Changing chisel handles

[grunter53]

Hi

I have purchased some old Addis chisels and would like to change the handles. Is there any simple way to remove the old handles without damaging them? Any advice would be most appreciated.

Cheers

Grant

[pallin]

I'm not familiar with that brand. Perhaps a photo would help. Does it have a ferrule where the tang of the tool enters the wood handle?

[Dan S]

You have great taste in tools. I presume that the originals are in pretty poor shape? Changing the handles may adversly affect the value of the tools. The way I've done it in the past is to clamp the blade in a vise with wood padded jaws then tap the handle loose. You could also cut it off with a chisel and mallet.

Good luck,
Dan

[grunter53]

Hi Everyone

I have attached a couple of images of the chisels I bought. The chisels were a bit the worse for wear, most having severely nicked blades or weird profiles ground on them. I am in the process of restoring them to what I hope will be a use-able condition.

The No. 21 (2nd from top) has come up fine, but I would like to take the handle off the No. 5 (top) and use it on the small V-chisel No.39. This handle is the problem child, having a chisel shoulder larger than the ferrule on the handle.

The odd shaped handle on the small No. 11 (middle) is going to be replaced and the handle on the No.7 (4th from top with no ferrule) is also are going to be replaced. My replacement handles are some Addis handles in very good condition which I bought separately, so I should be able to retain the vintage value as well as using them for carving.

Any help in salvaging the handles hopefully unscathed would be great.

Cheers

Grant

[Donsexton]

I would clamp the wood in a big strong bench vice. Then use a regular carpenters chisel to split the handles. You know the chisel we all use wrongly to protect our carving tools.

[Claude]

In the second photo, notice the little shoulder that looks to be about a half inch away from the tang/wood interface. Measure the diameter of this area between the shoulder and the tang. Drill a hole that size in a scrap of hardwood (something really hard, not basswood). Now cut the scrap down the middle so you have two pieces of wood, each with a half-circle cutout. Put them together on the chisel handle so they "clamp it"between the little shoulder and the tang. and then then put a small C-clamp on each side of the scrap pieces to clamp them together on the chisel handle. Now clamp the chisel into the vise and tap on the scrap wood gently and your handle and scrap clamp should slide off the tang.

Claude

[grunter53]

Claude, your idea works a treat. I removed all the handles effortlessly and unscathed. Thankyou very much, and thanks for everyone elses advice too.

Cheers

Grant