Dry Handles

Re: Dry Handles

Dale Stansbery

>Somewhere I think I once read the old time farmers would put there handles in sand and kerosene to toughen them up,hmmm, or am I having another senior delusional moment.

Re: wood myths

Mitchell

>there is a misperception exploited by makers of furniture polish and other woodcare products that wood must be fed and moisturized. A bit of anthropomorphizing, I think. Wood responds to ambient moisture in the environment that it is placed in. If you plan on using this tool outdoors, I would recommend a light coating of boiled linseed oil but mostly to keep moisture form penetrating its endgrain, especially at the head, which is its weakest point.

If however you are describing dryness that comes from dry rot, a fungal decay process caused by wood that is kept too moist and often from being in contact with soil flora, then you might want to consider fabricating a new handle.

Re: wood myths

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>Yeah, the tools will be used outside for sure. There is no decay on the handlesept for one little sot on the top of one of them. I imagine where ever it laid for who knows how many years that small bit of the handle was in contact with the ground. The handles are SO DRY that they are actually opening up in many places. I fear that if not some how reconditioned abit that they'll split under heavy use. I dunno about these handles asorbing moisture from just the air anymore as they are so dry that I don't think they will or can. Was thinking that I might need to soak them in a barrel of water for a spell than let them "dry out" again and than seal them somehow.

I suppose I could just either make new handles, or buy new ones, but I'd rather try to save the originals if I can.

Todd O.

The Senility Prayer

Garrett in Victoria BC CA

>This might help, Dale:

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones that I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Now that I'm older (but refuse to grow up) here's what I've discovered....

- I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.

- My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.

- I finally got my head together, now my body is falling

apart.

- Funny, I don't remember being absent minded.

- All reports are in, life is now officially unfair.

- If all is not lost, where is it?

- It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.

- Some days you are the dog, some days you're the hydrant.

- I wish the buck stopped here, I sure could use a few.

- Kids in the back seat cause accidents.

- Accidents in the back seat cause kids.

- It's hard to make a come back when you haven't been

anywhere.

- The only time the world beats a path to your door is

when you're in the bathroom.

- If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put

them on my knees.

- When I'm finally holding all the cards, why does everyone decide to play chess?

- It's not hard to meet expenses...they're everywhere.

- The only difference between a rut and a grave is the

depth.

- These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the

hereafter...I go somewhere to get something and then wonder what I'm here after.

- I AM UNABLE TO REMEMBER IF I HAVE MAILED THIS TO YOU

BEFORE OR NOT

Cheers, Garrett

Re: wood myths

Angelo in Cornwall, NY

>Todd,

I would strongly advise against soaking them in water. When they dry out again, they will shrink even more and be weaker. St. Roy explains this in detail in one of his books, but basically when you soak you expnd the cells to the point that they rupture. When they dry, they collapse upon themselves, making the head looser and the handle weaker. I'f you concerned, just stick with BLO, If your really concerned, make new ones. It would be a great excuse to pick up a new spoke shave or 2.

Re: wood myths

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>"It would be a great excuse to pick up a new spoke shave or 2."---Angelo

But of coarse, what was I (not) thinking!? Thanks Angelo.

Actually, I didn't think that soaking them in water was the right thing to do, but it was a thought. I think I'll give a coat or two of BLO and see what happens. I'll let ya' all know the results.

Todd O.

Re: wood myths

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>Todd,

I do not believe that your wood handles can be permanently wetter or drier than their environment. In other words, if they are in your shop or garage with the other tools, they all will reach equilibrium moisture content with the environment, and will will follow the seasonal variations.

Re: wood myths

Bob Nelson

>I'm torn here. I know that Don is right in theory about moisture equilibrium. But I also know I've seen pieces of wood in practice that were too DRY DRY DRY to ever regain a look or feel of any moisture content. I think there must be some exception to Don's rule that I'm not aware of. Raw linseed oil would be better than boiled to achieve thorough restoration, but Todd might have to wait a year or so to use the tools. Bob

Re: wood myths

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>I really have no idea where these tools where stored. for all I know they came from Arizona or some other dry climate. Perhaps I'd be wise to just leave them alone for a bit and see what happens when the humidity levels here rise eh? humidity levels here in Jacksonville get up to 80 and 90% pretty regularily especially in the summer time.

These two tools will primarily used when I go on my Fossil/Rock hunting trips so there is no telling what conditions they'll be used in. A few weeks ago while fossil hunting down around Lake Okechobee I spent the day standing in about a foot of water digging 1.5-2million year old clams out of coquina. Worked like an animal and loved every second of it.

Todd O.

Re: wood myths

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>Well... the wood surface could be unpleasantly dry to the touch, and maybe some oil would improve things. I have been putting Seal-O-Cell (sp?) on some handles lately - I think that it is mostly BLO.

OT/HIJACK: Fossils

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>So, did you find anything interesting in the muck?

Re: Dry Handles

Paul in NJ

>Sounds like they were left out in the weather and got bleached like your deck gets from the sun. Try sanding them a little bit to get to undamaged wood. I like tung oil on my tool handles for a little protection.

Paul Dzioba

Re: OT/HIJACK: Fossils

Bob Nelson

>I recall that Todd got started hunting fossils in Southern MD. There was just a story in the Washington Post a couple days ago about a guy doing some fossil digging in that area coming upon a two million year old whale skeleton uncovered by last year's hurricane. It's been given to the Calvert County Maritime Museum. The thing weighs several hundred poiunds and it took a helicopter and team from PAX River to gather it up from the site and move it to the museum. I doubt Todd found anything like that in Florida. Bob

Sad news

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Someone hunted the local chambered nautilus that I've enjoyed walking by every day for a couple of years now. I've been incredibly sad about that, there was no reason to take it, everyone knows we're living in an old sea bed; but, alas, some greedy, empty soul just had to have it. Funny thing, two days before I bought some rubber stuff to make a cast as a model to use on furniture and/or sculpture, was waiting for the rain to stop.

Pam

Re: OT/HIJACK: Fossils

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>Don,

Yes I did. What we where mainly digging for was clamshells that have Amber colored Calcite crystals growing in them. Actually the calcite crystals are the shell itself transforming into crystals. They are absolutely georgeous!

the bad news is that I found nothing nowhere as nice as the guy who was working to my immediate left. Oh My Gosh the ones that he was finding was absolutely breathtaking! If I'd og found what he did I'd of dumped out most of what I brought home. I missed that spot by about 3 feet. :~( Ahhhhhhhhhh well, that's the luck of the draw eh? None-the-less I had a weekend that was an absolute BLAST! Got to meet, and spend the night with fellow Islander Mike Fitterling and Family, than spend the next day digging fossils. I was one poopered out fossiler by the end of the day. I learned that when digging in Coquina to either wear gloves or don't use your hands as digging tools as coquina will SHRED your fingertips and you won't know it until the next day.

The pit I was in is called Rucks Pit. You can see examples of the clams at wwwthefossilgeode.com The exciting thing about this place is that there are 3 ancient seafloors in it. In the past year alone 7 new species have been indentified from this pit.

Todd O.

Re: OT/HIJACK: Fossils

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>Bob,

You are correct, while I've always beeen interested in fossils and such I became an active hunter while stationed at NAS Patuxent River Naval Base. I used to go to Calvert Cliffs all the time. I'd be interested in knowing more about the whale skeleton, especially the finder's name. I have a buddy up there who makes his living shelling sharks teeth and other fossils and I hope that it was he who found that skeleton.

Todd O.