Garage sale find: 10 dollar Wetterlings burried under ugly varnish and paint

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PayetteRucker

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Aug 4, 2009
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Spent 17 dollars at the hardware store picking up some more stripper and varying grits of sandpaper. Stripping the forge-textured head has proved to be a heck of a time-I'm on round 3-but the haft is a 26 inch racing style and she's polished down to 400 grit. Trying to come up with something Bushcrafty Scandinavian that would be easy and classy to burn into the handle-maybe just some simple snowflakes or something. The family is all from Sandefjord so maybe something whaling or Telemark related. Also got in a 31 inch felling handle for my store purchased 26 inch Wetterlings-broke the haft in the mountains a few weeks ago felling resinous seasoned dead standing lodgepoles for winter fuel. Chop! Chop! Cho-CRACK! Man I don't think I've heard a sicker sound in my life. I don't think I've ever been so upset about breaking a 20 dollar stick, either. I guess I'd just known that damned axe to be 100% reliable and then I realized it's an earthy breakable thing just like everything else. It fractured right along the thickest, loosest grain in the handle. Anyway, backpacking bud is in Canada for work and I've been out the last 5 weekends in National Wilderness Area anyway-guess the ol' pads and gear could use a break. Lots of new Ray Mears to sharpen beaters and fish hooks to :D
 
PayetteRucker said:
Spent 17 dollars at the hardware store picking up some more stripper and varying grits of sandpaper. Stripping the forge-textured head has proved to be a heck of a time-I'm on round 3...
Click to expand...

Usually ya pay for a good axe one way or another. ;)
A 10 dollar Wetterling is quite a find.
 
No! Sorry, a combination of excitement and talking to my Minnesotan father on the phone too much... My hands have been sore lately too, so I think I've been typing fast and short. I haven't had anything more than a beer in a while, trying to save up for a new complete backcountry skiing setup.
 
So, when you broke your wetterlings handle - was it just a normal swing or did something go wrong? I was trying to think the other day if I've ever broken a handle on an axe, sledge, maul, etc that was not from user error.
 
Nope, I was striking hard and true into the 3 inch thick resin core of an 8 inch lodgepole. Until then the edge was razor sharp but when I checked it afterward it was pretty beat up. I think it was just some cold hard resin that was too much along this one particular grain. Ah well, excuse to upgrade to 32 inches from 26! I got the woodburner out today because I was impatient, My hands have been hurting due to the weird pressure system but I gave it a shot. Not as clean as I wanted but ah well. She's hair splitting at this point, most of the crusty old paint is gone and the handle is smooth as buttermilk. Pics in a moment.
 
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