I need advice from the pros!

[Curt Hal]

3 questions:
I ended up with this DB, and I’ve done a lot on it so far, but when I started putting on the new haft, I decided to stop and seek the advice of my wise axe colleagues.
#1) does anyone recognize the “W’ (or M?) or the “3” on either side of the eye? The are both on the underside of the bit. There is a “3 1/4” on the side. (See pictures 1 and 2)
#2) the eye is significantly narrower in the middle as a result of using the axe to do some pounding. It is the same on both sides. This is going to make for a tricky hang. It’s more pronounced on one side so as I watch for blade/handle alignment, it’s getting tricky, because the indent on the one side is tilting the bit out of alignment. (See pictures 3 and 4)
#3) as you can see from picture 5, the wall has a thin spot.

#2 and #3 considered, do you think it’s worth completing the rehang? I don’t mind a challenge, but don’t want to waste a nice handle.

 

[Yankee Josh]

View attachment 1099112 View attachment 1099113 View attachment 1099114 View attachment 1099115 View attachment 1099116 3 questions:
I ended up with this DB, and I’ve done a lot on it so far, but when I started putting on the new haft, I decided to stop and seek the advice of my wise axe colleagues.
#1) does anyone recognize the “W’ (or M?) or the “3” on either side of the eye? The are both on the underside of the bit. There is a “3 1/4” on the side. (See pictures 1 and 2)
#2) the eye is significantly narrower in the middle as a result of using the axe to do some pounding. It is the same on both sides. This is going to make for a tricky hang. It’s more pronounced on one side so as I watch for blade/handle alignment, it’s getting tricky, because the indent on the one side is tilting the bit out of alignment. (See pictures 3 and 4)
#3) as you can see from picture 5, the wall has a thin spot.

#2 and #3 considered, do you think it’s worth completing the rehang? I don’t mind a challenge, but don’t want to waste a nice handle.

That's an Emerson Stevens! Nice db man! The W is the temperer, Watson's, mark. And the 3 is part of the date stamp. Looks to me like possibly 1883. In my opinion it's totally worth it to hang. You'll probably need a super fat wedge due to slimming the haft down enough to get by the hump. I have not bothered to straighten that out before when it's way inside the eye like that. I know some on here have used heat before but I've always just worked around it. And I wouldn't worry about the thin spot in the eye wall either. It'll be plenty strong. That my thoughts on it. Great score! Congrats!

 

[Square_peg]

Push the lumps out with a drift and some heat.

 

[Curt Hal]

View attachment 1099239 View attachment 1099239 Thanks to Yankee Josh, I’ve been able to discover some things about this DB. I’m including the link to a previous discussion on Blade Forum. https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/odd-coincendence-emerson-and-stevens.1097289/page-2
My guess is this a Pioneer Brand Wisconsin pattern.
The catalogue page is thanks to Forty-Two Blades.

 

[Curt Hal]

How does a person get one of these drifts?

 

[A17]

Ya make one. Or you find something that'll work. You could use a cold chisel if the shaft is about the width of the eye. Drive it in, the use a punch to send it out the other side and voila! The dent is gone!

 

[garry3]

I use two rail road spikes as they are wedge shaped and I can line them up with the dent in the eyes, driven from opposite ends. Of coarse you need a drift or another spike to drive them out.

 

[jake pogg]

How does a person get one of these drifts?

A Real drift is something that fits an opening EXACTLY.
It is forged and ground,and shaped with a proper degree of taper("draft" is an old trade term,referring to the ability to get i back out;a parallel-sided job can(will get stuck).In case of an axe-eye drift the taper also determins your ability to later haft that head;drifted equally from both sides it creates that "hour-glass" shape necessary for proper handling.

Also,since to every action there is a reaction,if you're driving something into the eye with some force,you must oppose that effort,by supporting the edges of that opening in a proper manner.It's normally referred to as "bolster", or "bottom-tooling",and is usually very carefully shaped to the outline of the opening.

Having said all that,it's possible that you could just cowboy the process like stated above,but it'll involve a degree of risk.
You could mangle those thin edges(i'd imagine the body of this axe is dead-soft),or have a number of other issues.

An anal-retentive method would be to carve a drift out of a hardest wood available,and use a bronze mallet,working on a stump as anvil.
(such is my admittedly old-womanish wisdom today......i do cavalier stuff myself regularly enough and so can also appreciate previous comments

 

[jake pogg]

P.S.
Also,i doubt that just the downward,wedging action of a drift will push that dent out.
Normally what it takes is once a drift bears on a low spot from the inside,one needs to sink the surrounding area in order to raise It from the outside.
It is done on a flat,supported by end-grain of a stump,say.
Carefully and evenly,and possibly involving work from both sides.

 

[Square_peg]

I have opened dented eyes using makeshift drifts. I usually use either an iron workers bull pin or a large cold chisel, sometimes both.

Recall that metal moves easiest where it's hottest. With that in mind I will heat one side, hottest where the dent is deepest, with a MAPP gas torch. I tie a wet rag around the bit just to make sure I don't mess up the temper. I work over the open jaws of my blacksmith vise so the drift can pass thru uninhibited.

