Axe restoration thread

[LondonNeil]

The blue painted ones were EX range I think, although I've seen red and yellow EX too. The EX being 'export' I think.

Here is an example. In fact the example that is causing me frustration as its me that pushed it to this price.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174346672744
Now the head looks in good condition and it's on a shaft, possibly original, don't really care, but ok. It's at £57 after postage. That's not bad TBF, but with 3 days to go I reckon it'll go higher yet. Now a brand new hultafors arvika 5 star is the closest equivalent new axe I guess, and I can get them after a simple Google, for £122. To my mind, and maybe others think differently, I don't want to pay a premium for a used haft as it might be shagged. I also don't want to pay for some cretin to hang a head badly and seek a premium for a 'restoration'. Exhibit A (an Elwell head, but you get my drift....how bad it's that!!!)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362995266254
If I factor in £35 for a new smedberg haft as in the arvika then the used head needs to be well under £90 to be worthwhile. I'll return to this when it sells.... My guess will be £75-85 after postage.

I may try another bid yet, but not going far.

SA wetterlings seem as good to me but can be slightly cheaper... Slightly. There's an even worse hung example of an ok head here
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363046620171
Now with that I'm paying extra for postage to get a haft I'll cut off and bin! Cretins!

Ok.... rant over. I've found another Hb.... Currently the high bidder.... I'll likely be back ranting once out bid.... Seller is in the ' polish it and call it a restoration, charge a premium' camp, and someone will go for it.

I'm just frustrated....eBay and a yard sale or farm auction are worlds apart!


Oh and take a look at this. This is the one and ONLY double I've ever seen with a UK seller. They weren't used here. It looks ok, just pitted, and at 4.5 lbs is a bit unusual I guess, but no name. Several days to go and I've been outbid again..... £49 after postage. If only postage from the states were a bit less.... We could make a bit of pocket money on doubles!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184361754159


Yes, I know, I'm just peeved as I've been outbid. They are worth more to someone else than to me I guess.

 

[LondonNeil]

For comparison I just checked my 'Bay history. The 4.5 Lb HB I hung the other week I got for £28.99 plus postage, so probably £35. Ok it did have a weird eye but no one bidding new that. I also have a 5lb S.A.W to hang, identical to that one I linked above. I paid £21 plus postage for that. I did spend AGES bidding to get those 2 bargains, but I get the feeling things are going up, and up...and up. Trouble is I'd still like a 4.5ln HB that doesn't have weird size eye, and I know the S.A.W has a pretty PPPHHAAAAAATT profile so ought to be a demon splitter....maybe I ought to test that theory before i bid 3 times as much as last time on another...but....hmm. Or I could sell my HBand the SAW and by brand new Arvika with the profit. nuts

 

[LondonNeil]

If at first you get outbid, search, search and bid again.
I've just found a S.A.W EX. either its flown under the radar or its on a very short listing. fingers crossed.
I've also found a 'Made in Sweden' with no markers name. I'm not expert but I'd guess S.A.W or HB, but heres the extra bit of info...green. its got traces of green paint. Does that give anyone any clues as to what it might be?

 

[U&A]

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.

View attachment 842098View attachment 842100View attachment 842101

NICE!!

In Great shape. It will be a looker


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[LondonNeil]

. Out bid by one person on the ex saw, and also on a Hb arvika. They went at £41 and £50, still very reasonable and I suspect the winners are very pleased. I on the other hand.... Poo. Next to miss out on, a wrongly listed military issue of W Gilpin, and then the green Swede.
If at first your get outbid....

 

[LondonNeil]

£72 plus postage for that vintage HB. nuts as the identical one i found that someone had polished up and described as 'an Arvika' went at £41. I then slapped a bid in with 50 seconds to go on a 2 1/4lb wetterlings but no, it went at £46 ...fair actually as handle looked ok, but not what I'm after. in a fit of frustration I slapped a low bid in quick on a 4 1/2 Lb Elwell withe same seller but was too tight and it went at £26. oh the double bit didnt go as high as i thought, £45 plus postage. Still, for a no name head its not a bargain.

However I did win the mis described military issue W Gilpin..and I got that cheap £26 plus postage. If that had been properly described I reckon about twice that. I'm also still in the race for the made in sweden. it seems gransfors used green paint once.....but then so did Hults and Wetterlings

 

[LondonNeil]

For all my frustration I do have some project heads. Here they are, having had a few coats of rust eater and a wipe of BLO to stop any new rust.
the Wetterlings is marked 5 (lbs) and looks nice and fat. I'm hopeful it will be an excellent splitter and since it is a good swedish head, in good condition, its getting a Smedberg 32"
then there is a Sandvik 4.5lb Made in Germany. The Swedish (pre Bahco merger) heads were made by Wetterlings but after Bahco shifted production to Germany they were made by Helko Werk, it looks a perfect wedge shape and felling thin. Good condition but I can see me moving it on once hung so I think it'll go on one of my pick axe handle conversions.
finally the HUGE head is the military issue Gilpin made in 1979, Gilpin are a good British make. I hadn't realised it was as big! 6lb I assume, I need to weigh it. Its a chopper profile but being so big it might have a role in the splitting arsenal, we shall see. I think it will be another pick axe handle conversion, the extra length might be useful.

