Don't drink and ebay

[Square_peg]

I love the character of the old haft. Great hatchet!

[not2sharp]

It can get you in some serious financial trouble no doubt. Though like I said, they make more money everyday - just so happens sometimes we like to spend what we dont have yet lol.

Well, if not ebay, your wallet would have been emptied by your local big box store.

n2s

p.s. nice hatchet.

[made2cut]

Axe number two of the "great bay haul" as it will be known from now on .

Collins Legitimus around 4 lbs 7oz. Came with a great patina and a pretty good edge profile. I had a hard time making myself do anything with the head but finally did... The haft had three nails and the wedge was all but rotten out. Otherwise the wood was good except very dry. The head pretty much fell off once the old wedge was chipped out. I worked on the shoulders quite a bit to so the head had a good solid fit. I tried putting some wax on the haft which got in all the crevices, made it look like crap for the final pics. Live and learn... This is one wickedly sharp axe.

[Square_peg]

Great job!

Collins Legitimus around 4 lbs 7oz.

What a brute. It'll make one helluva splitter/chopper. How is the steel. The Collins axes I've worked with were all quite hard. They take a fine edge.

[Bridger]

That thing is awesome! If you ever get tired of it...

[bearhunter]

That looks very nice! Nice work there

[markv]

i've figured this technique out over the years. applying linseed oil first you can fill in the crevices and cracks in the wood with super glue. let it dry , do a little sanding add more super glue if needed and oil again. does a good job of protecting the wood and sealing it
your Keen Kutter looks nice. you got a good edge on her.

thanks for posting
you got some nice axes from the bay. bidding on too much stuff led to my downfall from the bay

i did find a nice little Norlund on the bay, but found another in a shop for a third less.

love the shots of the Jersey.
i pulled a half dozen nails, one staple, two metal wedges and a wood screw from an eye once. i have a small pile of this eye hardware on the bench.
buzz

[made2cut]

Thanks for the super glue trick mark, I'll try it on my next one. I like keeping the old eye hardware too .

Yesterday I received two more from the haul, Plumb single bit and the Norlund cruiser. The Plumb's head was painted black and has a red Permabond epoxied eye. Everything is very solid on this axe so I hit it with a wire cup brush on the drill and it cleaned right up . The Norlund is a bit of a sad story. I thought the head was a bit loose and it had moved up the handle. It also had a large chunk missing from the haft just below the head. I decided to try drilling out the wedge and rehanging it. Big mistake... this thing was solid as a rock and I'm still kicking myself for screwing up. Oh well... I just ordered a new handle for it so it will be like new when I'm finished with it. The head looks great, just need to make the bits even.

[made2cut]

Pics of the Plumb, Norlund and Black Raven.







After wire brushing the black paint off.






I put a quick edge on it with a file and yes, it is sharp.



The USPS decided to drag the Norlund along behind the truck I guess. It had some damage on the head from it.




I did like how the seller wire tied the axe to the box.



Black Raven - I already cut the head off. It was solid but I don't think I could have lived with the ugly eye. The haft was pretty warped as well.






Only the Keen Kutter DB is left to arrive. I bought two axes from this guy previously on the same day. One arrived in a few days and the other almost two weeks later so it could be a while... So far I think the Collins Legitimus is my favorite of this bunch. Bought a scale last week

[bearhunter]

Well, those certainly seem too be fine axes to me!
Looks like you did good IMO!

[Operator1975]

A genuine Norlund double bit - dont see those too often. Nicely done.

[BobSig]

That Keen Kutter is real good looken

[ljcsov]

How did you darken the handle?

[made2cut]

How did you darken the handle?

It's just linseed oil. The old weathered handles soak up the stuff and leave a rich dark reddish color.

[Zimbabwe]

In the pictures of them Collins, the head was soaking in a liquid, what was it? Looked to be some sort of rust remover, just wondering for future reference.

~Zim

[made2cut]

In the pictures of them Collins, the head was soaking in a liquid, what was it? Looked to be some sort of rust remover, just wondering for future reference.

~Zim

Vinegar, the stuff works really well to remove the rust. Depending on how much patina you want left on don't soak them for too long. You can take them out once in a while, hit them with a fine wire cup brush on a drill to see how you are doing. The last one I did I wanted to leave most of the patina on and just rubbed the head with a rag soaked in vinegar (this is the Keen Kutter I'd been waiting on). Most jobs with just a little rust will take a couple of hours but I have left them overnight on really bad ones. I pour the stuff back into an old jug to use again until it starts getting pretty old.

[cooperhill]

Great job rehanging the Collins Legitimus. Love to hear how that old handle holds up.

[made2cut]

Just to complete this thread here is a shot of the Keen Kutter after I worked on the edges. This axe has a VERY narrow profile. That is a Kelly sickle that I picked up along the way in the pic.

[Square_peg]

You're sure finding some nice pieces, Made2. They are falling into good hands.

[made2cut]

You're sure finding some nice pieces, Made2. They are falling into good hands.

Thanks Square, I'm trying to do my bit to save some of this history. I do a lot more restoring than chopping so I really rely on you experienced folks like you to guide me in the right direction. I feel like I'm hitting a sweet lately and having a good time as well. Very satisfying stuff to think of the guys who slaved out in the factories making these tools; I hope they would smile at the affection I've showed to the product of their hard word, sweat and skill.