Spread glue on the top (head side) of the first washer, and slide it onto the tang, all the way to the top.

If you can get a quart of clear lacquer, get that and brush it on. Lacquer dries very fast, so in about 1/2 hour it should be pretty dried. You can then lightly sand the roughness and brush it again. I'd put at least 5 coats on. Let the second coat dry overnight before repeating. Once you have the final coat on, let it dry for a couple of days before you put it to hard use. I have a gallon pail of lacquer that I use, and I actually just dip the handle in it. Best to also have a way to hang the hatchet upright before you start applying the lacquer. I can't remember off hand how the butt is secured on an Estwing, but on knives the tang usually goes through a metal pommel or plate, and is peened over to hold it on. This is very informative, The axe helve is curved which may make clamping up quite hard. Any thoughts on this? There are oval punches available that probably would have shortened this next step, but I happened to have a round one of the correct diameter so that's what I used. It turned out to be the best move anyway because it let me adjust the length of the hole to get a snug fit. This is important, you'll see why later. Shape the handle profile using a belt sander - take it slowly so you don't burn the leather, and use a new, sharp belt of about 40 grit.Here's the result after about ten or fifteen minutes of sanding. I cannot stress how important it is to have good dust collection AND to wear a dust mask. Wood dust is bad enough, but the dyes and tanning chemicals in commercial leather are probably pretty toxic, no point in taking chances. The washers can also be rectangular and over size - create the final shape using a belt sander once the epoxy has set. In my opinion, and I have refinished a lot of Estwings, use lacquer. Sand the handle as little as you can get by with. The finer the grit the better. Then one of two things:

When you have the shape cut, polish by working up the grits to about 400 - don't use emery or carborundum as they will stain the leather.In my experience, you don't need to cut holes the exact shape of the tang, but a line of circular punch holes works as long as the diameter of the holes it's about the width of the tang. I would suggest clamping up briefly about a third of the way along, and the again at two thirds, just to start compressing the leather.

All in all this is a great hammer. The weight, comfort and just knowing this will last through heavy abuse. I'll see if I can dig up some pics of ones I have done. It's a trip to do this. Incredible improvement. At first it looked like it was going to stay on the surface and dry to a shiny finish, but after about an hour it was all absorbed by the leather, leaving the surface rough enough for a good grip. After drying, the surface still has a nice feel, but water beads up on the handle and doesn't darken the leather so it's probably waterproof enough to be fairly durable. We'll see, I guess. I was definitely tempted to leave the handle just as it was but I felt like it needed some protection. I considered Neetsfoot Oil and other leather treatments but I didn't want to make the leather softer or leave it with an oily feel. I finally decided to try Spar Varnish, which is a mixture of oil, resin and solvent... I gave the handle a dip and let it drain.Now for the shaping and finishing. I thought about trimming some of the excess with a knife but I decided to go straight to the stationary belt sander.