Collins Axe: Help with hang and general questions

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axen'questions

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Jan 10, 2016
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Sooo… I had the good fortune a few days ago to find my dream axe. It is a vintage Collins in the Connecticut pattern. The condition is great (no rust) and it still has what appears to be the appropriate stamping, the original handle and some of the original label!

I have provided a link to pictures. (sorry for the background junk, I have limited space so my shed acts as a mechanical room, dog house, workshop, office, and storage facility, it gets a little tight, but I’m blessed to have what I do)

https://plus.google.com/u/1/photos/...m/6387441584474812641?authkey=CN7Z4bOarZCkvQE

The axe feels amazing, albeit with a very loose head, and I’d like to restore it with the original handle if possible. If this doesn’t work, then I’ll re-hang it with a new haft. However, the original haft feels amazing in the hands, and is still strong, it is hard to explain, but it feels like this haft and the head belong together, so I must try. All tips and advice would be appreciated.

The biggest issue of course is rehanging the axe properly. Currently it is loose the part of the handle that goes into the eye is shrunken and cracked and barely wedged. It wlso seems to have lost a bit of would on the back of the shoulder. I believe I could pull it out, and clear what is currently acting as a wedge pretty easily. Assuming I can, what can I do to rehang this in the best possible way?

From what I’ve seen online it seems it might be best to rasp it a little to get the head further on the haft so as to get a tighter seat. I think I remember seeing someone online use a wooden wedge but applied wood glue to the wedge rather than BLO. Do you think this might be a good idea considering the shape of the wood in the eye? Should I use multiple small wooden wedges in the front and rear of the eye to fill in gaps and push those cracks together? Should I use metal wedges too to help take up more space?

Any advice here would be appreciated.

Other questions I have are minor in comparison and really stem just out of curiosity. I listed them below. If anyone has any insight I would really appreciate it.

1. Is it legit? It looks legit to me, but does anyone have a different opinion?

2. Can anyone pinpoint the age of the axe? From what I’ve found, Collins used a wide range of stamps with the legitimus emblem, and I have not found a source that breaks down exact windows of time for each stamp.

The gentleman I bought it from says it is older because it is stamped with Collinsville, which they started out with, and for greater name recognition they moved to stamping with Hartford. He guestimates 100 years old or older. Thoughts?

2. Black paint? Is this Black paint on the head original? There seems to be some on the handle too. Same stuff, too hard to tell, any ideas?

3. Haft: Let me just say the haft is amazing! It is so thin yet strong. It just feels right. What do you think got it this way. Is this color and sheen a product of years of BLO, some other oil, an old type way of varnishing, just old age? It seems to me it has definitely been treated, but if so, how? I doubt I'll sand the handle. Too much character. Although I do plan on fixing the mushrooming and checking at the swell. That being said I don’t think It will absorb BLO because of its finish, What should I do (if anything at all) to best maintain the handle in your opinion?

4. It’s hard to see it in the light but the bit is in pretty good shape, and shows most of its wear in the top of the bit and the poll. Any guesses to the use? My guess is maybe a splitting axe wedge? Idk.

Anyways I’m sure I could come up with more questions but I think that should cover it for now. Thanks a lot in advance for your help!!
 
There will be plenty of help here for you, to save all the patina you can. They can articulate what needs done better than me I think.

That is a very nice Collins. :thumbup:
 
I believe that the Hartford stamped axes are the older ones, he has it backwards. The paint could be original, it looks like it was cared for. I can't really pinpoint the age, but I would guess between 1925-1950.
 
if you give it a new wedge and sand that palm-swell down, should be spectacular, you really scored, that thing is almost NOS worthy if not for the handle damage and the mushrooming.
 
phantomknives said:
if you give it a new wedge and sand that palm-swell down, should be spectacular, you really scored, that thing is almost NOS worthy if not for the handle damage and the mushrooming.
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Thanks! I found it in an antique shop that I had never seen before. $40 and change was the sticker price. They had another collins. the Auto Camper hatchet. Real nice condition but they wanted 125, and I couldn't swing that. maybe some other time though if it is still there ;)
 
axen'questions said:
Thanks, I hope so. I really don't wanna mess it up!
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I would hammer the head on tighter by striking the bottom of the handle on the fawns foot. You want to strike parallel to the fawns foot so as to not damage it. Even though it is at an angle to the handle it will still drive the head further onto the haft. Then grab the old wedges with needle nose pliers or pry them out with a screw driver or something. You can also sometimes run a screw into the old wedge to pull it out. I think that one will be pretty loose though. Then you can drive in a new wedge or trim the haft and add the new wedge. Leave the haft 1/4 or so proud of the head. Better if you don't have to trim the haft off though.

