I’ve been getting prepared to make custom chisel handles, and step one was to figure out how to remove composite chisel handles on my cheap Rolson chisel set.
Removing a wooden chisel handle, or removing the handle on a socket chisel, are both a bit different to what I am about to show here. You may want to refer to this excellent article for removing and making wooden handles.
Composite chisel handles are usually friction fit and feature a cast rounded shank with fins. I believe some handles may be attached with glue, but mine was not.
The first step is to secure your chisel, and determine the pivot point for yanking out the composite handle. I use my Yost bench vice, and it clamped down perfectly on the chisel. Next, I measured the height so that the front end of the handle sat on my mallet.
I then moved my mallet a little and used a wrench for leverage. As I pressed down on the wrench, I could feel the handle slip out a little.
I then repeated this step, lowering the chisel two more times. On the third try, the chisel handled popped out.
That’s all there is to it! Previously, I used a Dremel tool to try and remove composite chisel handles. While this works, it is messy and takes much, much longer.
Using a cut-off attachment, you can cut off small sections of the handle before prying them apart. I tried this with my first handle, and it was not as easy as I thought. The plastic tends to melt from the friction, and splatter all over in tiny black dots. It also, of course, completely destroyed the handle.
So I destroyed one but saved three composite handles. These chisel handles are actually pretty sturdy, and I might want to save them for something else. I’m not sure what they are made of, but they are pretty good considering the price I paid for my Rolson chisels.
