Hatchet tune up

T

Temper

Joined
Oct 30, 2002
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I posted a couple of pics in another thread but since it amounted to hijacking I decided to put the whole thing in a new thread.

After a lot of reading about Wetterlings vs GB hatchets I really wanted one, the only fly in the ointment was that the GB here in Japan is about $80.00. I can get Wetterlings for a fraction of that cost from my distributor, so a Wetterlings it was.

I chose one that had the best grain direction and a reasonably forged head. The handle was varnished and there were plenty of pits, dings, forge marks & rust to deal with.

After asking some axe nuts on another forum about the best way to proceed they advised me to stip off the varnish and apply some Linseed oil instead. I decided to go for a mirror polish on the head, but soon found the uneven surface was going to require that I file about 100g worth of metal off so I decided to scale back the mirror polish and use paint for the unsightly bits. :D

Here she is (Nell, this is her name now :p ) from new.

1w.jpg


Head & shaft rubbed down and a little filing.

2w.jpg


After probably too much oil (I never got the nice yellow I should have from the Linseed Oil, probably overzelous with the application:o )

3w.jpg


A view from the rear

4w.jpg


At the moment she is polished to #800 and will slice paper easily but not shave. She lost a bit of her edge from the rubbing down, but for the moment its ok while the paint gets a chance to harden properly and for the oil to dry a little better.

All in all, I'm pleased with the results, it only remains to be seen if she cuts any better :p
 
Nicely done. Thanks for the great pics.

What sort of paint did you choose?
 
Thanks guys

Guyon: I wanted Hammerite for the head, its a bit weird but rock hard when finished, almost like old enamel on cookware, but alas the hardware store doesnt carry it anymore and there really were no other options. This paint if for wrought iron fences & gates. Its not ideal but it does harden pretty well over time.

Ras: Its the Model #16 one step up from the smallest one they make (#13)
 
Thanks, that's what I thought. I've got a 16H in my truck. It's a big hatchet and too small for two hands. It sorta falls into a niche that doesn't work for me. I picked up a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife Hatchet and it's perfectly sized for me. That's why they make different sizes.
 
Huh, just goes to show you eh.

I sell all three sizes, this was the one that I figured will give me the best performace. A pal and customer of mine has the #13 and I found it a tad too small for the sun baked dead wood we get here (Ususally Beech). I have a lanyard for it made from 3 lenghts of climing cord (3mm) that ends up about 1cm wide when platted together. This gives me an iron grip on the handle and allows me to really drive in the head.

I wanted the GB, but for $80.00 I was willing to spend time on this and feel that there is probably little if any performance differences between them.
 
Nice job on the SAW. I thought about that particular axe, but opted for the next size up. It's just long enough at 19" that 2 hands work well.

Got my hands on GBs small forest axe that belongs to a friend that's visiting from MO. It's a nicely finished axe and was sharp when he got it. The grind is different from my Hunter's and my pal put them both through their paces on a downed pine and he is going to buy a Wetterlings for his truck. He really liked the way it bit in when used, where the GB had a tendency to glance some. I don't know much about the handling characteristics of axes yet and didn't use his axe much, so I took his word for it.
 
I'm sure the Wetterling 16H will perform if the size works; it's a quality axe, but for me it was both too big and too small. 15" sounded good, but when it arrived it was just a little too big for my intended one hand use, so I bought the GB Wildlife which is called 14" but measures 13.5". The price difference is considerable. Wetterling makes a quality tool for a much better price point that GB.

Once I get to a point where an axe/hatchet is too wieldy for one hand, I prefer to go to a size that I can get two hands on. The GB 19" Small Forest Axe and Hunter's Axe are good for some small jobs, but I prefer the 25" Scandinavian Forest Axe. The 16H has a nice head though and could easily be rehandled longer. For now, the 16H fits nicely in my truck and with more use it may grow on me.
 
I want to shine up an old school true temper I found...how did you get the mirror polish?
 
commandojoe said:
I want to shine up an old school true temper I found...how did you get the mirror polish?
Click to expand...


Just by hand rubbing with Wet & Dry.

If its really bad start with #100 (Less than #100 can score the head and one deep scratch makes for a lot more work with the finer papers. I started with #80 this is how I know ;) )

You can go in any direction initially but after #180 only go in one direction.

My papers were

#80, 100, 180, 320, 400, 600, 800.

You can probably miss out the 180 and the 600 and instead go

#100, 320, 400, 800, & if you want a really mirror polish go #1000 or more. Oil on the paper will make it shinier but as I had recently treated the handle any crap would have soaked in in an instant so I just polished it dry.

Lets see some pics if you do it, its quite rewarding :thumbup:
 
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