Dredging Up Handle Wood

[Ernest DuBois]

Bundles of handle wood that have been sunk to the bottom of my holding pond for some months in preparation, fresh out of the water.

Some strange coloring occurring under there.

But mostly, I was after this 3 kg of old iron also sunk down there

which gets delivered to the smid in hopes of having an axe made to put one of those handles on.

 

[John A. Larsen]

Ernest, what is the purpose of soaking the handles for three months? John

 

[junkenstien]

Is that a piece of a chain link?

 

[A17]

J John A. Larsen , I believe it is part of Ernest's seasoning technique for the wood.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Ernest, what is the purpose of soaking the handles for three months? John

Oh, at least three months, I think it has been more like 6+ months but even longer is fine. It's called "watering", believe it or not and it is an old practice still carried on by some individuals and small mills, plenty of study devoted to the effects on wood when the original moisture gets displaced from outside. It flushes out sugars that attract infestation, stabilizes the wood over its lifetime and speeds up the drying process and improves the workability, it hardens up the wood in other words which makes it react better to cutting tools. Well, all these effects differing of course from species to species but I find that ash takes to watering well though it can cause discoloring so if that's important in the end use better to not water that wood.

Is that a piece of a chain link?

One morning early I was on my crossing at the Ij to get into Amsterdam with the ferry. There at the pier, pier workers were replacing the old chain that'd been in the river so long anchoring that pier there. It just happened I'd been reading how some Japanese blacksmiths use old anchor chain for making all manner of tool so I asked if I might have a loose link from the pier worker and he was happy to give it and interested to know that it might good for that purpose. All these years now I think I have a possible use for it by the smid.

 

[Yankee Josh]

I find that ash takes to watering well though it can cause discoloring so if that's important in the end use better to not water that wood.

That is really interesting ernest. I have a small pond and I'll give it a shot. I have some white ash already cut and half seasoned. Should I sink freshly cut ash or sink what I've got that's partially dry already?

 

[crbnSteeladdict]

Any thoughts about using driftwood from the ocean for axe handles?
Idea of going to the beach with axe, sledge hammer, bunch of wedges sounds exhilarating

 

[junkenstien]

Thats great very excited to see what you do with it.

 

[John A. Larsen]

Thanks for the explanation. I had seen adds for logs that had been lost in the Great Lakes when they used to have those big log floats, and how the wood was now being used for high end furniture. John

 

[Fmont]

Lots of pine spilled into Lake Michigan, in particular, over the years. I remember one in the 90's that sent pulpwood poles landing all over northern Michigan. Many of those were collected and used for furniture, as well

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Should I sink freshly cut ash or sink what I've got that's partially dry already?

To make the most of watering you should begin with freshly cut wood. It's better to start before the drying process has begun, I always drop it in the water right after cleaving it into halves or quarters but full rounds can be sunk as well. Be sure the wood is fully submerged. This might be the problem with driftwood cSa, it's not such a controlled process but wood unexposed to air should still be sound. After all, just imagine all those containers of wood from the PNW the Japanese have sunk off their coasts waiting to be used. Pine wood also is improved in many ways from the watering process.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Thats great very excited to see what you do with it.

It will ultimately be up to the smid and how he assess this piece. We had been talking about getting new pure iron, Armco, Fe=99.85%, so that seemed good but the resources dictated another approach and that's when I remembered this chain link at the bottom of the pond.

 

[Yankee Josh]

To make the most of watering you should begin with freshly cut wood. It's better to start before the drying process has begun, I always drop it in the water right after cleaving it into halves or quarters but full rounds can be sunk as well. Be sure the wood is fully submerged. This might be the problem with driftwood cSa, it's not such a controlled process but wood unexposed to air should still be sound. After all, just imagine all those containers of wood from the PNW the Japanese have sunk off their coasts waiting to be used. Pine wood also is improved in many ways from the watering process.

Okay I'll sink some this spring. I've been wanting to make an adze haft from ash and I like the idea of it being toughened up somewhat. I can and will submerge them completely. My only other questions are then; after removing do you rough out a blank while wet? Or how long does it take to dry?
I remember you said "it speeds up the drying process". Seems like it'd a take a year at least. Even quartered with bark off after removal from the water.
Thanks by the way. This is cool info...

 

[Agent_H]

Ernest, what sort of axe do you envision from your iron piece there?

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Everything I write is necessarily overly simplified because conditions vary widely. So, for example you will ideally water your wood in clear flowing water, a condition unfortunately that hardly exists in the country where I live, with the but end facing up-stream.

after removing do you rough out a blank while wet? Or how long does it take to dry?

After coming out the water then I will leave it untouched outside but protected to dry further and then bring in the barn. It wouldn't do to pre-shape anything since it's not known what the end use will be. Could be a shovel handle, a pitchfork, an axe and so on and so on. Since there are continually pieces in a range of readiness, in the water, outside, inside, I take them as they come up but before any one piece is ready it has been out of the water minimum 2 yrs.

Ernest, what sort of axe do you envision from your iron piece there?

The archaic Swedish carpentry axe sometimes called 1700.

 

[Square_peg]

But mostly, I was after this 3 kg of old iron also sunk down there

which gets delivered to the smid in hopes of having an axe made to put one of those handles on.

Do you think it's wrought? I think any smith would enjoy working with a piece of wrought that size.

 

[Ernest DuBois]

I think the useful thing about having a material from such a source is that in the original instance any old junk would not do and so I imagine that this chain link is of a serviceable quality. In choosing it this original intent was sort of my standard. Other similar sources, once you have chosen to go with old material, would be wagon wheel rim, axles, or something dating far in advance of the industrial revolution. I really don't know what the smid will say when he gets a look at it so I'm glad to hear you think it may be a good piece S_p.

 

[Yankee Josh]

I'm going to have a fair amount of spring steel today. I broke the driver's side (rear) main leaf spring on my heavy half(Z71) truck. I have to purchase a whole new spring pack but i only need the main leaf so I'll have the rest of the half ton leaves.
That should be good steel right? I don't know too awful much about what is good steel to work with yet.

 

[junkenstien]

Think leaf springs are 5160.

 

[jake pogg]

That should be good steel right? I don't know too awful much about what is good steel to work with yet.

Josh,that's true,as stated above,that American leaf springs are most commonly(if produced in US) AISI 5160...Nominally.
However,it'd be a Very bad idea to use something that actually failed.Because of the potential for micro cracks throughout the material.(common in vehicle springs that haven't failed yet,too,and in All other junk steel).
Forging qualifies only too well as a "craftsmanship of risk",it don't need help in that regard...
Steel (edge material) is dirt-cheap,couple bucks a pound...you're paying more for potato chips et c.
As far as cool-factor goes,and using WI for the (less critical of course)body of an axe,there's plenty around.
I have a stash of very high quality US Mil-spec wrought iron chain,and will happily send you enough for an axe or three...
(Same goes for Earnest,i wish i knew you were looking for some...Btw,there was a tragedy in Netherlands this morning,in Utrecht,i don't know how close you are to there,but i hope all's well with you and yours...).

Yes,WI,because of the intervening layers of silicate slags has higher corrosion resistance,and so indeed was used in many water applications.