Epoxy Chisel Top Repair
Contributed by John Hejmanowski
I acquired some old Berg chisels that I wanted to fix up as users. Some of the handle tops were damaged and I wanted to repair them.
These handle tops had been pounded down to the top of the hoops.
I wanted to keep the top rings. One thought was to remove the hoops, file the wood down to allow lowering of the hoops, and then sand the tops smooth. It was concern for the looks of the handle that got me thinking about epoxy caps.
I removed the chisel hoop. The top of the chisel was still fuzzy.
I smoothed off the fuzz and flattened the chisel top.
I decided to use two-part epoxy to repair the damaged chisel tops.
Masking tape worked fine to contain the epoxy.
Here is the epoxy after curing.
A rasp and sandpaper work fine for shaping the new epoxy top.
I added epoxy caps to several Bergs in my set. So far they look good and are holding up. I use a wood mallet with a leather face with these chisels.
Contributed by John Hejmanowski
John: This was an innovative approach to the problem of abused chisel handles. I’ll bet they feel a lot more comfortable to use now. However, I would have left the frayed ends as they were, rather than smoothing them down before applying the epoxy. That might have caused a better connection for the epoxy/wood bond. I hope you will use them and report back on how they hold up. Also- nice job on the box!