Axe restoration thread

[U&A]

The Kelly that was given to me.


Before

After (re-hung and cleaned up)

Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[LondonNeil]

smart! looks the part!

 

[U&A]

smart! looks the part!

Thanks,

I want to start selling them as a side hobby. Jist dont like shipping them. Trying to get a consignment deal locally somewhere.


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[svk]

The Kelly that was given to me.


Before

After (re-hung and cleaned up)

Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

Looks great

 

[U&A]

Looks great

How good.....[emoji848]. So good you want to buy it? ......[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji6][emoji6]


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[U&A]

Fit is pretty good. no curl but its tight with no gaps.
View attachment 838703

View attachment 838704

and once wedged no gaps and a nice swell up top (see this photo...I forgot to add a metal wedge, it will get one)
View attachment 838705

final photo...oh yeah...happy with that! needed a lot more off one side of the handle than the other to achieve it. My axes always seem to need the same side shaved heavily!
View attachment 838706

I assume this is more of a felling/chopping axe? The cheeks seem shallow enough that it may not be a splitter...?


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[LondonNeil]

Yes. I thought it might be thick enough to split ok, but from a quick try with it, no, its a felling axe.

 

[LondonNeil]

The 4 carter's pick axe handles just arrived and look very decent! Grain straight along the length of all four which is most important. 2 with largely up/down grain orientation, one 45° and one across. Eye end size and taper such that they should fit a standard 23mm X 63 mm axe eye without the need to glue on an additional piece I think, and with half inch out the top of the head. At £28 the four, delivered they seem brilliant! If I shorten one by more than a couple of inches though I'll need to reinstate a palm swell somehow. They should be easy... Electrical tape? Cloth tape? That might soak up blo and harden well....or maybe paracord wrapping. Yeah one of those would work.

 

[abbott295]

You will probably be taking a good bit off to slim down the handle; planning for the palm swell, you should be able to do it with the rasp, yes?

 

[U&A]

Yes. I thought it might be thick enough to split ok, but from a quick try with it, no, its a felling axe.

Well the thing is really cool thats for sure. [emoji41]


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[U&A]

Is it just me that struggles to get a straight handle? Cut straight I mean, I'm not complaining about warped, straight shaft not bent/ fawn foot. Ok suburban London isn't ideal for farm supply shops and quality hardware shops have long disappeared from most high streets, beaten out by the big box type which just sell cheap tools and any handle would be a struggle. Hence I'm shopping online. I can get Smedberg straight at 30" and to 32", and straight handles for replacement of various Gransfors or hultafors but as they cost £28-35, plus postage I hunted for something cheaper. I've resorted to more pick axe handles. Carter's hickory navvy pick handles, 7 quid after postage, I bought 4. 2"*3" eye.... Even with the taper that should fit many axe eyes. I know at that price some will be poor, but if 2 of 4 are decent then I'll be smiling. I do wish I could find some cheap straight axe hafts though.

I find a lot of them that seem like the handle is crooked/twisted.

Makes it hard to hang them nice.

Every time I’m in a hardware store and look for a good handle whether I need one or not


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[LondonNeil]

Well the thing is really cool thats for sure. [emoji41]
Thanks! I love it for 2 reasons. It's a very unusual head for over here, we don't have Jersey pattern axes plus American makers are rare here. The main reason though is that Joe sent it to me completely out the blue! It bowled me over when I opened the parcel and read his note. That's sort of why it's taken so long for me to hang as I wanted to ensure I did a good job. And the first reason is why I've left much of the mushroom on the poll, just tidied the quest worst. I don't want to take the 'True Temper' marking off.

Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

I find a lot of them that seem like the handle is crooked/twisted.

Makes it hard to hang them nice.

Every time I’m in a hardware store and look for a good handle whether I need one or not


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

No you miss understood. I can get fawn foot/curved pattern handles easily enough, but can't get straight pattern easily. That's why I bought the pick axe handles to try. You may be right about a palm swell....if I thin the handle down... Yeah might do that. If the spoke shave cuts it readily then it's simple. I think the handle I used for the hultsbruk was beech and the spoke shave didn't want to cut it. I thought I'd not given it a good sharpen, but the ash handle I used with the Jersey cut really easily so I guess the wood may have been the difference. The new pick handles are American hickory, I've yet to use my new spoke shave on hickory.

Btw, best thing I did that made the hangings really REALLY easy, was buying a Shinto rasp and the spoke shave. Neither were costly, and since they make removing material so easy I find no pressure to rush, no frustration, so less mistakes and less cutting corners. If you just use a ******* file I'd recommend a Shinto rasp and a cheap spoke shave (but spend 10 minutes with the whetstone and sharpen the iron)

 

[LondonNeil]

Oops. Too tired. I've managed to embed half my reply within the first quote box!

 

[rarefish383]

One of these days, if I find just the right head, I’m going to hang an ax on a handle that looks like WCFields pool cue.

 

[svk]

Acquired this nice head today. They guy had a free box that was about 24x24. He insisted I took the whole thing if I wanted the axe. There was also a decent lawn sprinkler in there. The rest goes in the trash.

 

[LondonNeil]

Question, do you guys think a hults bruk heads are better than the modern, hultafors? Confused by the amount people here pay on the ' bay for Hb heads, often more than a new hultafors equivalent (complete axe)

 

[LondonNeil]

Now this is a heck of a rehang! Clarence, you've got competition!


seriously though, I'm intrigued. I can't find the build video just yet but its mentioned in the comments.

 

[svk]

Question, do you guys think a hults bruk heads are better than the modern, hultafors? Confused by the amount people here pay on the ' bay for Hb heads, often more than a new hultafors equivalent (complete axe)

Are you talking about the old blue heads?

 

[LondonNeil]

Any HB head really, blue or not. I suspect many of those on eBay aren't that old, but yet so long as it's a bit used, and missing a handle, it seems to sell for about the cost of a new hultafors axe.

 

[svk]

I’m not sure if they all are like this but the blue head ones are fantastic chopping axes. I regret selling mine.