal wedges in a little better then pour some boiled linseed oil on it and let it swell over a day or 2 then wipe off the excess you should be fine with that

I think I'd try this...if it don't work id pull wedges

 

[Adam.C]

take a good punch and drive the metal wedges in a little better then pour some boiled linseed oil on it and let it swell over a day or 2 then wipe off the excess you should be fine with that

This won't work. Whatever swelling the wood does will cause the wood to crush, so once the wood dries again, and it will, it will be even looser than before. Sme with that Chair Doctor product they used to sell. Best solution is to add more wood. You can saw thru whatever wooden wedges already exist.

When you go to reinstall the head, make sure there isn't some wood stopping the head from going down further on the handle. The handle needs to be tight to the head at the top and the bottom.

Also, never use PVA to glue in a wedge. It will creep out under load. Epoxy is really best.

Sealing the end grain will really help this not happen again. End grain is like a bunch of drinking straws. Moisture is received, the wood swells, has no place to go so it crushes a little. When it dries, the straws collapse a little causing the looseness.

 

[HanShotFirst]

What Adam said...Use Epoxy on the wedges and then use the epoxy to seal the end grain; it's the best sealer you're ever going to find.

 

[Finky198]

i have done 10 or 20 axes and hammers this way and never had an issue. its starts because the wood just dries out and shrinks from lack of proper care... I understand it not the best way but it tends to work me your result may vary best of luck with it

if you maintain the head Properly it should never dry out again as it need periodic oiling regardless of the method that you use. Dried Cracked and Loose Handles are a Result of poor maintenance most handle should be Stipped of the clear coat Oil in layers dried and then waxed then oiled periodically from there on out to maintain the finish

 

[thinman]

Where I live wood hammer handles always dry out in winter and swell back in summer. Soak the hammer head in a 50/50 antifreeze mix for a couple days. The moisture swells the head and the antifreeze doesn't evaporate. Might have to do this every month or so in the winter.

 

[WMS PERFORMANCE]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5114876&posted=1#post5114876

 

[rick carpenter]

If that won't work, I wouldn't mind cutting it off and re shape and re use the same handle just be a couple inches shorter :/

Looks like you could drop the head about 1/8" or so if necessary. You'd have to recut the shoulder. Set the head at the angle you like then scribe the new shoulder.

 

[Kielbasavw]

Saved the original handle. I tack welded a stud on each steel wedge. Popped them out with stud puller. Head came of fairly easy after that. Looking at the handle where head was, looked pretty brittle and cracked in several spots. I cut 2 kerfs perpendicular to each other and that allowed me to cut out 2 of the worst cracks.
After that I started to put it back together. Since it was so cracks (forgot to take pictures) I decided to use some 2 part epoxy to glue the head on and figure that should help keep what cracks are there to hold together and not spread. Found a large axe wedge for $2 at ace hardware and came with 2 steel wedges. Cut 2 wedges out and pounded them in with epoxy. Then added the 2 original wedges.

After it all dried up lightly sanded handle and coated in boiled linseed oil. Also fixed a slightly loose claw hammer with one of those new steel wedges.

 

[jakemac]

Good job.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I always leave about 1/8"of handle sticking out past the head. Once you drive the wedges in it mushrooms and really holds it in forever.

This is probably much more important on axes/sledgehammers which are heavier, and there I leave 1/4"+ hanging out.

 

[Kielbasavw]

You can't tell in the picture but it does stick up by about 3/32

 

[ZRX61]

You can't tell in the picture but it does stick up by about 3/32

I'd probably buzz it on a belt sander to make it look tidy

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

nice repair..

 

[Kielbasavw]

Yeah I'll probably try cleaning the top a little bit but I'm not worried

Thanks