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First shots at rehangs - learning curve

Agent_H

Agent_H

Joined
Aug 21, 2013
Messages
3,898
As I was digging through some boxes in my garage I came across a hatchet head. It hasn't seen daylight from the box it was in for I don't know how long.
After a vinegar batch and some scrubbing, this is what I came up with.
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I like the weight on it but I don't know anything about it.

After reading quite a bit here I tried my hand at reclaim.

This is a Plumb I got for $6.50

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Cleaned up some:

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In my haste I bought several hafts and took my time hanging these two and a Collins Homestead (boy's axe size?)

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Now, here is why I put "learning curve" in the title... The Plumb there has terrible grain orientation. It was all me. I wasn't aware of the importance of it to be honest. It is secure but I don't like the fact that I chose poorly. Should I just scap it, find another handle, or just see how it goes with use?

I want to thank all of you here for advice before hand and now I'm hooked. I have a Warren Axe & Tool single bit $7.50, Craftsman single bit $10.00, and a Collins double bit $19 soaking right now...
 
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Those are some good looking axes! I would wear good gloves should it open were the sap/heartwood meets and just use it. Pick up a good replacement handle at your convenience , oil it and hang it up.

Bill
 
I've just started restoring axes and hatchets too, it is very rewarding and good for decompressing after a hard stressful day. You live and learn though right? I think the handle with less than perfect grain orientation is fine, just not optimal. Why wouldn't you just go with it until it needed replacing like any other handle? Someone was going to wind up with it anyway it just, unfortunately, wound up being you. Performance is only limited by longevity right?
 
My .02; I ordered a jersey pattern awhile back and the grain was about as off as it could be. I cut the handle off (it's now the handle to my shed door) and hung a new one straight off. I did this because I have had a handle split on me out in the field where replacing it was not an option at the time. Now, for an axe that I know will always be near my woodshed, where I can keep a replacement handle at the ready and have the tools to swap it out when it breaks, I would have been fine using the less than ideal handle.
 
Good for you! Resurrecting old tools is a wonderful game. One of your 'before' shots looks to be a much used axe that stood next to the wood stove for too long. In the same vein as a crooked axe I have a 1905 Savage 22 pump rifle that lived next to a box stove for 1/2 century and (the wood butt stock) is wonderfully offset in my favour.
 
Looking back at the pics- the gaps you have at the top of the head, while they may not affect performance- I take bits of old handles and split them into shards- drive these down in those gaps and trim them off. This keeps moisture and grit out of the eye.

Smaller gaps gets plumbers wax(wax from a toilet bowl ring- beeswax is even better)- just to keep moisture out.

Just some more options to consider.

Bill
 
Bill that is a great advice. I have plenty of beeswax here in a container that hasn't been needed for anything - one of those things I would buy new over and over as I could never find it when I needed it. The hatchet there has those gaps that taper down about 1/2 the way of the head. This is exactly the kind of "trick" or advice that would be passed on from someone with experience.

I would like to see a picture of that .22 as well. That Plumb with the warped handle elicited all types of safety advice from the locals at the store I bought it from. One of the old guys who hangs out there tried to tell me to buy a new one as I was going to hurt myself or someone else - he was sincere at least. I actually sanded the warped handle down and applied BLO liberally. I like the idea of re-purposing it for gate handles - thanks for that. It looks like a bone off a large critter to be honest.

The German hatchet = should I assume it was made after 1989 as it doesn't designate East or West Germany on it? It's also marked in pounds so it was made for export?

I have these 3 in the works as well:

sQNl5WR.jpg


I'm not sure how old the 3 1/2# Collins double bit is but it was fun to carry down the street after my visit to the flea market in a trendy part of Portland, Or. The handle is not original but it is in perfect shape and good grain orientation. The Warren Axe & Tool Co I assume is older but the Craftsman looks newer - more fodder for me to practice with - my dad would like it for a Christmas present I am sure.
 
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That Collins Swamper looks nice and I am a big fan of Warren and Sager single bits. Looks like you have found a nice spot for picking up good axe heads. My local flea market is ddefinietly a hit and miss....with alot of misses.

That Craftsman will make a nice working axe and I guarantee your Dad would cherish a reworked axe from his son! I gifted a reworked Collins Old Timer Jersey to my oldest son and he keeps it by his bed...

I have a very nice old R King single bit with a handle that looks like it belongs on a rocking chair. I really hope I can get that one straight again as it is a quality handle.

You are doing good work there ;)

Bill
 
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