HELP - Is this welding strong enough???

vinnie1983 · Jun 28, 2022

Hi all, this is my first post after lurking for many months. So many knowledgeable folk here and I was wondering if you could help me.
Recently purchased a Kelly Dandenong axe as a winter restoration project.
The handle was awful, and I noticed a weld line in the back of the pole. It was only after removing the handle and polishing did I see the crack all the way down on the inside of the pole - inside the eye. I didnt realise the severity of it as I thought the crack didnt run so deep - Im new to this.
Here are some pics. Is this weld on the back strong enough? Can I use this? I purchased specifically so I can use it to chop wood.
Before:

After polishing:

garry3 · Jun 29, 2022

No es bueno.
I would move on from it and find an axe that had less wear. Even if the effort was made to correctly weld it.

Duriensbane · Jul 7, 2022

I personally stay away from axes that are cracked/already repaired by someone else. But i can see how you would want to try and stick with this one, as i have myself collected almost 10 tassies in the last year, and the most common thing you see on the really affordable ones is a cracked poll. The issue here is, it cracked again. So even if it seems sound right now, its going to break. It starts in the crater and you can see the shadow running the whole way to the top. To me, that is a poor attempt at a repair. Plus you can see the eye is slightly wallered out so someone used this thing as a hammer, which IMO tassies are very far from being good at hammering (wedge banger maybe, anything other then plastic or wood, heck no).

Trailsawyer · Jul 7, 2022

Used as a chopper, it could last a long time. If your going to pound wedges, or just want a better "fix", grind the weld out and have a good welder do it right!

kvaughn · Jul 9, 2022

Please contact me. I will send you an axe for your project.

vinnie1983 · Jul 9, 2022

kvaughn said:
Please contact me. I will send you an axe for your project.

Thank you, im not sure how to send messages on here

vinnie1983 · Jul 9, 2022

Duriensbane said:
I personally stay away from axes that are cracked/already repaired by someone else. But i can see how you would want to try and stick with this one, as i have myself collected almost 10 tassies in the last year, and the most common thing you see on the really affordable ones is a cracked poll. The issue here is, it cracked again. So even if it seems sound right now, its going to break. It starts in the crater and you can see the shadow running the whole way to the top. To me, that is a poor attempt at a repair. Plus you can see the eye is slightly wallered out so someone used this thing as a hammer, which IMO tassies are very far from being good at hammering (wedge banger maybe, anything other then plastic or wood, heck no).

Yeah, perhaps this will be a wall hanger.

TonyManx · Jul 13, 2022

A capable welder can 'vee' out the old weld, almost into the eye. The bit can be wrapped in a wet rag. The poll wasn't intended to be a hammer, just a counter balance. If you don't hammer on it, it should be fine. Check bit hardness with a file before and after welding. It may need to be re hardened and tempered.

tommytman · Jul 23, 2022

I’ve been hosed also by buying cracked heads that were not marketed as such…..if you got this for low $ then have a weld shop fix it up nice and hang it or just let it sit as a collection piece. In my opinion the tassies I see most with cracks are the Kelly /dandenong and plumbs. I like the hytests.