Edged tool restorations

Nicely done! Doing much axe swinging in the Summer down there?

 

I do have a woodshed to finish filling. Been saving some wood for a couple of axes I've been wanting to get hung.

 

Had to give up on the hog splitter sanding. My right elbow put up a big STOP sign. Dr Google calls it tennis elbow but I have an appointment with a real Dr in January. I’m gonna give it to my son for Christmas and ask him to bring it back when the weather warms up. I have all the rest of the needed sandpaper standing by,,,

 

I just read through this whole thread and figured that I should keep it alive. I enjoy rehabbing old axes and I do some sharpening and rehafting for a volunteer trail crew that I am a part of. Here is a picture of a Plumb Michigan pattern that I tuned up and put on a new House handle. It is next to an old Zenith that I put a handle in about 20 years ago. The plumb belongs to a good friend of mine.

 

Those look really nice!

 

This is where I ended up on my mirror finish hog splitter. I have much to do but must get my elbow fixed first.

 

Nice job! I would hate to have my wife chasing me with that!!

 

My axes and stuff, mostly yard sales. The walters black diamond is just about how i got it at a yard sale.. Amongst the saws are 2 Royal Chinooks, one as new.

 

Sweet double bit! Very nice saws also. Is the bottom saw an ice saw? Can't recall seeing a handle like that before.

 

that walters is a beauty

 

The ice saw handle turn 90 to use,, i just turned it for the wall mount,, they used to harvest ice from the lake here.
I have the saw sets also,,

 

Thanks,, 90yr old guy at a yard sale. dont think its been used.
I think Walter ended about 1972???

 

Here is a Collins cruiser that I cleaned up along with a True Trmper flint edge Pulaski. I bought them at an auction. The Pulaski went with me for a 2 week trail crew hitch in the Bob Marshall wilderness. I also rehabbed some pulaskis that the crew uses. These tools get used hard for 4 weeks a year.

 

Here they are more or less ready to go to work. As is often the case, I just jammed the project into my already cluttered workspace to get it done. Nothing like the tyranny of the urgent to make a schedule for you. I really do find it rewarding and relaxing to bring axes and such back to good working condition. I also enjoy the hunt for old tools to work on. I have a semi pitted Plumb Michigan pattern with phantom bevels on the workbench waiting for some time and motivation.

 

New handles on an old Blue Grass axe and a shingling hatchet. The Blue Grass is a sweet axe with excellent steel in it. The shingling or shake hatchet is a no-name but nice size and shape. Still have to do the small Norlund hatchet and the no-name house or boy's axe. Saving the adz for last. Will source a handle over the internet for that. No name on it either. Will probably try putting it to use at least enough to experience working with it!

 

I dug up a couple of pictures of axes that I worked on a few years ago. The zenith was found in the pump house at my grandparents cabin. I put a handle in it 20 or so years ago. The big guy marked USA got a 28” straight handle and I call him Harvey Wedge Banger. I cannot remember where it came from. Possibly a rental clean out that I helped my parents with. The Kelly boys axe is one of my favorites. I found it at our place after we bought it. It was near an old burn pile. The handle was badly weathered and electrical taped up. Initially I made a handle out of IPE. It was too brittle and unknowingly I left too much step at the shoulder where the head was attached. It split a lot of kindling before I broke it driving a wedge in a fir tree. Hence the need for Harvey and a new handle from House Handles. I burned the handle to add patina and don’t really like the look, but it is a sweet kindling axe that holds an edge really well.

 

Was looking around online to buy a new axe today and then I remembered there was one kicking around here somewhere that was left behind by the previous owner when we moved in. Vaughan SubZero Hollow ground 3 1/2. I ran the drill brush over it where I thought I could see stamps. Michigan pattern head? Before I lay into it hard with a knotted wire wheel or a flap disk what should I know? Going to get a new handle for it too. Something a bit shorter I think.

 

Nice condition . Not all beat up and poll pounded out of shape. I use a flap disk and you can make it as shiny as you want.

 

Easy enough! I’d like to preserve as much of the stamping as possible. Then do I just rub it down with motor oil? Contemplated heating it a little and putting the paste wax to it to blacken it. I’m just concerned about changing anything in the metal. We aren’t talking about heating it glowing or anything though.

 

Certainly don’t want to heat it enough to change the temper/ heat treat.