I took my $15. Lowe's Kobalt Hatchet and hand-sanded the finish off,
smoothed out the handle a bit and stained it with Dark Walnut Danish Oil.
I stripped the head and polished it up as best as I could with my Dremel
Tool, some 80/120 grit sand paper and a worn foam sanding block.
I shaped the rubber cap at the bottom of the handle to remove some
of the nick it had in it and painted it Camouflage Deep Forest Green,
but I think I'm going to do something else with the end cap.
I might wrap it with leather (maybe the first 6" of the handle in fact).
Could I have done a much better job? Sure. But, this was more like
practice for my other project (a Titanium hammer and possibly some
wood handled knives I'm contemplating on buying). Plus, I just had
to get that ugly stock black paint and the work patina off of it.
She served me well. I thought it was time to give her a shower
and purty her up. I have this thing about tools that I can rely on.
All in all, a pleasant way to kill 2-3 hours on a Saturday afternoon.
BTW, I managed to put a decent enough edge on the Hatchet to cut my finger BY MISTAKE!
Next on my hatchet hit list? An Estwing Camper's Axe (16") and a 10"-15" Wetterlings Hatchet.
First thing I thought when I cut myself and saw the blood seep out was "Cool!"
(probably the only hobby outside of boxing where bloodshed is treasured. LOL)
smoothed out the handle a bit and stained it with Dark Walnut Danish Oil.
I stripped the head and polished it up as best as I could with my Dremel
Tool, some 80/120 grit sand paper and a worn foam sanding block.
I shaped the rubber cap at the bottom of the handle to remove some
of the nick it had in it and painted it Camouflage Deep Forest Green,
but I think I'm going to do something else with the end cap.
I might wrap it with leather (maybe the first 6" of the handle in fact).
Could I have done a much better job? Sure. But, this was more like
practice for my other project (a Titanium hammer and possibly some
wood handled knives I'm contemplating on buying). Plus, I just had
to get that ugly stock black paint and the work patina off of it.
She served me well. I thought it was time to give her a shower
and purty her up. I have this thing about tools that I can rely on.
All in all, a pleasant way to kill 2-3 hours on a Saturday afternoon.
BTW, I managed to put a decent enough edge on the Hatchet to cut my finger BY MISTAKE!
Next on my hatchet hit list? An Estwing Camper's Axe (16") and a 10"-15" Wetterlings Hatchet.
First thing I thought when I cut myself and saw the blood seep out was "Cool!"
(probably the only hobby outside of boxing where bloodshed is treasured. LOL)
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