Is this axe head worth saving?

[2500TSI]

Hi all. I'm new here so I apologize if I posted this in the wrong place.

I have this Walters axe head, which I understand was a Canadian company that shut down operations in the 1970s after 115 years making axes. I like that history. But mostly I want to save the axe since it was my grandfather's.

It would be my main bush axe and I don't want to end up buried in the bush without an axe if it fails. I figure with proper welding it should be alright but I'd like your opinion.

It was loose on the handle when I came upon it last year, and rusty. So I cleaned up the head a little and did a quick fix with what I had on hand (some screws to wedge, carpenters glue and tape), and used it a little at the house since then. Holding up fine. I will have it rehung if it's going to be a keeper.

Thanks for your help.

 

[115Italian]

I wouldnt use it. It may be unreliable. I would definitely keep it since it was your grandfather, hang it on the wall

 

[Square_peg]

A cracked eye can be welded reliably. Grind it open, pre-heat it and weld with 7018. Tie a wet rag around the bit to protect the temper. I wouldn't suggest this for every old axe but that's a Walters and it ain't in bad shape aside from the crack.

At one time that axe probably had a rotten haft in it that got wet and then froze.

 

[300Six]

Henry Walters was a cutler in Sheffield England before emigrating to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in the 1850s. He was employed by Sexton Washburn's "The Hull Axe Factory" and ultimately took over the business in 1885. The company name until about 1912 when son Morley took over, was "H. Walters & Sons". A name change to "Walters Axe" would have taken place in around that time and Morley ran the business until his death in 1969 at age 101. The entire operation was folded up in 1973.
What you've got is a Montreal pattern pulpwood axe (typically called boy's axe in the US). There is a Toronto Star magazine Aug 2 1965 colour picture of exactly such axes with that same green colour and with identical yellow-painted fawns foot handles. Presumably this dates yours to that period.

More than a few forum members have successfully repaired breaks such as yours. Make sure a competent welder is aware of Square_Peg's advice and get that handle out of there beforehand. If it's not rotted or badly damaged I would seriously consider re-using it. Current production handles are oftentimes clubs in comparison. Folks on here will be able to coach you on how to do that.

Good luck!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Another vote for getting it fixed up.

 

[2500TSI]

Thanks for all of the feedback. I appreciate it.

It may have been a better idea not to drive screws into it as a wedge, as it turns out. Needed an axe last year and didn't have another one on hand at the time so I made it work. It is what it is.

I took the tape off to show the damage to the handle, and cleaned it up a bit. The back of the handle has a split in it, which is now glued. Does the handle look salvageable? Take it out, weld head, rehang it properly? I agree, I prefer this handle compared to others I've used. Thin, nice feel.

As for the head: upon closer inspection it looks like the eye on the side that is cracked is much thinner than the side that is intact. Especially where it faces the handle. It would have been like this from the factory, as the green paint is present (it wasn't ground down after it left the factory). Any thoughts on this?

Square_peg my brother can weld 7018 but he's more of a novice. I asked a local welding shop to see what they say.

300Six do you know how I could get a look at that magazine article?

Thanks again.

 

[Square_peg]

If you glued it with a good quality wood glue then your haft is probably fine and reusable. To remove it first take out your screws. Then shave a little of the haft underneath the head until you can slip the head down until the haft protrudes 1/4" above the eye. Then carefully trim off the two sides of the haft with a fine tooth saw while leaving the wedge intact. Then you can grasp the wedge in a vise and pull it out. Replace it with a new wedge from the hardware store.

After taking a closer look at your haft, you don't have a lot of extra haft below the head. You could probably get away with dropping it 1/4" but if you can get the wedge out by only dropping it 1/8" or 3/16" I'd give that a go.

 

[300Six]

300Six do you know how I could get a look at that magazine article?

I have an original copy of the magazine and I suppose I could try to scan some portions of it but the format (newspaper page sized) is rather awkward. This was a weekend supplement printed and distributed country-wide by many Canadian newspapers and some forum members have already posted partial renditions of the article. Good chance you can also find it online. The title is "Axe-maker to the world; Morley Walters' plant makes 1000 axes a day", and author is Nathan Dreskin. The Toronto Star Canadian Weekly copy (that I have) is dated August 7 1965.

PS; your handle photo seems to spell WALTERS NO 1-TONED Presumably this concerns the yellow viz paint on the butt.

 

[Operator1975]

Is there a reason when I click on the pictures, I get solicited to engage with hot euro girls?

 

[Agent_H]

Is there a reason when I click on the pictures, I get solicited to engage with hot euro girls?

It might just be the free picture hosting site. I got the same thing, closed it, then followed the link again and it went to the picture we see here. Annoying for sure.

 

[Lieblad]

.......

 

[Square_peg]

I have an original copy of the magazine and I suppose I could try to scan some portions of it but the format (newspaper page sized) is rather awkward.

Your local university library may have a map section. If so they might also have some large flat bed scanners available to the public. Bring a thumb drive. Short of that a good digital photograph would show a lot.

 

[300Six]

Your local university library may have a map section. If so they might also have some large flat bed scanners available to the public. Bring a thumb drive. Short of that a good digital photograph would show a lot.

Setting whatever up so you can actually read the text is what I find to be daunting about all this.
Anyhow for the heck of it I did try taking a picture of the green-painted Montreal pattern heads. The heads have labels on both sides and presumably with the WALTERS stamp underneath. The hafts are fawns foot with yellow painted butts. You can see that a worker is in the midst of driving in a wedge and that the news photographer is looking down on whole the process.