 

[LondonNeil]

If I do this....what do you see? 4 photos?
This evening’s work.

a 6lb military issue Gilpin from 1979. Hung on a 36″ haft but I sunk it down a long way, haft probably ended up 35″ at most. It, supposedly is Hickory, I’m doubtful as it feel very light, which makes me think its Ash. TBF the lightness makes the axe feel light despit its silly big head, which is nice. The Haft has bloody good grain, no run out and almost up down orientation, very good!

After fitting I thinned the sides of the handle ever so slightly, gave it a go for an hour splitting some firwood, then a wipe of oak stain and a coat of BLO. I’m unsure if the solvents in the stain thinned the BLO, or the wood was super dry and thirsty, either way it took a lot of oil and will need many more coats over the next few days…as the saying goes, once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, then once a year. ok now for some detail photos..
Hmmm, not as straight as I’d like, I rushed it a bit.

Oh yeah! that should hold it!

and a good fit down the bottom too. Happy.

 

[svk]

Looks nice.

That unfinished wood is pretty light in color. I’m thinking you are correct with ash.

 

[LondonNeil]

started work on the german sandvik, its going on a straight handle so its another pick axe conversion. My process in photo story below...although back to front! This is as far as I got tonight. From this point on it just like a norma hang, except I thin the handle down more later. You may notice I position the eye to the front of the handle, because of the taper it will have a 1/4" gap total at the bottom once hung. Putting it forward means the gap is at the front where I think it makes less difference. More to come



Oh BTW, I am a little undecided on the finish of the head, for thins bahco and for the no name swede I won. So far I've gone for the 'keep them honest' approach and when a head has paint I like to preserve it, but I'm toying with a partial polish. Maybe polish the front and see if I can fade it to untouched as I go toward the poll

 

[Lowhog]

Some freebies today. Cleaned up the axe with a wire wheel to find the name. Some took a grinder to it kinda bad. That really thick rusty head is odd looking. Any ideas on what it was for? Just a different kind of maul ?

Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

plumb National in the center above the mail head?

 

[DSW]

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.

When Fiskars didn't want me to send my broken chopper back I saved the head to eventually try something wild and now I can't find it.

I was just gonna play around with it, I wasn't too worried if I got it to work or not.

Neat to see somebody do it.

 

[LondonNeil]

Apparently the guy is on Facebook group called axe junkies and did a 'how I did it' post there. I've not managed to find it, but haven't looked extensively

 

[DSW]

Having seen one open there certainly isn't a standard way to rehang.

I was favoring the idea of wedging it horizontally but also considering separate pieces that attach.

Probably wouldn't have even considered it but I already had the steel and I was having really good luck with traditional hangs and makeshift wedges.

His is much nicer than mine was gonna turn out so maybe I'm off the hook now.

 

[U&A]

plumb National in the center above the mail head?

Only one iv fixed up so fare is the kelly and i sold it for $70.

Ill look at the one your talking about and see if there is a stamp. That would be cool if it was a Plumb


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[LondonNeil]

its hung. Need to thin the handle and oil, and polish up the head. Ended up with a bit f a gap at the back...I'll mix some epoxy. its firmly on though tbh. Rather straight hang! pleased

 

[LondonNeil]

It's finished, and I've sold and delivered it. Sold at cost, I'm happy as I enjoyed hanging it and got to try out a head for free, buyer got a great axe for about a tenner less than an x27 would be. I tried it out, had quite some oomph and split some tough stuff, but was definitely DEFINITELY a felling profile and tended to stick like s*** to a blanket in the round if it didn't split!


Sold so fast I didn't get to try and polish the head and only just got a second coat of oil on it!

 

[LondonNeil]

I came across this blog yesterday and thought a few here might find some of it interesting
http://www.traditional-tools.com/

 

[LondonNeil]

Have any of o used gunblue/cold blue on an axe head? and can you suggest which brand/product to use? I am thinking of making the GBA hatchet I have into a decorative wall hanger and bluing the head, or at least a part....might 'fade' it to steel toward the bit. Birchwood casey seems to get excellent reviews, but super blue or permablue? are they for different steels? any advice most welcome. ta.

 

[derwoodii]

weekend i was mucking about axe throwin practice and check out my flukey flipper trick ( if the FB vid link works)


https://www.facebook.com/100005422986065/videos/pcb.1472635552927197/1472634492927303/