I don't think you will need to remove any material from the haft below the head to fix that one.

A rubber or wooden mallet would be ideal for driving the head on tighter. You could also lay a small flat board on the fawns foot before striking it. Remember to strike it square. I don't think that head will seat down very much further and it probably doesn't need to to remove the old wedge and drive a new one in.
 
garry3 said:
I would hammer the head on tighter by striking the bottom of the handle on the fawns foot. You want to strike parallel to the fawns foot so as to not damage it. Even though it is at an angle to the handle it will still drive the head further onto the haft. Then grab the old wedges with needle nose pliers or pry them out with a screw driver or something. You can also sometimes run a screw into the old wedge to pull it out. I think that one will be pretty loose though. Then you can drive in a new wedge or trim the haft and add the new wedge. Leave the haft 1/4 or so proud of the head. Better if you don't have to trim the haft off though.

I don't think you will need to remove any material from the haft below the head to fix that one.

A rubber or wooden mallet would be ideal for driving the head on tighter. You could also lay a small flat board on the fawns foot before striking it. Remember to strike it square. I don't think that head will seat down very much further and it probably doesn't need to to remove the old wedge and drive a new one in.
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:thumbup: what he said. No glue. That handle needs a drink.
 
garry3 said:
I would hammer the head on tighter by striking the bottom of the handle on the fawns foot. You want to strike parallel to the fawns foot so as to not damage it. Even though it is at an angle to the handle it will still drive the head further onto the haft. Then grab the old wedges with needle nose pliers or pry them out with a screw driver or something. You can also sometimes run a screw into the old wedge to pull it out. I think that one will be pretty loose though. Then you can drive in a new wedge or trim the haft and add the new wedge. Leave the haft 1/4 or so proud of the head. Better if you don't have to trim the haft off though.

I don't think you will need to remove any material from the haft below the head to fix that one.

A rubber or wooden mallet would be ideal for driving the head on tighter. You could also lay a small flat board on the fawns foot before striking it. Remember to strike it square. I don't think that head will seat down very much further and it probably doesn't need to to remove the old wedge and drive a new one in.
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Thanks! I'm worried that the haft wood is sealed to the point that BLO won't penetrate. Whether this is from old treatment, grime, old age, idk. However the wood in the eye on either side of the kerf cut is especially worrying to me, as you can see it is already very split. Do you think anything special should be done here, or do you thing a wood wedge and some fresh BLO is all it will take?
 
Nice find! 'Collins Co' and with the hammer and crown off to the right is a new one on me. Mere 'Collins' is much more familiar, but I'm not up to speed on their history. Knowledgeable folks will chime in on this (hint Steve Tall) regarding authenticity.
If you're planning to use it (and why the heck not!) carefully remove the existing haft for safe-keeping and as a template (or wall hanging) and install a new piece of wood on there. Wood can become awfully brittle, or dry rotted inside the eye, with age, depending on how it was stored, and putting all your faith in it 'holding up' when put back in use is not a great idea.
 
axen'questions said:
Thanks! I'm worried that the haft wood is sealed to the point that BLO won't penetrate. Whether this is from old treatment, grime, old age, idk. However the wood in the eye on either side of the kerf cut is especially worrying to me, as you can see it is already very split. Do you think anything special should be done here, or do you thing a wood wedge and some fresh BLO is all it will take?
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I would just get it wedged and then give it all the BLO it will take.

300 brings up a good point. No telling how much life is left in the haft. I view all hafts as temporary. Use them enough and they will break. Just something to consider.

I do believe that axe to be 100% original. It shows little actual use but has suffered a little abuse. What you do with it is completely up to you.
 
I would remove the wedge fragments and then the haft. I would seat the head as low on the haft as possible so that I could trim as much of that split wood off the top of the haft.

At the swell I would glue that crack the best I could. Then I'd fill the missing chip and sand it smooth. When resetting the head I would strike the swell with a white rubber mallet to draw the axe head up without damaging the swell. A swell doesn't need perfect structural integrity since it's just a grip and not an impact point.
 
I like old hafts and always try to save them. Axes survive. Hafts don't. Save 'em if you can.
 
Square_peg said:
I like old hafts and always try to save them. Axes survive. Hafts don't. Save 'em if you can.
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I figure it's better he take it out now (for use as a template etc) than wait for it to break. Most folks store axes head down on a damp (relatively speaking) basement, garage or shed floor so they're subject to moisture and degradation within the enclosed eye, much more so than the exposed parts of the handle.
 
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