Hi,
I received my 3 1-2 inch 20 oz Lignum Vitae Carvers Mallet a few days ago.
In how to carve wood by Richard Butz, ( I wasn't able to locate to locate a mallet turned from a single solid piece of lignum vitae like his.) Mine has a 3 1/2 inch lignum vitae head and ash handle.

In Mr Butzes book he talks about a new mallet being covered in thick paraffin wax, to protect it during shipping.Mine does not seem to have any wax covering. He goes on to say, scrape it off and rub it down with fine 000 steel wool. He says the wood still has to be sealed to keep its moisture in, if lignum vitae dries out to quickly, it may crack and check He suggests applying a liberal amount of boiled linseed oil letting it soak in overnight, then wipe it dry with a clean rag.

I'm wondering, should I get some boiled linseed oil and apply it to the mallet???

Mr Butze says The mallet will then be ready to use, although it is a good idea to oil it once a week for the first month or so..He says if notice any cracks appearing in the end grain , try storing the mallet in a plastic bag with a few drops of water when not in use. It may take several months for the lignum vitae to stabilize to ones particular climate.

I was wondering what other peoples views were?
Cheers.