Thread: How to get plastic handle off chisel

Some plastic chisel handles soften up a bit if soaked in very hot water.

Hacksaw down the handle along one face of the tang and knock the rest of it off. Think of the exercise....!

Cheers,

Use it as a chisel while trying not to damage the handle. Sure to break off on the first hit in that case.

You should be able to crush a plastic handle in a metal working vice to a point where you can peel the remaining bits of plastic off.

Haven't done it before but if I had to I would probably "boil" the handle in water and while hot, place blade in steel vice fairly close to the handle, place a length of steel [with a "U" cut in the end] over the shaft and against the handle - then hit with hammer.
I think it should work.
Let us know how you get on and a pix of your finished scraper would be good.
Bob

Thanks guys, I'll post whatever works and piccs of the scraper.

The handle is the newer, softer type plastic, not the old clear type, hence not so brittle.

I'm hoping the tang doesn't have any locating pins etc inside the handle, and will slide out with some focussed 'persuasion'

ain't woodwork good for presenting disaster opportunities and educative films for the ghouls amongst us?

G'day Bodgy

Try putting the chisel in the vice near the handle and get some vice grips or stillsons and twisting the handle off.

Bodgy - djstimber sort of beat me to it. Have removed quite a few plastic handles (detest plastic handles on anything!) and none caused any major difficulties. I just gripped the blade in a vise, and tapped the handle off using a bit of steel rod as a flat punch. The blue-chips come off easy-peasy, as did some Stanleys I've re-handled. I've seen other no-name brands that look like the handle is really stuck on, but can't be sure they would be any more difficult, 'cos I haven't tried de-handling them!
Bash away - you are unlikely to hurt the blade!
Cheers,

I once tried getting the handle off of an old Screwdriver... Man... What a chore, I would hate to even think of a chisel.... That rascal is made for pounding and abuse so abuse and pounding won't do much good. Heat and more than boiling heat should do the trick. got a cutting torch?

Originally Posted by Hickory

I once tried getting the handle off of an old Screwdriver... Man... What a chore, I would hate to even think of a chisel.... That rascal is made for pounding and abuse so abuse and pounding won't do much good. Heat and more than boiling heat should do the trick. got a cutting torch?

I think a chisel is a diffent animal from a driver, Hickory. A screwdriver is made to resist torsion, so the spigot in the handle usually has wings pressed into it before the handle is moulded on, so that's going to cause trouble! I've had no problems at all removing the handle from the 3 or 4 types of plastic-handled chisel I've tried. The tang was no different from the tang on a wooden-handled chisel, i.e. tapered a bit, so once started, it came away easily. But there could well be just as many types that ARE difficult, so you may well be right that some would be a real challenge. I'd just give it a go - increasing the amount of trauma inflicted on the plastic as required!
Cheers,

Hot air gun's often the quickest.

Cheers, Alf

Through it in the forge next time you fire it up , though the smoke will be a bit of a problem

otherwise just hacksaw down the length top and bottom then drive a cold chisel into the cut handle should split away easily

Rgds

What IanW said.

For turning chisels, I hold the steel by hand and use a block of wood as a mallet to knock the handle free. (Watch the fingers!)

I've also converted some new(ish) Stanley 200 series chisels into turning tools, removing the handles in a similar way... although they needed a bit more perusasion and had to be held in a bench-vice.

Still took no more than a couple of minutes.