I have 2 hatchets im restoring. One is a Craftsman 4810 (made by Vaughan) in 1080 high carbon steel. I removed the rust and sharpened it. The rubber handle is still solidly adhered to the shaft, so I'd rather not mess with it. I tried pulling it off, and it's on there tight. Unfortunately, the rubber handle has a small vertical crack in it. I have no idea what kind of rubber it is. It's from the early 70's. I'm not sure if I can fuse the crack with heat.
If anyone has a suggestion on how to seal the cracks in old rubber hatchet handles, please let me know. I could also use advice on reconditioning the rubber. I saw a guy who sanded his handle with fine grit sandpaper, and then he sprayed it with the stuff they detail vehicle tires with.
My second, tiny hatchet, just says Japan on it. I assume it's good Japanese forged steel. The rubber handle has slipped off the shaft. So, I need to fix the cracks in the rubber, recondition the rubber, and then adhere it back to the steel shaft. I was thinking of using J-B Weld to adhere it back to the shaft. I saw another guy use the method for putting new handles on golf clubs. I'm unfamiliar with that method.
If anyone has a suggestion on how to seal the cracks in old rubber hatchet handles, please let me know. I could also use advice on reconditioning the rubber. I saw a guy who sanded his handle with fine grit sandpaper, and then he sprayed it with the stuff they detail vehicle tires with.
My second, tiny hatchet, just says Japan on it. I assume it's good Japanese forged steel. The rubber handle has slipped off the shaft. So, I need to fix the cracks in the rubber, recondition the rubber, and then adhere it back to the steel shaft. I was thinking of using J-B Weld to adhere it back to the shaft. I saw another guy use the method for putting new handles on golf clubs. I'm unfamiliar with that method.