This axe belongs to my partner. I wanted to know if I could burn a design on it because of the odd 3 dimensional shape. I burned a bear climbing up the handle as it seemed fitting for the environment that he works in. Unfortunately I did not coat the axe handle with anything as it is his work axe. The picture has since faded because of so much use, the oils and dirt from his hands and the axe being left out in the weather.
I did manage to burn the odd shape, so i consider it a success. Should anyone desire me to burn their axe handle I would make sure they were ok with me putting a finish on it to preserve it.