Axe head ID?

R

redips

Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
6
Got this today. cleaned it up a bit. It was painted by the previous owners

I hope I can rehang it. It is pretty rusted on the inside, and thinning on one side at the top. Anyone know how messed up an axe head has to be to be unsafe to rehang? It seemed pretty solid in the original handle, but it seemed like it had been epoxied as well...

I figure this is a Kelly axe, but there's not a marking on it. Seems like pretty hard steel, it was a real pain to sharpen.

Thanks a lot!!!
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redips said:
I figure this is a Kelly axe, but there's not a marking on it. Seems like pretty hard steel, it was a real pain to sharpen.
IFgNsci.jpg
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Welcome to Bladeforums and thanks for posting!

Lots of makers made axes with phantom bevels like that. Hard to say who made that one. Might have once had a stamp before it got pitted. And many makers forged axes without stamps so that local hardware dealers could put their own paper label on them. So it could well be a Kelly. Pitting aside it isn't badly worn and has plenty of life left in it.

It doesn't look like much sharpening has been done to it. How are you sharpening it?
 
welcome to the forum :)
it could also be a plumb. clean hear up and you will prolly find a makers mark.
 
bearhunter said:
welcome to the forum :)
it could also be a plumb. clean hear up and you will prolly find a makers mark.
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I thought I could see an outline of the rectangular mark that went across the whole back-side of the head just past the eye. But the lettering is non-existent.

I have been sharpening it slowly but surely, but going to wait until I rehang it. This steel is really really tough. Working really hard to even get the patina off, let alone get an edge. All with a file, an axe stone, and sand paper. My gransfors steel almost seems quite a bit softer than this...

The inside was really beat up. Took a screwdriver and a hammer and chiseled out big flakes of rust. Going to have to sand it really well to get the haft to fit snugly and well. The bottom hole is narrower than the top which is good!

thanks for the responses!
 
redips said:
My gransfors steel almost seems quite a bit softer than this...
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Two things could be going on here. It may be that your old axe is indeed harder than your Gransfors. Many vintage axes were made with higher carbon steel than what GB currently uses and those axes can surely be harder than a new GB. The other thing is that an old axe often grows on oxidation layer that is harder than the underlying steel. That layer can be almost impossible to file through. Sometimes if you get a little patch of it filed off you can work out from there, lifting the oxidation layer along with some of the softer steel below it. Filing an axe is best done in a sturdy vise. You need to be able to bear down on the file pretty hard with both hands.
 
Since this will be the first time I haft an axe. When buying a handle, is it ok if the part you place the wedge(forget the name) is not straight?

thanks!
 
redips said:
Since this will be the first time I haft an axe. When buying a handle, is it ok if the part you place the wedge(forget the name) is not straight?

thanks!
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it should be ok. it's not ideal, but it still should be fine.
 
redips said:
Since this will be the first time I haft an axe. When buying a handle, is it ok if the part you place the wedge(forget the name) is not straight?
thanks!
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Typically when you buy a handle it already has the wedge cut in it. And often times this is neither perfectly centered nor straight, and can be too deep (most often done with a bandsaw I suspect). Not much you can do about this and really doesn't matter all that much either. Whatever the kerf (width/thickness)) of the saw cut is on the factory handle cut make sure to replicate that at the tip of your wood wedge. Otherwise you're wasting valuable space for expansion especially if the wedge bottoms-out before the handle is locked in place.
 
redips said:
I thought I could see an outline of the rectangular mark that went across the whole back-side of the head just past the eye. But the lettering is non-existent.

I have been sharpening it slowly but surely, but going to wait until I rehang it. This steel is really really tough. Working really hard to even get the patina off, let alone get an edge. All with a file, an axe stone, and sand paper. My gransfors steel almost seems quite a bit softer than this...

The inside was really beat up. Took a screwdriver and a hammer and chiseled out big flakes of rust. Going to have to sand it really well to get the haft to fit snugly and well. The bottom hole is narrower than the top which is good!

thanks for the responses!
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It could be a Collins with that stamp on it. Good luck with her. She has lots of life let in her.

Tom
 
Nice looking piece. You should see the pitted monstrosity that I am electrocuting out of curiosity.
 
Ya'll would not believe how difficult it was to find a proper handle. All 6 of the stores that carry handles here had terrible handles. Too thick, mixed wood, weirdly cut kerf, bad grain... yeesh.

This is my first hafting. It came out well, I just wish I didn't put such a large metal wedge in. It doesn't seem like it will be a problem, but only time will tell. It's on a 32" handle.

I'll report back on how well this thing chops!

Thanks for the help guys!

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That's one of the reasons I quit using metal wedges. That will happen especially if you leave the extra wood at the top above the eye. Good job anyway.
 
Looks like it's ready for work. You did a good job of getting it down on the shoulder where it belongs. But I'm with Halfaxe, I'd leave out the metal wedge next time.
 
Square_peg said:
Looks like it's ready for work. You did a good job of getting it down on the shoulder where it belongs. But I'm with Halfaxe, I'd leave out the metal wedge next time.
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I just read in the bushcraft book that I should have put the wedge in lengthwise. O well. This was a fun process! Thanks for the help!
 
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