A house axe with potential

jblyttle

jblyttle

Joined
Sep 3, 2014
Messages
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I have not weighed the head yet, but I'm guessing in the 2.75-3lb range, a biggish eye and on a salvageable 18 inch, thick handle. It looks old, have not seen any marks yet. Aside from some mushrooming it's in good shape. I love that I can reuse this handle, needs a new wedge but that's it. What I find interesting is the very uniform shallow pitting. It's so uniform and so shallow that it almost looks like it is supposed to be there, and I love the clear delineation between it and the hard bit. Anyone seen this effect before? Is it significant, or just a lucky pattern?


 
Don't know how many other choppers you've got for physical use but this one qualifies as genuine 'old' and 'quality-made' and could serve you well for many decades. Plus the pitting and all that stuff (long time previously enjoyed and then neglected product) is going to be grand history-guessing fuel for campfire yarns forever.
 
300Six said:
Don't know how many other choppers you've got for physical use but this one qualifies as genuine 'old' and 'quality-made' and could serve you well for many decades. Plus the pitting and all that stuff (long time previously enjoyed and then neglected product) is going to be grand history-guessing fuel for campfire yarns forever.
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I have and have had more than 100 now, but I know that isn't what you mean. These were not tools that I kept around and used. I keep a perpetual small collection for myself, generally a hatchet, a boy's axe and a maul, although I think that I may keep a full sized axe around for who knows why and I am going to play with a carving hatchet just for fun. As things come and go I occasionally will swap new to me items into the collection and let others go after I use them for a while, just keeping favorites or using things for a bit just for the experience. This one and one other old looking full sized Connecticut head that I have look like this. Iv'e had some heads that were so pitted and gross that they were beyond trying to save, but this thin uniform pitting is somehow nice in a weird way. I'm trying to decide if I should grind the poll and lightly sand the thing or just redo the handle.
 
I think that maybe that pitting is part of the asthetics of that axe and I suspect it is not all by accident, but maybe produced that way. I had a no name DBL bit like that. It was a very high quality steel. I have no idea what company manufactured it.
 
Too bad about the Wave. I have one that is in my range bag. Pulling/prying the wedge out? I'm looking forward to seeing what this one looks like when you get it hung.

Without a makers mark, removing the mushrooming wouldn't hurt. I kind of like the looks of it but I'm also not a fan of grabbing a sharp edge when using a tool either.
 
Yeah I already sent a pic and asked what my options are to Leatherman. I was thrilled to get it new in the package for $40 off of Craigslist, but it is not a $40 tool. I may even pay the repair cost if Leatherman won't take care of me.

I'm also losing hope about saving this handle, which is a shame- there is not a thing wrong with it. There were 4 nails in there that I managed to get out, but the bears are the 3 coins/washers that are jammed in. I don't know how to get them out without ruining the handle. The head wiggles a bit but won't come off. I could jam more stuff in to tighten it, but I was hoping to make it easier to refinish. Actually, while typing this I changed my mind. I'll keep the handle on and tighten it up rather than lose it. The day will come when it may need to come off anyway, I can rehang it then.

 
garry3 said:
I think that maybe that pitting is part of the asthetics of that axe and I suspect it is not all by accident, but maybe produced that way. I had a no name DBL bit like that. It was a very high quality steel. I have no idea what company manufactured it.
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I don't think it was produced that way. Nobody spends perfectly good money creating pits in an axe. I also have a no-name double bit with that same rust pattern. I think I have a single bit like that too. The higher carbon steel bits seem to resist rust better than the medium or low carbon bodies.

As for removing the haft, try dropping the head 1/4" down the haft. Just whittle away some wood under the head. Then saw off the protruding wood above the eye with a hack saw and pull the washers out. Easy peasy.
 
Square_peg said:
I don't think it was produced that way. Nobody spends perfectly good money creating pits in an axe. I also have a no-name double bit with that same rust pattern. I think I have a single bit like that too. The higher carbon steel bits seem to resist rust better than the medium or low carbon bodies.

