Burnt edge

[G-pig]

This Emerson & Stevens axe I picked up for 3 dollars had been touched on a grinder, just to grind a centerline in it. I hung it and filed it and I can tell the temper has been spoiled, not to the point of chipping out but the edge rolls. The part that is perplexing is that its not localized to the area that was hit by the grinder before I got it. The whole face files very easy. There was no discoloration indicating a crappy job with the grinder, the fella who did it was a machinest and knows a little about metal so Im not so sure that was what did it. perhaps it was in a fire or something. Most of the axes with spoiled tempers Ive gotten will chip, not roll like this, so this is an odd situation. Does anyone have any ideas on fixing this? Its a beautiful axe and Im not going to scrap it.

 

[Steve Tall]

From an old book:

from Practical Blacksmithing 1891, can be read online or downloaded as a .pdf for free:
http://books.google.com/books?id=_50rAQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA213&ots=DmTBCTHu_N&dq=retemper%20axe&pg=PA213#v=onepage&q=retemper%20axe&f=false

After the passage quoted above, there are about seven other methods listed (by seven other blacksmiths).

 

[screened porch]

I defer to a better-credentialled authority.

 

[Square_peg]

Re-hardening and tempering is the only real way to fix it. Short of that you can make a more durable edge just by sharpening the bit at a wider angle.

 

[markv]

Steve Tall,
excellent tutorial
this is the old tried and true method for tempering back steel, success is in the hands of the smith
keen eye to color changes and testing for hardness make it or break it

all good

buzz

 

[G-pig]

Im going to file the edge back a little bit to see if only the edge was burnt.. The edge was already quite fat (its a wedge pattern) so I knew the rolling would only get worse if I thinned it out.