Collins 2 1/4 boys axe

B

Bo T

Joined
Feb 12, 2011
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With all this talk about boy's axes, I picked one up when it came available. Just spent the last hour oiling the handle (it has lots of lengthwise surface cracks) and cleaning up the head. I hope the handle lasts cause it is epoxied to the top of the head. I'll post pictures after I get it cleaned up, a couple of coats of Krylon on it, sharpened, and tested.
 
Bo T said:
Just spent the last hour oiling the handle (it has lots of lengthwise surface cracks) and cleaning up the head. I hope the handle lasts cause it is epoxied to the top of the head.
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Good move with the oil. Those old dried handles will really drink it up. It's amazing how it brings them back to life, too.

Epoxy isn't a big problem. It can be drilled the same as wood. Fill it full of holes and knock it out with a drift. You can easily whittle a drift out a a piece of 1x4 or even an old pallet board.
 
What kind of oil is good to use on the handles? I have a few that could use some.
 
Square_peg said:
Good move with the oil. Those old dried handles will really drink it up. It's amazing how it brings them back to life, too.

Epoxy isn't a big problem. It can be drilled the same as wood. Fill it full of holes and knock it out with a drift. You can easily whittle a drift out a a piece of 1x4 or even an old pallet board.
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I have made drifts out of old ax handles instead of throwing them away.
 
Boiled linseed oil, Stax, seems to be the oil of choice. I've put it on some old handles with great results.
 
Oh,and Bo T, you're not alone. These guys (points finger accusingly at forum) have me looking for a boys axe, either a flea market head or complete axe, whichever presents itself first.
 
You can heat th head to about 250*F to soften up the epoxy and work it out after that. 250*F is plenty low enough to not mess with temper. Most axes are likely tempered around 500*F, so any temp below that is just fine, but most tempering starts at around 375*F.


-Xander
 
I went out and spent a few minutes splitting wood with the boys ax. I needed to put a lot more snap to it, otherwise it wouldn't splt through. the only problem I had was with knots. It just didn't have enough momentum to power through some of them. For the most part I was impressed.

Boys ax.JPGboys ax front.JPGboys ax top.JPG


For being about half the size the boys ax is pretty effective. Although, if it was all I had to splt wood, I'd want the wood cut to 12" - 14" lengths instead of
16" - 18" lengths. The handle worked fine and was a pleasure to use. Very little shock (close to none) without gloves. I'll clean it up a little more then set it up as a camping ax. The last picture shows where epoxy was used to anchor the handle. I'll post a couple of more pictures when it is finished.
 
I've not yet tried the regular variety. I'll have to pick some up and see how it performs!
 
stax said:
What kind of oil is good to use on the handles? I have a few that could use some.
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Boiled linseed oil has driers in it that will speed up the drying process. I've coated the handles on my tools and it will dry within a day in the summer. Regular linseed oil will take a lot longer, a week or more. If your shop isn't heated it could be weeks in the winter. I've heard regular linseed oil called flaxseed oil.
 
Regular linseed doesn't take long to dry - do thin multiple coats and it dries in a couple hours. Plus it doesn't have the additives in the "boiled" version. I just like it better from what guys say the blo works fine, just a matter of preference.
 
I looked into actually boiling raw linseed oil to make true boiled linseed oil. The plan called for a 24-hour cycle which seemed like a bit of a hassle so I never did it.
 
Well I got her finished up. A coat of Rust-oleum primer and blue paint. And an edge protector cause she sharpened up real nice.

Collins3.JPG

I tried to wrap part of the handle with duct tape but it didn't turn out as well as I'd liked. This is so she would show up better while camping. Someone else had done something like this to their ax on the forum and I liked the idea. I think they painted their handle though. If it irritates my hand. I'll take it off.

collins2.JPG

Started making edge protectors for the rest of my newly sharpened axes (per my new years resolutions).

collins 1.JPG
 
John Frankl said:
Where's a good place to get regular linseed oil?
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I doubt this helps you, given it's late posting and idiosyncratic nature, but you may be able to get it for free. My local recycling center has a chemical exchange, and it seems like every time I go there I pick up another gallon bottle of boiled or raw linseed oil that is 3/4 full. At this point I could almost soak a small boat, it is ridiculous.
 
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