How to fix Kelly head with gouges in the edge?? (New at this)

Col Defender

Col Defender

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Nov 11, 2011
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Hi - as you can see, there are serious gouges in one edge of this old Kelly double bit. How can I safely fix the edge please?

Tools available to me are stones, files, belt sander with various grits, and a right angle grinder. I know if I take the grinder to it for the initial work there is danger of overheating but is that an acceptable way to begin if I go slowly so it does not get too hot? If I keep a bucket of water at the ready and use it does that make it OK? Or do I just need to use hand tools only and take lots of time?




Thanks so much for any advice/info.

Steve
 
I'd put it in a vise and use the angle grinder to reprofile that edge (wheel perpendicular to the edge). Just go real easy on it. I think you could take off what you need to without having to worry about screwing up the temper. Once you get the edge shape the way you want it you can use a file to give it an edge back.
 
If you go the grinder route than be sure to quench the bit every 5 or 10 seconds. If you have the bit in a vise then use a big sponge and bucket of water to cool it. It's very easy to draw temper with a grinder and if you're not very experienced then you will almost surely damage the temper.

Filing is safer and can do the job relatively quickly (30 mins?) if you're set up right. A sturdy vise which holds the axe at a comfortable working height is key. This allows you to really bear down on the file and cut that hard steel. Filing may seem impossible at first. But once you get some of the outer layer off it will get easier. The oxidized surface layer is harder than the underlying steel. If you get a small patch cleared of surface steel then you can work out from there with the teeth of the file getting under the surface layer and lifting it off.

If your file is skipping or squealing then you need to stop and change how you're working. Maybe you need a sharper or harder file. Or maybe you need to bear down harder or softer. Or try changing the speed of the file. If you don't already have a file card then get one. It's the other half of a file.
 
In my opinion only - when you use an angle grinder (they are incredibly fast) it is not a matter of whether or not you mess up the temper. It is how far into the bit the heat damage goes. If you are going to use a grinder, go SUPER easy. Spray or dunk in water very often. Even then, you'll want to go back over it with a file to remove the fine edge that will be burned by the grinder. With a sharp file and a file card, I could be passed those gouges and have the bit roughly shaped in an hour. That's worth it to me. YMMV.
 
SP posted whilst I was still typing. His answer, as usual, is more thorough. :thumbup:
 
I would like to learn more about metallurgy and so on. If I'm taking off metal with a grinder on the tempered edge of an axe (which, I would like to say, I rarely do), I try to go slow and not let it get warmer than I can put my ungloved hand on and hold it. I don't really know what temperature that is in degrees, but is even that heat likely to damage the tempering?
 
VintageAxe said:
I would like to learn more about metallurgy and so on. If I'm taking off metal with a grinder on the tempered edge of an axe (which, I would like to say, I rarely do), I try to go slow and not let it get warmer than I can put my ungloved hand on and hold it. I don't really know what temperature that is in degrees, but is even that heat likely to damage the tempering?
Click to expand...

At the very edge, yes it will. If you need to get a lot of metal removed anyway, you'll be fine with your approach after you removed the very edge. It is virtually impossible to NOT burn the very fine edge with a high speed abrasive tool. If you follow that with just a little file work and then stones, you'll remove that burned edge anyway. This is just my opinion based on my experience and research into knife making.

Edit to clarify: If you can hold your hand on it, that is NOT to hot to hurt the temper. If it is hot enough to ruin the temper, it will burn you very quickly. However, the heat at the very edge builds and dissipates extremely quickly, keep that in mind.
 
If you feel you have to use a grinder then just stay clear from the very edge - save that for files.

Col, a file card is a stiff short-bristled wire brush used for cleaning your file. Without it the file clogs up with debris, then skips and dulls.
 
Square_peg said:
If you feel you have to use a grinder then just stay clear from the very edge - save that for files.

Col, a file card is a stiff short-bristled wire brush used for cleaning your file. Without it the file clogs up with debris, then skips and dulls.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:
 
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