Advice / info on old-ish axe needed!

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nmorris

Joined
May 26, 2015
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Hey everyone, new member here. I recently came across an old (?) axe in the garage. Was thinking hard on restoring it, It would need a new handle and the head needs a lot of TLC. was wondering if anyone would be able to tell from the pictures approx. how old the axe is, what kind it is, if it was some mass produced junk, if its worth restoring or too far gone, etc. The total length is 25", the only marking is "LG" stamped into the head, Really like the size and shape of the handle, if i could find a newer one the same i would like to get it. This is the link to the pictures on photobucket, please let me know if there's any issues viewing them as i am new to this. any input is much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

http://s288.photobucket.com/user/nmorris/library/Axe?sort=3&page=1
 
No idea on the mark but I'll do some reasearch, looks to have convex cheeks which indicates it might be older. Some closeups of the handle would be nice, it looks vintage and in not too bad shape.
 
could very well be an import, i have no idea. i believe it may have belonged to a great uncle of mine, but he may have been older when he bought it. ill try and get some close ups of the handle for ya, thanks for the quick replies!
 
the profile remind me of a swede one, its worth restoring for sure no matter where it came from.
 
DarthTaco123 , I added some close ups of the handle to the album. They should be there with the others when you go to the link, let me know if not. Its got some kinda of stepped ribs at the grip that you can see,
 
I see what you're talking about, the handle actually isn't THAT bad, the only concern is the dark mark under the head in the pic below. If you've got any sort of pipe that you can fit the handle into and some boiled lindseed oil you can soak the handle in it (head still attatched!) and it should bring the wood back quite a bit.
image_zpsb41caee4.jpg
 
I meant to mention the the head is pretty loose , wiggles a bit. Is there a way to keep the handle and fix that? if so i will definitely try the boiled linseed oil!
 
If the head can come off without destroying the handle then do that, and soak the entire thing in BLO, looks pretty dry so you'll notice a difference in how everything looks and fits. Depending on how it looks after the soak you could scorch it to seal in the BLO and then apply an outer coat followed by some sanding just to even stuff out, you could stain it, the world is yours!

If the head WON'T come off, you can soak the handle anyways and it might tighten up. It'll probably need to be re-wedged as well, is the wedge wood or metal?
 
I see that you are a resident of Canada. The handle on your axe is of the same type that Garant sold (as replacement hafts and on assembled axes) through Home Hardware stores from about 1985 to 1995. The tell tale spiral lathe ridges at the butt are diagnostic. Pictured is another of one of these mated to an Iltis head, by Garant, from 1992. I also have a few loose hafts just like that (but without painted butts) that were purchased in 1988.
Iltisaxe002Medium_zps18c8b7f3.jpg
 
DarthTaco the wedge is wood. I think I will use the method in the link that Square_peg posted, along with the BLO and see how it turns out!
300six, that definitely looks like the same handle. You seem very knowledgeable about this particular brand, is there somewhere you could recommend for me to gather more info on it?

I appreciate all the prompt and very helpful replies everyone thanks!
 
Garant was a 'mom and pop' Province of Quebec company (started in 1895) that specialized in making wood wagon wheels and all manner of wood tool handles. By the 1950s they were making their own shovel blades and other pressed steel goods along with assembling British-imported forged steel axe/hoe/rake heads on to their lathe-turned wood. By 1960 A. Garant & fils Ltee. products were being sold Canada-wide. The company was renamed Garant Inc. on 31 Dec 1965. Their 1960s foray into a USA factory foundered and they withdrew after a few years.
In 1991 Garant Inc was sold to British company Hanson PLC which was already the owner of Ames and True Temper. All forged steel parts (including axe heads) are imported; 30 years ago this included Austria, Germany, England and Japan. Nowadays I would imagine forged steel importation is from India, China and Mexico. But they still make handles in-house and have also been in the plastics-forming business for a couple of decades (as in starting out with snow scoops and shovels)
 
Having discovered that regional business Garant Inc changed hands over to a multinational UK/USA corporation in 1991 does help to explain why I found premium-grade West German axe heads on 'econo-line' products of theirs the following year. Somebody in inventory or warehouse operations in Bugtussle Quebec had likely been instructed to "clean house" after the coup, and promptly installed Garant-made wood handles on anything and everything that was there, and immediately shipped them out.
 
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