Author	[Modern View]
Stan in Oly, WA 10-08-2012 09:16:08 75.172.118.61 Report to Moderator	I picked up two shovel handles from a pile of items someone had put at the curb with a "Free" sign. I have more than enough shovels and other tools which use such handles, and plenty of replacement handles, too. The reason I picked them up was because they are so weathered---gray and cracked from dryness---that I wanted to see if they could be restored. Should I soak them in water, then dry and oil them, or should I just oil them with linseed/tung/some other oil, or do something else entirely? It's just to satisfy my mild curiosity, and the chances of me even getting around to it are not high. But, I wouldn't mind knowing. Stan [Reply]   [No Email]
ss55 10-13-2012 12:06:59 50.81.68.105 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-08-2012 09:16:08   Spar varnish works well. [Reply]  [No Email]
Pale Rider 10-08-2012 20:18:25 64.12.116.141 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-08-2012 09:16:08   Offer them to the county. They should be in good enough shape to lean on. No danger they will be used. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bret4207 10-08-2012 13:48:13 64.19.90.196 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-08-2012 09:16:08   Sand it down and put the linseed to it. [Reply]  [No Email]
Hal/Eastern WA 10-08-2012 11:51:37 97.115.161.244 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-08-2012 09:16:08   What I like to do is soak my wooden handles in boiled linseed oil. I have a PVC tube with a cap on one end that works well. After soaking a few days, I let the handle hang to drip dry. Unless a handle is really far gone (like rotten), this procedure makes them a lot nicer. With a little sanding sometimes, the handles last a lot longer and feel like new ones. Good luck! [Reply]  [No Email]
Glenn F. 10-08-2012 10:39:34 166.181.3.157 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-08-2012 09:16:08   Linseed oil [Reply]  [No Email]
showcrop 10-08-2012 09:39:42 75.67.231.80 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-08-2012 09:16:08   I would sand them first, Not going crazy with it, but some fairly coarse first to take down the ridges, then some finer grade to smooth it. Then apply the preservative. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 10-08-2012 09:34:03 209.86.226.27 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to Stan in Oly, WA, 10-08-2012 09:16:08   Dip them in a good oil based varnish. Ya dipping them my be hard to do but that is one of the best ways to make sure it soaks in deep. There is a place just up the road from me that dip paints all there boat trailers and they do so and have done so for decades. [Reply]  [No Email]
36 coupe 10-08-2012 18:05:12 66.186.169.176 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to old, 10-08-2012 09:34:03   New boat oars have no varnish on the handles.Varnish on an axe handle will give you sore hands.Boiled linseed oil is the best and keep them out of the weather.Keep wood handled tools out of heated buildings.Heat makes the wood shrink and you will learn where the term fly off the handle comes from. [Reply]  [No Email]
showcrop 10-09-2012 04:24:50 75.67.231.80 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to 36 coupe, 10-08-2012 18:05:12   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see Along with the heat of a heated building comes some moisture from the occupants. Yes, it is still drier than in the summer, but much higher humidity than outdoors in mid-winter. So be careful when swinging that axe in mid winter. [Reply]  [No Email]
36 coupe 10-09-2012 16:08:48 66.186.169.176 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to showcrop, 10-09-2012 04:24:50   Our kitchen runs 50% humidity all winter.80 to 90% in summer.Chairs nearest the wood cook stove come unglued.A wood handled hammer I keep in the truck gets loose in the summer, during cold weather it tightens up so heat seems to be a factor, not humidity. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stan in Oly, WA 10-09-2012 08:05:55 75.172.118.61 Report to Moderator	Re: Weathered shovel handles in reply to showcrop, 10-09-2012 04:24:50   The coastal climate in the Pacific NW is the opposite of how you describe yours. Here, late summer and fall are the only dry times of the year, except for a very few days during the winter when the temp is low enough to prevent the air from holding a lot of moisture. In general, November through June is the rainy season. Those of us who can stand it like it a lot; the rest drink, or leave. Stan [Reply]  [No Email]