Looking for Rawhide Maul Refill

[mbnaegle]

I've got several rawhide mauls an various sizes, and one of the little ones was worn down considerably so my Dad took apart to rebuild before he passed and I'd like to get it finished. I don't think it's an Osborne, as it has a handle made of stacked leather rings and  the end cap washer was rivetted in place. Given the wear and beating it had, I went ahead and threaded the end to take a nut so it'll be easier to service in the future. I'm having some trouble finding the right rawhide refill for it though. The refill should have a 3/4" ID hole, and be about 1 1/2" or 1 5/8" tall. Diameter could be anything over 2".

I think at one point the plan was to make a plastic head for it, but rawhide just seems a better choice, or hardwood if it gets down to it. Plastic works great for stuff, but I'd rather keep the old tools going as they were intended and make a whole new maul if I wanted a plastic one.

Looking at Osborne's site, I don't see all the dimensions listed. It looks like the 393-2 would fit, being 1 5/8" long and 2 3/4" round, but there's no hole dimension listed. Can anyone confirm if it's 3/4"? We have a few refills on the shelf but they're all bigger and I'd prefer to avoid adding bushings and keep this maul appropriately sized. I know I could just call Osborne too, but I'm also wondering if there are other rawhide suppliers out there as I have an unhealthy tendency of fixing up obsolete tools and utilizing dated materials.

[Cumberland Highpower]

Post a couple photos

 

[bruce johnson]

I think a call to Osborne to see what the hole size is will be your best bet. I decided several years ago to put new rawhide heads on several wore out mauls. What I found was that every maker had their own better (and different idea) of what the round stock should be even among the same general sizes. I gave up at that point and used them for ballast in the trash can. Dan Preston from then ShopTalk magazine did some refurbishing on mauls and made up rawhide heads. I think he had an article or two about it. I bought out his stuff twice and those mauls were not the shiniest. They ended up ballast as well. 

[mbnaegle]

2 hours ago, Cumberland Highpower said:

Post a couple photos

 

Not much to it. The bolt looks forged, maybe the washers too.

[mbnaegle]

1 hour ago, bruce johnson said:

I think a call to Osborne to see what the hole size is will be your best bet. I decided several years ago to put new rawhide heads on several wore out mauls. What I found was that every maker had their own better (and different idea) of what the round stock should be even among the same general sizes. I gave up at that point and used them for ballast in the trash can. Dan Preston from then ShopTalk magazine did some refurbishing on mauls and made up rawhide heads. I think he had an article or two about it. I bought out his stuff twice and those mauls were not the shiniest. They ended up ballast as well. 

DIY'ing it might be a good way to go. I found this thread *here* that has some detailed process. Doesn't seem difficult or high skill requirement. Just takes time. One thing I might do differently is those guys used nails to help hold the layers together, and in time as it wears down they'll eventually be sticking out the side. I've got a hand crank book press the should compress it together good enough that the nails aren't necessary.