Axe restoration thread

[rarefish383]

You don't want anything sharp on the wall. An old friends roommate brought back a collection of some wicked knives from Vietnam. He had duct tape over the edges. I asked why? He said the very first thing people would do is walk up to the wall and run their finger down the blade, cutting them to the bone.

 

[svk]

You don't want anything sharp on the wall. An old friends roommate brought back a collection of some wicked knives from Vietnam. He had duct tape over the edges. I asked why? He said the very first thing people would do is walk up to the wall and run their finger down the blade, cutting them to the bone.

I was thinking about that very same thing!

 

[Vibes]

Welcome to the site! Really nice collection you have!

I came across a knot clipper that some Neanderthal tried cutting a chain with. It has a tip cracked off. I'm still going to redo it. The handle is split. I never really checked it out until I needed to chop roots out of a ditch I was digging and realized how well it cut. They made Mann in Huntington Pa. if I'm not mistaken. What's left of that split handle is going to be made into a handle for a GTW hatchet.

 

[GrizG]

I think I posted this elsewhere in the past but not here. I found this axe in the equipment shed of the house I bought about 28 years ago. It is a bigger axe than I needed so I left it sitting there. Then I saw a couple Black Ravens being fawned over on YouTube a few years ago and said to myself... "Geez, I think I've got one of those." I retrieved it from the shed, wiped it off, and saw that there was still paint in areas of the graphic. The handle had been replaced but not hung well so I rehung it with the same handle. The cutting edge wasn't sharp sharp but it also wasn't beat up.


P.S. These photos were taken before I rehung it with the same handle... it sits down a lot more on the handle now.




I just took this photo... post rehang!

 

[GrizG]

I grabbed this no name head off Craigslist while in the same neighborhood picking up another item... I made the handle out of ash. Boiled linseed oil finish. I also made the sheath.

P.S. I intentionally oriented the grain 90° to what is considered "proper" to see if it made any difference to performance and longevity. Thus far it hasn't.

 

[PEK]

Nice job. All my splitters and axes I coated in boiled linseed.

 

[rupedoggy]

That black raven is a DANDY!

 

[river of smoak]

Not nearly as nice as that raven but here's an unknown head that I got at an estate sale for 2 bucks . 7 lbs , 8.25 inches long . Any ideas on the manufacturer ?

 

[stillusingstihl]

Yup , new resto thread .

Here's a 3 1/5 lb 5$ yard sale find .

Now has a new 30" piece of hickory .

Lovely handle!

 

[rupedoggy]

Good one!

 

[LondonNeil]

That is a pretty find Steve! That black raven is great too

 

[Gumneck]

Picked these this weekend. The 3 larger axe heads are all TrueTemper Kelly Perfect. I gave a 20 for all of pictured and a large bag of Miracle Grow topsoil plus got a 10 cube wheel barrel with cracked handle thrown in for the deal.

 

[Gumneck]

oops, here's the 10 cube. At first I thought this was a chain sharpener but didn't see any numbers on it. Maybe it is but I wasn't sure. Didn't ask if it worked but I may go back for a piece of marble.

 

[nathan gravitt]

Where can I get a handle with heartwood? Looking for a straight handle in the 20-26” range for a single bit

 

[jakethesnake]

Where can I get a handle with heartwood? Looking for a straight handle in the 20-26” range for a single bit

Not sure. Table saw would be my best guess

 

[Gumneck]

Continued from post #2612 above, found a short handle for the small axe head in the hardware store the other day(last one on the shelf) and figured I would work on that one. No markings on that head and the 28" handle came from store just like that for $22 bucks.

 

[nathan gravitt]

Removed existing handle from head, reshaped the bit, and rehung the head on the old handle.

 

[nathan gravitt]

What is everyone’s preferred/favorite/best method of restoring an axe head?

Wire wheel on a grinder? Vinegar bath? Evaporust? Electrolysis?

For those that have been doing this for years, does one way last longer against rust? Or once you coat it with oil, does it really even matter?

 

[Gumneck]

Removed existing handle from head, reshaped the bit, and rehung the head on the old handle.

Looks great. Did you soak the wood first in something prior to rehang? Some do, I've never done it but wonder if its more of a lubricant to make it go easier. Is the head a Kelly Perfect?

 

[djg james]

Looks great. Did you soak the wood first in something prior to rehang? Some do, I've never done it but wonder if its more of a lubricant to make it go easier. Is the head a Kelly Perfect?

I've said this before, but back in HS shop, I vaguely remember they said to soak the wood handle in something before installing in the head? Not sure what or just a faulty memory (more likely the latter).