COTS Project Thread

cityofthesouth said:
Weeeeeell. I have always taken to heart the saying, "it can't hurt to ask". I just contacted the folks at outdoor dynamics (although to be honest I am not sure I actually contacted them, but some of the same people through a different avenue and I just don't remember) and asked them if they would sell me some. They agreed and they shipped here all the way from Bidor Malaysia.

BTW, 42, @FortyTwoBlades they are looking for a US distributor if you're reading this ... I am sure I can dig up the contact info for you both. My contact info is in a post above here.
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thank you for sharing the info for me, cool.
:thumbup:
 
Finally, the mighty Jersey. Of course this one got octagonalized and I tried to make it all sort of come together at the shoulder. I also put in a little kick in the heel of the swell and that makes a big difference in feel. It mates perfectly to the heel of my palm. I also applied the vinegar sludge staining treatment along with a touch of actual stain to age the handle a bit. This was nice white hickory so it isn't nearly as dark as when I applied it to a heartwood handle before. I really would like an extra inch of tongue to work with for a couple reasons. As you can see I removed zero wood from the length of this handle - it's exactly 30 inches. I took just a hair off the front of the tongue in an effort to move the head back slightly. This makes the balance very good, but I have to also remove material from the rear of the tongue to make the shoulder deep enough for really deep heads like this Jersey or a Connie. If there was an extra inch I'd have a lot more flexibility. But anyway, PICS!

Truth, I find the ridges in the eye to be difficult to work with and not especially important, but you can see the humps in the wood and I am sure this axe is hung for life.
jersey_wedge by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

Trying to capture the flats. Not sure why that is so hard.
jersey_octagonalflats3 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

jersey_octagonalflats2 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

jersey_alignment by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

jersey_octagonal by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr

jersey_inblock3 by city_ofthe_south, on Flickr
 
Oh, great handle work for a svelt piece of steel. Really enjoy seeing the work you do COTS. :thumbup:
 
Agent_H said:
Was it you that mentioned a walnut shell boil for the heads at one point?
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I had thrown some shells into the vinegar one time, no boiling, though I can't imagine that wouldn't help. I used boiling vinegar with salt to acid etch stainless steel, so I should think it would make a cool etch for axes as well.
 
High_Noon said:
Great work! Beautiful! What is the weight of that Jersey Head? Is it a Kelly or no name?
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It is a no name, but I have heard it said a number of times that they are likely Kelly heads. Not a mark on it. I meant to refresh my memory and weigh it again before I hung it but I forgot. Based on how it feels and my foggy memory, it's 3-1/2lb.

Dunno if this is the intent of your question but it looks huge on a thin, short stick right? Jerseys are just cool like that.
 
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You know how sometimes once you think/see something that you can't unsee/unthink it? I will only say this- I now think that the perfect swell looks just like something else that is a common sight on a farm. Especially a horse farm. Wink wink.
 
jblyttle said:
You know how sometimes once you think/see something that you can't unsee/unthink it? I will only say this- I now think that the perfect swell looks just like something else that is a common sight on a farm. Especially a horse farm. Wink wink.
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:hororr: :uncomfortableness:

If we are going to continue the age old theme of animal parts like Fawn's Foot for the swells, I guess it makes sense. Ha!
 
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I have two 3.5 jersey heads with Kelly eye ridges that I have never hung yet. They look identical to that head except you say yours doesn't have a mark and mine are both stamped A 7 on the left cheek. And they were both originally painted red. I'm going to save these pics as something to shoot for for them.
 
Thanks. Yes, Jerseys are cool & you answered my question. The reason I asked is b/c I have a 3.5 pounder that looks remarkably similar to yours - also unmarked - but I think it may be a Plumb due to the red epoxy in the eye and a well-worn dark reddish haft. I'm just waiting to get my shop set up to rehang this as well as several other heads, but alas, it will have to wait a while...
 
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