As for removing the haft, try dropping the head 1/4" down the haft. Just whittle away some wood under the head. Then saw off the protruding wood above the eye with a hack saw and pull the washers out. Easy peasy.
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I'll consider that. The one thing that I won't do is cut it off. I'll either tighten and refinish as is, or try what you suggest.
 
That looks like a laminated axe. The two steels pitted at different rates over time.
 
Regarding the pitting; the bit was probably a higher carbon steel that was forge-welded to the lower carbon head.
If the head is 2.75-3 pounds I'd go ahead and just hang it on a larger handle anyway.
 
Kevin401 said:
Regarding the pitting; the bit was probably a higher carbon steel that was forge-welded to the lower carbon head.
If the head is 2.75-3 pounds I'd go ahead and just hang it on a larger handle anyway.
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from what I know about different knife steels which is a layman's understanding not expert the higher carbon steels are not any more rust proof so there is probably more to the story than that it seems to make more sense to me that it is more related to the hardness but again I am NOT an expert in this area
 
from what I know about different knife steels which is a layman's understanding not expert the higher carbon steels are not any more rust proof so there is probably more to the story than that it seems to make more sense to me that it is more related to the hardness but again I am NOT an expert in this area
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No expert here either :-) But I know it was a practice in the past to forge-weld a higher quality, and more expensive, steel for the bit portion of the head. The line between the pitted vs non pitted seems too crisp to be a difference in tempering.....
 
jblyttle said:
Yeah I already sent a pic and asked what my options are to Leatherman. I was thrilled to get it new in the package for $40 off of Craigslist, but it is not a $40 tool. I may even pay the repair cost if Leatherman won't take care of me.

I'm also losing hope about saving this handle, which is a shame- there is not a thing wrong with it. There were 4 nails in there that I managed to get out, but the bears are the 3 coins/washers that are jammed in. I don't know how to get them out without ruining the handle. The head wiggles a bit but won't come off. I could jam more stuff in to tighten it, but I was hoping to make it easier to refinish. Actually, while typing this I changed my mind. I'll keep the handle on and tighten it up rather than lose it. The day will come when it may need to come off anyway, I can rehang it then.

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Try warming it in the oven at 200 F for a few hours to get every last little bit of moisture out of the wood. Then see if the head becomes loose enough to pull off. A forum member a few months ago showed how he wedged an axe head in the fork of a tree in order to get enough leverage etc to remove the haft.
 
jblyttle said:
from what I know about different knife steels which is a layman's understanding not expert the higher carbon steels are not any more rust proof so there is probably more to the story than that it seems to make more sense to me that it is more related to the hardness but again I am NOT an expert in this area
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What I think he's saying is, the axes that were produced in two parts with a steel bit had wrought iron bodies and the wrought rusted faster than the relatively harder steel up front. I think it's a pretty common occurrence and I'd guess the axes just laid around or may have even been buried to some extend during their life time - or in some where moisture and rust could be left to their devices. If you clean up the top side where the steel meets the iron, you may be able to actually see the transition between the two materials as a V.

Another member here put me on to this video ... one of my favorites on the subject but shows these guys forge welding the bits on their axes clear into the 60s. Not sure if they used wrought iron heads or not, but the premise is the same.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr4VTCwEfko
 
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Martensite is more resistant to corrosion. This is why some stainless knife steels like Damasteel have to be hardened to deter rusting. Either an edge quench on a monosteel head or a laminated bit could produce this look after some corrosion. A quick view from the top or bottom and you will be able to tell the method of construction.
 
Originally Posted by jblyttle
Now I'm pissed. Those were real money.


Leatherman is going to take care of this, I just need to get it to them. I'm very pleased with this. Sometimes it's worth spending extra with a good company.
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Glad to hear that, though I'm not surprised. They replaced my previous gen wave that I had used/abused for years....I had broken off one tip, ground down the other to match, used for a couple more years until the plier pivot developed some significant play and then sent it into them. 2 weeks later = new Wave!
 
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