I got Axed...

[creativecars]

I got Axed… And made it purdy.
I picked up the some axe heads at a sale and wanted to use them on the farm. When I got them home and started to clean them up I realized one of them was embossed and may be collectable so I am just leaving it alone so I don’t screw it up.
The other seems to be a nice heavy axe, I could not find any marks on it anywhere, so I am not sure of the mfg. , but it is time to restore this thing to make it useful.
It’s not like I know everything so I am thankful for the internet and I will share the site I found useful.

 

[creativecars]

So here is my process:
I started out cleaning it up in vinegar to remove the rust and did a soda scrub to neutralize the vinegar acid. I could then see it well enough to check for markings and there were not any that I could find. It had been painted red and I decided I wanted to make it look as good or better than it was new, so I picked up some red paint that seemed to match pretty good to the original. After all it is an axe and I will be using it, I just didn’t want it to rust any more.
After cleaning I sanded the over the whole thing with 220 and 320 on a DA sander. I was even able to sharpen it up a bit with the sanding process. I saw how the newly sanded areas looked and wanted the edge to look nice also so it make a couple of passes across the buffer to polish the cutting edge. Before I painted it I wanted to fit the handle so I did not have to worry about messing up my new paint. With the axe head in pretty good shape it was handle time, this is where I looked for someone with lots of experience to re-Handle the axe.

For the handle I followed what Wranglerstar discusses in his youtube video and his process for "handling" the axe head.

He seems to have some good thoughts on his handles. Get them straight, mostly white wood, straight centered kerf cut and no knots. I did not have much selection of handles locally so I found the best I could. I started by sanding off the finish that was on the handle to get it ready for a boiled linseed oil. What a difference in the feel! I have worked with lots of tools, wood and metal, for a long time and never thought too much about handle finish, but WOW, this thing feels nice.
I then began fitting the handle to the head. With about 45 minutes of grinding and sanding I had a good fitting axe handle. I did have to deburr the inside of the axe head because someone had used it as a hammer and knocked the edges around a bit. With the handle fitted I touched up the sanding of the whole handle with 320 grit sandpaper and applied 3 coats of the oil before I went back to the axe head.

 

[creativecars]

A little masking tape across the tip or the axe, wiped it down with thinner and sprayed on 4 coats of purdy red paint. This part was pretty easy for me since I have lots of experience with metal prep and paint. After it dried I carefully mated the head to the handle one last time and drove in the wooden wedge with a little wood glue to keep it there. After it dried I cut off the excess, sanded the end grain and oiled the top part to keep it from drying out.

Here it is... What do you think?

 

[MercLSU]

Love that jersey pattern head, great job restoring it. I've been working to improve my hafting skills but I still struggle with some older, non-standard heads. Any reason you chose a double bit haft over a single?

 

[creativecars]

Love that jersey pattern head, great job restoring it. I've been working to improve my hafting skills but I still struggle with some older, non-standard heads. Any reason you chose a double bit haft over a single?

Just small town selection on handles. Since then, even in bigger markets, I have not found much better. It is hard to find a good quality. I thought about mail order, but again you never know what you will get.

 

[MercLSU]

I hear you on that, although I'm not from a terribly small town...doesn't meant the selection and quality is there. On another forum I frequent, many of the axe junkies use Handle House. I've ordered from them a couple of times and found the straightness, grain, and fit to be pretty good on their higher grade stuff. I've just ordered straight from their website but some of the other guys have mentioned calling and asking to have the employees hand pick / lay eyes on what they're getting.

https://www.househandle.com/products.html#single

 

[KRB52]

I recently did something similar to a pair of "hatchets" that I had. ( I know, there is a difference between a hatchet, a hand axe, a camp axe and other similar cutting tools. Hatchet is just easier.) I was doing these at the hardware store I work at, during quiet times (lots of those, lately.) They were ones that I got from an estate (notice I didn't add the word "sale"?) If I ever get the chance to post pictures, I will. They didn't come out too bad (in my opinion), but still need some stoning work. I used a file for the initial, then progressed 220, 320 and 400 grits. Flat black paint on the metal, semi-gloss poly on the wood. I've got a third that I am slowly working on now; I may not paint it and I may try the linseed oil.

 

[creativecars]

I hear you on that, although I'm not from a terribly small town...doesn't meant the selection and quality is there. On another forum I frequent, many of the axe junkies use Handle House. I've ordered from them a couple of times and found the straightness, grain, and fit to be pretty good on their higher grade stuff. I've just ordered straight from their website but some of the other guys have mentioned calling and asking to have the employees hand pick / lay eyes on what they're getting.

https://www.househandle.com/products.html#single

Thank you!! That is a great site and resource. I would have liked to find that site before I got the one I did. If I decide to restore the other axe head I will definitely check there first.

 

[rick carpenter]

Final pics look good. Your username indicates you live in Mennonite/Amish country so maybe there are some resources there if you ever replace it or when you work on your other one.

 

[mike7]

I did not have much selection of handles locally so I found the best I could...

First off, the axe looks great. Better than new.

Did you go with a Link brand replacement handle? I know Ace Hardware sells them. It's better to see them in person though because some have the grain going the right way, and some don't. It's a bit of a **** shoot.

 

[zyx5432]

That looks great. Nice work.

 

[Bronson]

Great job, if You axe Me.

 

[Outlander]

I noticed on the web site provided, there were different lengths for the same size head. How does one chose? I ask because I have a couple of heads that are in need of a handle.

 

[creativecars]

First off, the axe looks great. Better than new.

Did you go with a Link brand replacement handle? I know Ace Hardware sells them. It's better to see them in person though because some have the grain going the right way, and some don't. It's a bit of a **** shoot.

Thank you,
I bought the best handle I could find local and that was before I knew about the others and the linked brand. I will really look into the Handle House for my future handles. As it turns out they are about 15 miles from where I grew up. Its a small world.

 

[creativecars]

"I noticed on the web site provided, there were different lengths for the same size head. How does one chose? I ask because I have a couple of heads that are in need of a handle.
__________________
Outlander - Office guy with tools
Can-am Garage "
I am no expert, just playing around, but I noticed overlap on handle sizes vs. head size. I assumed that individual preference for going a little bigger or smaller. I opted for the bigger.

 

[creativecars]

Great job, if You axe Me.

Thank you. It was a good learning project. Only 999,999 projects left to go.