Genuine Norland Log Splitter Axe

T

The Old Dog

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Jun 8, 2020
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Just received a Genuine Norland that I think is the Log Splitter model. Head is 8" long, 4 5/8" bit 2 1/2" poll and the poll is 1 1/2" tall from top of eye. It looks like a rafting axe. 34" curved handle with about half of the red paint left. Weighs 4lb 13.5 oz total. This axe other than dry handle and light rust on the head looks nearly unused. No over strike damage and the haft is tight with one metal wedge in it. Would you guys remove all the paint on the haft and vinegar the head. It's definately a splitting head. Thanks, Dog
 
I would advise against vinegar. It tends to leave a very ugly finish. A simple wire wheel treatment is probably sufficient, but if you want a deeper clean something like electrolysis or chelation cleaning in diluted molasses will give more attractive results.
 
The Old Dog said:
Would you guys remove all the paint on the haft and vinegar the head.
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No, I would never vinegar a head because it removes all the original patina and leaves the steel with an extremely ugly dull grey surface that rusts easily.

we need to see pictures to know the extent of the rust, but if it's not too heavy you may be able to just use some wd40 and steel wool to scrub the rust off without hurting the paint too much.
If you bought it as a valuable collectors piece then just leave it alone because there's really no way to avoid effecting more of the paint.
Truth be told I would suggest not using it anyways, because the value it has is definitely higher than the quality it offers as a tool.
 
I
Hickory n steel said:
No, I would never vinegar a head because it removes all the original patina and leaves the steel with an extremely ugly dull grey surface that rusts easily.

we need to see pictures to know the extent of the rust, but if it's not too heavy you may be able to just use some wd40 and steel wool to scrub the rust off without hurting the paint too much.
If you bought it as a valuable collectors piece then just leave it alone because there's really no way to avoid effecting more of the paint.
Truth be told I would suggest not using it anyways, because the value it has is definitely higher than the quality it offers as a tool.
Click to expand...
I will never use it. I will use the wd40 and brush route and see how it turns out. I will sand the haft lightly and use blo, I'm not all that concerned about its value. Thanks for the input. Dog
 
A vinegar soak followed by a cup brush on an angle grinder produces about the same finish as just using a cup brush on an angle grinder on modern all steel single piece axe heads. The old axes with forge welded bits are a different matter.

The reason I will sometimes go with vinegar first is because I can remove the rust on the rusty heads before the wire brush so that I don't have all that dust in the air.

There is no such thing of preserving patina with a wire brush, it's creating a new patina.
 
The Old Dog said:
Just received a Genuine Norland that I think is the Log Splitter model. Head is 8" long, 4 5/8" bit 2 1/2" poll and the poll is 1 1/2" tall from top of eye. It looks like a rafting axe. 34" curved handle with about half of the red paint left. Weighs 4lb 13.5 oz total. This axe other than dry handle and light rust on the head looks nearly unused. No over strike damage and the haft is tight with one metal wedge in it. Would you guys remove all the paint on the haft and vinegar the head. It's definately a splitting head. Thanks, Dog
Click to expand...
 
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