handle where to get

R

renny

Joined
Feb 1, 2015
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I have a Marbles double bit hatchet, made in China. The handle is about to go south. It has an unusual shape, to me. The part that goes through the head looks like three fingers next to each other. Can anyone tell me where to get a replacement? I tried Smoky Mountain Knife Works ( where I bought it) and Marbles without luck. thank you
 
Appreciate the suggestion about House handles. They have a lot, but nothing like I need.
 
renny said:
Appreciate the suggestion about House handles. They have a lot, but nothing like I need.
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You outright splurged on a 'made in China' implement and then suddenly decided you're looking for a 'Ferrari' haft? Every municipal/provincial/federal park around you is filled with hardwood trees with dead and dying trunks and branches. These would be 'freebies'. Golden opportunity for you to extend your grasp.
 
You are right, I did splurge on a "made in China" hatchet, however I did not know it at time of purchase. Bought if from Smoky Mountain based on seeing it on their TV advertisement/ program. They said nothing about "made in China". I stupidly thought that a "Marbles" hatchet would be American made. Also stupid to think that where you buy something is a good place to get replacements for parts that wear out easily. When I was younger that was the way things were. I might add that I am not a collector so hardly an expert, I bought the hatchet to use.
 
renny said:
You are right, I did splurge on a "made in China" hatchet, however I did not know it at time of purchase. Bought if from Smoky Mountain based on seeing it on their TV advertisement/ program. They said nothing about "made in China". I stupidly thought that a "Marbles" hatchet would be American made. Also stupid to think that where you buy something is a good place to get replacements for parts that wear out easily. When I was younger that was the way things were. I might add that I am not a collector so hardly an expert, I bought the hatchet to use.
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Don't worry, not all of us think you were asking for a Ferrari handle. SOME of us know that the Marbles hatchet has a bizarre eye and based on what you're saying, it's not surprising that a replacement is hard or impossible to get. Unfortunately, you're probably stuck modifying a handle, making one, or letting the hatchet go by the way side. If you can get a regular hatchet handle, as long as the eye dimensions are similar or slightly larger than what you need, you can probably get it to work. Rehanging an axe is a matter of hand fitting anyway, so you may just have to alter your approach to this problem. Alternatively, I suppose you could modify the eye itself - but I'd expect that to be more work still.
 
Make a handle because you will be more proud of yourself and you will do it the way you like it and you can put your own stain on it and then final touch linseed oil.
 
Thank you for the information. I do not know that I have the patience for the job, but it looks like I may as well try because I do like the hatchet.
 
Maybe use a dremel tool to start the initial shape? If you planned to retro fit a standard handle that is.
 
COTS pretty much said everything there is to say. Only thing I could add is you could do a vinegar soak (yes I know a lot of you aren't fans) to see if the eye is hardened. If it's not filing down those ridges might not be too much work, and it would make hafting the head much easier. Also the eye might not be drifted (likely not) so keep that in mind.
 
renny said:
...It has an unusual shape, to me. The part that goes through the head looks like three fingers next to each other. Can anyone tell me where to get a replacement? ...
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There's a place that sells replacement handles for the Marbles hatchets, but at $35 each they are for restorations of the vintage collector's items.

I saw an old book that showed how to make this type of handle (that fits into Marbles axe heads). Imagine a cabinet scraper blade that is shaped to the same profile as the top of that handle. I think that one was made from an old saw blade, with integral grip and a cutout hole that slips over the axe handle (looking somewhat like a big bottle opener).

The profiled section was sharpened and used to progressively shave down the end of the handle, with a pulling motion, until the wood matched the profile. When both sides were shaped this way, the handle would fit into the head.
 
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