@tej

If you hold the blade in vice you should be able to chap the handle off. Obviously be careful of the sharp end.

@ tej

Difficult I’m trying the same thing with 3 gouges my neighbour gave me and I can’t shift them at all. My next try will be to heat the blade with a blow lamp just in front of the brass ferrule and cool it rapidly in water. Do it several times and the expansion/contraction breaks the rust seal.

@ tej  @Rocknroller912 

The other option would be to cut the handle off and make a new one. But why do want to remove the handles if they're on solid anyway.

@robin 

Good point it depends on whether or not the handles get in the way of the de rusting and polishing, I’m planning to dip the metal in rust cleaner and clean the wood on a lathe. Some people like to preserve old stuff with patina but I like shiny and new.

@tej. I would put the blade in a vise (very securely) and then probably use something like a open box wrench or adjustable wrench to go over the the blade and rest on the ferrule. Then you can tap the wrench with a hammer, as close to the ferrule as you can get, to break it loose. Most times those blades are just a friction fit. It might take a bit of a tap to get it unstuck. 

Thanks for the advice guys, indeed I want the handle off to clean up on the lathe and the blade will be easier to tidy up without the wood there. I’ll get hammering 😬

@tej

If use use the wrench method then don’t grip it too tightly the shock of hammering may go up your arm. Also if your wrench is made as a casting it may crack as caste metal can be brittle.

@rocknroller912  @tej @bpower

Just a thought on using the wrench method, rather than hammering it off, maybe use the wrench as a lever.

The other thought I had was to grip the handle in a vice and see if I can tap the bade out from what might be called the shoulders of the blade where it flares out from the handle

I can only say the way I have taken similar chisels apart before. I'd be more inclined to secure the blade so that it does not go flying out. They usually have a tapered fit and when it comes loose it may just pop off. I'd rather have the wood pop off and go flying than the metal bits. 

@bpower makes sense, I was just thinking of doing it that way around as I could probably get a better angle to tap it  from. Your way definitely sounds like I’ll get less chisel blades through the foot 🤔