Restoring Saw Handle by Bob Sturgeon

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Handle - Example 1

If after cleaning you have a handle with a good percentage of old finish, proceed with about three to six coats of paste wax I usually put on five.  I use Johnson's Paste Wax, available at most grocery stores in the floor care section.  I have tried many different brands and homemade concoctions, but have never found anything better than Johnson's.  Apply a thin coat and let dry for about ten minutes and buff with a paper shop towel.  Keep applying additional thin coats until you are pleased with the shine.  Do final buffing with a Terry Cloth towel.

Handle - Example 2

With this handle we have a different situation, finish mostly gone, chipped up, maybe a little old finish left around the inside and the back of the handle.  Best thing to do here is to remove the remaining old finish and put some kind of new finish on.  A lot of people at this point would reach for the good old paint stripper, but I have found that most old finishes are usually on the brittle side and I scrape it off with a sharp pocket knife blade.  I like the pocket knife because it can get into small areas.  Most times it just pops off, finish that is solid will scrape away. 

Once the old finish is off, if the handle is very smooth all over, great.  If its rather on the rough side, sand with 220 garnet paper or what ever 220 you like, using a small block for back up on the flat sides and by hand on the rest following the grain.  Don't go overboard sanding, you just want it fairly smoothed up.  Scrub with the OOOO Steel Wool and the Kramer's to blend in with the rest of the handle.  At this point if the handle has a nice pleasing color, you are ready for finish. Let dry for a couple of hours.

If after the Kramer's it is still very light colored you may wish to stain.

I use Min-Wax oil stain in colors of English Chestnut, Provincial, (both shades of old looking brown), Red Mahogany, and Red Oak.  Put on a pair of latex gloves and apply with one half of a blue shop towel, let sit for a couple minutes and then brush very lightly with the other half of the towel, just barely touching the wood to even it up.  Let dry 24 hours.

Now to move on to the finish.  I use a product called Min-Wax Wipe-On Poly Clear Satin (Also comes in Gloss, just like Satin better) comes in pint and quart cans.  Available at Home Depot and Wal-Mart.

Hey wait a minute did he just say the dreaded "Polyurethane" word, yes he did, but please bear with him.  This product will do everything that Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil will do but with practically none of the work.  Ease to apply, finishes to beautiful Hand Rubbed look, doesn't look plastic and best of all dries and can be recoated in two hours.  You don't even have to sand between coats.  No final rub down with Pumice or Rottenstone.  Hope everyone has calmed down by now.  Remember Boiled Linseed Oil at one time was the new kid on the block.  My motto is try first, condemn second.

Take a blue paper shop towel, tear in half, fold up into about a 2x2 square.  Apply Wipe-On Poly to the towel and rub in circular motions over the entire handle.  Apply plenty on this first coat, it will soak up quite a bit the first time.  Take the other half of the dry towel and very lightly brush away any finish that has puddled up of still looks excessively wet, barely hit the surface.  Don't leave any looking wet and shiny.  Blot out the screw holes and hang up by a length of wire to dry.

I hang mine on the blade of an old bow saw, that I have said I am going to clean up someday, but on the other hand it makes a heck of a drying rack.

Apply the additional coats thinner and rub in well, brushing off as before.  What you want is a build up of thin coats.  After about the third coat or so you'll see the finish coming to the top of the surface.  I usually apply five coats.  Let dry 24 hours after the last coat.

Now for the final step, applying the wax.  Open the Johnson's Paste Wax and for the first coat apply with OOOO Steel Wool rubbing in circles.  This will smooth up and polish the last application of the Wipe-On Poly underneath.  Do this with the steel wool only once. Let sit about ten minutes, and buff with a blue shop towel.  The rest of the coats of wax apply with half a blue shop towel, buffing between each.  I put on five coats of wax, finally buffing with a terry cloth towel.

Results

Cleaned only with Kramer's and waxed

Cleaned, completely refinished, and waxed