i need more knowledge.

evildeadedd said:
I need more info from the axeperts around here. Short and sweet, I know there a way to test the steel quality on a head, but how do you do it? The more I stare at these pictures of this axe the more worried I am getting. I want to know if there a way I can check the steel quality without risking taking it into the woods and it being junk.
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Evil, most times there will be a hardened surface layer you must go through before your file really starts to bite well. Very few will resist a file for long, but there are some that will. Those heads are hard on files.

If you use a belt sander be very aware of the heat that some belt sanders can generate, this can screw your axe up FAST. Maybe you knew that already but I thought I would mention it just incase. I am sure there are plenty of folks here that have a lot of experience with them and could tell you more about them then I could. I hardly ever use my belt sander on axe heads. Mine can even burn wood.
 
garry3 said:
Evil, most times there will be a hardened surface layer you must go through before your file really starts to bite well. Very few will resist a file for long, but there are some that will. Those heads are hard on files.

If you use a belt sander be very aware of the heat that some belt sanders can generate, this can screw your axe up FAST. Maybe you knew that already but I thought I would mention it just incase. I am sure there are plenty of folks here that have a lot of experience with them and could tell you more about them then I could. I hardly ever use my belt sander on axe heads. Mine can even burn wood.
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Try a ceramic belt, Garry. Ceramic don't dull, it just breaks down into smaller particles that remain sharp thus, avoiding friction and the heat buildup like other abrasives.
 
It takes a lot of time and effort to reshape/resharpen an axe with a hand file. Consequently it is very rare for someone to ruin an axe head because of this. Enthusiastic but inexperienced wielders of power sanding/grinding tools on the other hand can reduce a blade into metal filings in a jiffy!
 
I am a naturally paranoid person . Won't use power tools on the bits because I am afraid I will screw them up.
 
garry3 said:
BTW Fortytwo you were right about the quality of the Pferd files, they are good. That being said I have gained some experience at picking out good used vintage files at garage sales, they are cheaper but I don't think any better. Truth be told probably not as good.
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Aren't they great? I only really buy new files when I can't find vintage ones of the type I need in good shape, but it's good to have a reliable company to buy from. Usually, of course, I can only find the kind of files I'm looking for in vintage ones. It's hard, for instance, to find large extra-fine cut files. Pretty much everything these days follows the bigger = coarser, smaller = finer line of thought.
 
evildeadedd said:
Where do I test it? is it just a matter of experience to tell if an edge is too soft?
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Test the bit. Test the poll too, if you suspect it might be hardened (rare in axes). Yes, it's a matter of experience. Inexperienced filers are often fooled by the outer oxidation layer on steel and think they have a very hard axe. Only when you've filed many axes with proven files can you begin to get a feel for what true hard steel is with a file test. That said, with experience it's very quick and easy to know what you have.
 
Hacked said:
I would pull all of that crap out of the kerf and re-hang it on the same haft. Factory hafts are / were typically hung flush like that. You should be able to hang it just a bit lower on the handle when you fix it up. If one side of the eye is thicker than the other I wouldn't sweat it. As for the quality of the steel I only have one axe that is hard enough to give a fresh file trouble. Don't worry if the file bites in. If you end up filing on the pole you should notice that material is removed much easier than the bit.
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I would also try to preserve that handle. Looking at the handle you can rest assured that your axe isn't a POS. Even budget axes from that period (I'd guess 60's or earlier) were good.

There are threads here on bladeforums that show you how to save and re-use that haft.
 
Oh for sure want the handle to star with it, it is what drew me to bid on the axe in the first place. Going to be a big undertaking to get all that crud out of the kerf though. If it feels solid , I may leave it for a bit, I would hate to ruin it.
 
Evildeadedd looks like a real charmer to me. Don't worry about whether the sides of the eye look thicker or thinner, makes very little difference and from what I am seeing the blade looks very straight and it should hit exactly where you place it. I would happily use the same handle, looks to me like there is enough shoulder to put the head on a bit further, a quarter of an inch less in length won't make any difference at all and you will firm up the whole end result. Show us a photo when you decide what to do.
 
quinton said:
Try a ceramic belt, Garry. Ceramic don't dull, it just breaks down into smaller particles that remain sharp thus, avoiding friction and the heat buildup like other abrasives.
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I will for sure look into one.
Thank you!
 