After I push out the first side I cool it and then heat the other side. The cold side will resist the drift while the hot side will move. It doesn't always open up perfect but several times it has. The other times it has only been much better.

https://www.ironworkerstool.com/product-p/klein 3252.htm

 

[Curt Hal]

That's an Emerson Stevens! Nice db man! The W is the temperer, Watson's, mark. And the 3 is part of the date stamp. Looks to me like possibly 1883. In my opinion it's totally worth it to hang. You'll probably need a super fat wedge due to slimming the haft down enough to get by the hump. I have not bothered to straighten that out before when it's way inside the eye like that. I know some on here have used heat before but I've always just worked around it. And I wouldn't worry about the thin spot in the eye wall either. It'll be plenty strong. That my thoughts on it. Great score! Congrats!

After having read your post, I decided to look at the head more closely, and I found these letters stamped on it. It looks very much like the Emerson Stevens Co stamp.

 

[Yankee Josh]

View attachment 1099628

After having read your post, I decided to look at the head more closely, and I found these letters stamped on it. It looks very much like the Emerson Stevens Co stamp.

Oh there's no doubt about that! You can tell just from the placement of the weight stamp and or the temperers mark or year stamp. Here's the best stamp of theirs I have. You can see "handmade"above it. The one pictured above, a 1928, was tempered by Pearly Pulsiver.
I can't for the life of me remember who it was on here that helped me out with the temperers names. I'd like to give them a shout out but I cannot remember who it was.
It always confused me though why if the "P" was situated the way it is that the "W" would be upside down so an "M". But in the absence of concrete info...
For me so far I can't seem to find one of their axes with all the stamps intact. This is one of my favorite axes period. You can just see "handmade" and the weight #2-3/4.
But the temperers mark and year are great on this one. Impossible to get a good photo of both at the same time though. '51 and Watson for this one.
I've got others but you get the "drift". Pun intended. Lol. Once you know where to look you can't, and indeed won't, miss em. That's a real nice axe you got man! Look forward to seeing it hung!

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

A Real drift is something that fits an opening EXACTLY.
It is forged and ground,and shaped with a proper degree of taper("draft" is an old trade term,referring to the ability to get i back out;a parallel-sided job can(will get stuck).In case of an axe-eye drift the taper also determins your ability to later haft that head;drifted equally from both sides it creates that "hour-glass" shape necessary for proper handling.

Also,since to every action there is a reaction,if you're driving something into the eye with some force,you must oppose that effort,by supporting the edges of that opening in a proper manner.It's normally referred to as "bolster", or "bottom-tooling",and is usually very carefully shaped to the outline of the opening.

Having said all that,it's possible that you could just cowboy the process like stated above,but it'll involve a degree of risk.
You could mangle those thin edges(i'd imagine the body of this axe is dead-soft),or have a number of other issues.

An anal-retentive method would be to carve a drift out of a hardest wood available,and use a bronze mallet,working on a stump as anvil.
(such is my admittedly old-womanish wisdom today......i do cavalier stuff myself regularly enough and so can also appreciate previous comments

I have a photo handy of a forged drift.

 

[Curt Hal]

Oh there's no doubt about that! You can tell just from the placement of the weight stamp and or the temperers mark or year stamp. Here's the best stamp of theirs I have. You can see "handmade"above it.View attachment 1099639 The one pictured above, a 1928, was tempered by Pearly Pulsiver. View attachment 1099640
I can't for the life of me remember who it was on here that helped me out with the temperers names. I'd like to give them a shout out but I cannot remember who it was.
It always confused me though why if the "P" was situated the way it is that the "W" would be upside down so an "M". But in the absence of concrete info...
For me so far I can't seem to find one of their axes with all the stamps intact. This is one of my favorite axes period. You can just see "handmade" and the weight #2-3/4. View attachment 1099641
But the temperers mark and year are great on this one. Impossible to get a good photo of both at the same time though. '51 and Watson for this one. View attachment 1099644
I've got others but you get the "drift". Pun intended. Lol. Once you know where to look you can't, and indeed won't, miss em. That's a real nice axe you got man! Look forward to seeing it hung!

Thanks! And to think I was going to toss it! Now I just need to figure out the “3”.

 

[Square_peg]

I have a photo handy of a forged drift.

That would be handy for driving out a wedge but not for drifting out an eye.

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

That would be handy for driving out a wedge but not for drifting out an eye.

You just dashed my plans to use it for such a purpose.

 

[Agent_H]

You just dashed my plans to use it for such a purpose.

Still, it is quite svelt of a handle drift!

 

[Yankee Josh]

Thanks! And to think I was going to toss it! Now I just need to figure out the “3”.

Looks like '83 to me.

 

[Curt Hal]

You won’t believe this. Check out the thread Who dunnit.

 

[jake pogg]

I have a photo handy of a forged drift.

Yessir.I'm afraid Square_peg is absolutely right.The tool in that photo is more of a Punch,and was meant to drive something down before it(like a handle,yes).
A drift will have to be somewhat longer and tapered.
(a common min. taper is 1:7).

A makeshift drift would not be too hard to make.Most DB eyes are probably under 3/4" at the thickest.So 3/4" or maybe even 5/8" thick plate section(one can probably bum something like that at a steel yard,most chunks under one foot are nuisance and scrap).
A 7" angle-grinder + a bit of time would shape it fairly effortlessly to a necessary shape.
A bolster plate of needed curvature can be made out of even thinner plate,a right size hole carved in it,the plate shaped to proper radius,and mounted over the end-grain of a stump with again,a proper recess carved in it.