Great Grandparents Axe Refurb

[svk]

Here's where we are at this morning after a little wet sanding and rinse. Just a bit of really stuck on rust left. Even at this point it's certainly workable or I could use the sanding disc on the hand grinder to get the rest off if another 24 hours doesn't cure it.

 

[Philbert]

If you want, you can bring it by to put it on the ScotchBrite wheel to make it shine. But it will lose all of the 'antiqey' feel / look, and all the marks made by your great grandparents.

Philbert

 

[svk]

Thanks for the offer. Let me see what it looks like after I rework the poll. May take you up on that.

 

[svk]

Got the poll cleaned up. Threw it back in the vinegar to see if we could get the fresh areas to fade out a bit. It's tough to do a perfectly smoothed transition with a cheap bench grinder but it took the mushroom off anyhow.

 

[svk]

Well the vinegar turned the reshape poll to the same grey as the rest of the head so I'm going to call it good enough. Will drill out the eye now and search for a handle.

It's interesting that the tempered section continues to release black residue no matter how many times I scrub it.

 

[rarefish383]

Geeze, this is a hard call. Like Philbert said, the Scotcbright will make it look like a mirror. I think at this point, I'd weld up the notch where the chip was, grind it smooth, and polish it. Never use it to hammer with. With the chip ground out it's not "Original" anymore. Polish that rascal up, Joe.

 

[svk]

Still thinking about painting it. But like the grey as well.

 

[spike60]

Cool project Steve. Always worth a little more effort with family stuff. Great Grandfather means we are talking 1800's? And back then he probably had to cut everything with that or something similar.

 

[svk]

Cool project Steve. Always worth a little more effort with family stuff. Great Grandfather means we are talking 1800's? And back then he probably had to cut everything with that or something similar.

My great grandfather was born in 1884 and was a logger and then did carpentry for the mining companies. He did many large projects like wooden water towers, etc. I still have many of his old tools although I sold his planes, brace/bit, draw knives, and crosscut saws to a couple of guys who did old style construction as I figured they were better being used properly than sitting in my garage.

After he died at age 53 of a failed surgery (which was during the Great Depression) and my great grandmother worked as a cook in a logging camp. My grandpa, who was an only child went straight to work to help support her rather than going to college (he had a full ride to Hamline on a basketball scholarship as he was a star athlete). So my great grandmother used the axe for many years as well.

 

[rarefish383]

Now that we've gotten into this ax stuff, I think I'll dig out my old bucket of ax heads. I know I have a beautiful Plumb that I can't find. I'm going to try and find a nice single and double with no nicks or dings. Polish them as bright as I can and Cold Blue them, hang them on matching hafts, and make a throwing set. I also have some Browning Solution from a black powder shot gun I built, so I might try browning a couple, Joe.

 

[svk]

(Pic from an older post in the axe thread)

There's a couple in here that might be a good candidate for a scotchbrite treatment.

 

[svk]

Alright, next question.

Keep the pre applied varnish on the new handle (to be bought in the morning) or sand it off and use Watco or BLO?

 

[Philbert]

Oil.

You can 'touch up' all your handles with an occasional wipe.

(Store finish is probably lacquer).

Philbert

 

[CR888]

Given the 'story' behind this piece, I'd agree with Philbert and not cover up its 'history' with paint. I'd put a nice handle on it and rub oil into the head. Every so often when I'm changing oil on something or mixing 2stoke I give my vintage axe heads a wipe over with an oily rag....they seem to love it. Paint on this piece would cover up all your GG/fathers hard work and hide its unique story. That's the way I see it anyway. I use 3M roloc 2" pads (scotchbrite style) on my die grinder to surface prep old axe heads. It seem to remove rust but after some oxidisation they just return them to a natural state, then oil is the key.

 

[svk]

How'd I do? This was the best grained handle at Menards. I may check a few more places to see if I can find one with a little more character and keep this as a spare.

 

[Mad Professor]

Nice work I just noticed this thread today. That's a good piece of laminated steel, just like the old framing chisels. Touch up/smooth where you ground it with a file.

The grain on the handle looks decent, from color looks like ash? Hickory handles also an option. For finish I'd sand it smooth then: Either several thin coats of marine spar varnish (not spar urethane), or rub in linseed or tung oil. For the latter you need to get it all down to bare wood and it will take several coats over a period of time to get the finish soaked in. I'd avoid using motor oil, especially used. The linseed oil will polymerize if you leave it in the sun and make a protective coating, that's why people use it to cut oil base house paint; makes the paint last a lot longer.

For the head too many options for color and formulations if you decide to paint it. If you do I'd use a bright color, sometimes things like axes and wedges get put down/dropped in the woods and something that stands out helps finding it.

There are many types of protective coatings/paints used on firearms:

http://www.brownells.com/GunTech/To...s-that-Customize-Any-Gun/detail.htm?lid=11042
http://www.brownells.com/GunTech/To...s-that-Customize-Any-Gun/detail.htm?lid=11042
A simple one that is actually a protective rust finish used on muzzleloading firearms is browning, but then if you drop it in the leaves..........

Take your time and read up on fitting the handle and wedging it tight.

Have fun and let us see the final product.

 

[svk]

Not sure on the species of wood. As I said I may look around a bit to see if I can find a real cherry (figuratively) handle and keep this as a spare.

 

[svk]

Got ancy and decided to use this handle. Eye was pretty large so the handle didn't need much rasp work. That's always the most frustrating part when I'm doing the work with hand tools.



Swabbed the head down with some 10w-40


These handles don't even come with a metal wedge any more, just a wooden one. Didn't need a second wedge anyhow.

I figured I'll sand it down and use Watco when I return from vacation. After that I'll reinstall the "custom" overstrike protector.

 

[Philbert]

Swabbed the head down with some 10w-40

Might have to wipe that off and swab it with some 5W-20 when the weather gets colder . . . .

(Looks nice).

Philbert

 

[olyman]

Got the poll cleaned up. Threw it back in the vinegar to see if we could get the fresh areas to fade out a bit. It's tough to do a perfectly smoothed transition with a cheap bench grinder but it took the mushroom off anyhow.

View attachment 585333 View attachment 585336

the missing piece,,id have someone weld in,,and vee and weld the cracks also.. then use a fine disc on a grinder,,and bring it back to height,,then sandblast it,,to get that rough dimpled surface.. then paint...