Well she came in the mail this afternoon, and I am sad to report I don't thinnk the handle will work Out . There are several places where it looks like someone chopped on it with a knife maybe? Little crescent nicks that Mar almost the entire length of the handle. Running your hand over it like running over a rasp. I could maybe sand it down but the handle already pretty thin and some of the cuts are half to quarter inch deep
 
So I may be the worst axe picker that ever lived. I admittedly have never been asked before. but I can put a shaving edge on a knife. so I would think that the two skills are not that far off from each other. the reason that I mention this is that this axe Will not take an edge. I even bought a laBaku puck, hoping that would help, and it hasn't. The edge has tiny, tiny nicks in it, almost too small to see but you feel then runing thumb on edge. If I work the old ones out, New ones appear , so I assume that the steel is bad. I would spend the time and money trying to find someone who knows what they are doing sharpening axes, but that brings us to problem number two with the ax.
I handle while very cool looking, is junk. It has 3, that's right 3, METAL wedges. And a screw for good measure. And even with all this crap crammed into the eye, the dqmn thing still slides half off. JUST half, won't budge past that no matter what you do. So I am officially 0 for 4 on axes that I can use...feeling pretty stupid at this point.
 
evildeadedd said:
So I may be the worst axe picker that ever lived. I admittedly have never been asked before. but I can put a shaving edge on a knife. so I would think that the two skills are not that far off from each other. the reason that I mention this is that this axe Will not take an edge. I even bought a laBaku puck, hoping that would help, and it hasn't. The edge has tiny, tiny nicks in it, almost too small to see but you feel then runing thumb on edge. If I work the old ones out, New ones appear , so I assume that the steel is bad. I would spend the time and money trying to find someone who knows what they are doing sharpening axes, but that brings us to problem number two with the ax.
I handle while very cool looking, is junk. It has 3, that's right 3, METAL wedges. And a screw for good measure. And even with all this crap crammed into the eye, the dqmn thing still slides half off. JUST half, won't budge past that no matter what you do. So I am officially 0 for 4 on axes that I can use...feeling pretty stupid at this point.
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More information is needed. Are you removing enough material to get past the damage on the bit? I suspect if you file back some of your troubles may go away. It could be that the temper was ruined at one time with a grinder. It has been my experience that many times you can remove some material and be back in good steel. A lot of times just the thin edge got to hot. I would try that. Also it has been my experience that some of these older axes can run on the soft side. Remove some material and see where you are at(with a file). I file right into the bit at first to re-profile and THEN sharpen, That way you know you got rid of some material.

Saving old handles is easier said than done.

Many times I can't save them old handles. The easiest thing to do may be to drive it half off and then cut off the remaining handle that was not in the eye. This will leave you a good portion of handle left that was in the eye at one time. Turn the axe upside down and drive it out in the same direction it was originally inserted. It will come out very easily.

Do this and see what you have then. It looks like a good axe to me. I would not throw in the towel on it just yet, and I would lose no sleep over not being able to save the old handle.
 
that's the thing. I have filed back, it is the new edge that has the nicks in is, it is fresh steel that has the nicks in it. They are very small, can hardly see them with baked eye, but if you run a finger along the edge it feels like tiny tiny serrations. I can file them out, but new ones pop up in another spot on the blade, like the metal is flaking off almost.
 
P.s. what I feel on the edge isn't a burr, at least not like any burr I have ever felt on an edged tool before. I can put a shaving edge on a knife, is an axe that different?
 
If your file is too course or is clogged with shavings it can take out grooves of material that you will then feel. After filing try using a stone in a circular motion to hone the edge.
 
I did, I bought a lansky puck just for the job. Maybe one of the local Amish folk can put an edge on it. Take it to someone who would know if the steel bad or not.
 
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