Legitimus Boys Axe Restore (pics)

M

mattyak

Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
100
This is just the start. Waiting on the Hickory.
This nice little Legitimus needed a new lease on life.

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It was in decent shape but needed some tlc.
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At some point in its life it was used as a serious hammer. I like to leave some of the character on my axes and because this is one is in such great shape hesitated from taking too much meat with a file. I know.... I know. I Wanted to try something different so I peened the mushroom back into the body of the poll. It was a slow process but I think it turned out pretty good.
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And Peened.....
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Then polished her up a little with a wire wheel chucked up in the drill press.... Dont ask
The stamp came out great.
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Im looking forward getting the handle so I can to hang her. Ill post pics as I go.
 
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Peening the mushroom head sounds fun. I should try that next time. Thanks for the idea.
That head is looking good. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

Just out of curiousity, you say you wire brushed it using a drill press. Umm, how exactly do you hold the head and move it around under the drill press cause that sounds scary and yet intriguing. Trust me I do plenty of scary things with tools but I would think more than twice before putting 2 or so pounds of edged metal under a wire wheel on a drill press. I am picturing wire wheel catching the head and throwing it across the shop. But, just maybe you have some ingenious method of holding the head secure under the drill press? I know you said "don't ask" but I just had to anyway.
 
I bet that thing is awesome, and it looks good in the pics. Those old Legitimus heads stamped like that in what I have seen are of high quality workmanship. Nice find. I bet you could clean that one up, haft it, and sell it for a pretty penny, or get a ton of use out of it as well. Nice find!
 
Thanks for the compliments gents.

CedarEater, I dont know if i'd go to the "fun" stage on peening but it worked pretty well. I'm curious to know if anybody else has gone that route?.....
As for the wire wheel in the drill press... ha.. kinda like the girl splitting wood in barefeet. Ok, not really but it was what I had available at the moment. Low speed, gloves, extra shirt, dust mask, and face shield. Apply pressure to the back side of the wheel by pulling axe head towards you. Front side, if it grabs it will throw it at you. :grumpy: Lets just saw I had an "aha..duh" moment during this process.

Operator, Im planning on it being a user. It will probably be given away at some point as a gift but until then I hope to be swinging it.:D
 
That's looking great so far. I am looking forward to seeing the finished project.
 
Love it. The bit is still so long - not all ground down from abuse. That thing still has decades of use left in it. I have a Collins boy's axe that's not a Legitimus and I also have a full size Legitimus. The boy's axe is my favorite among them and one of my favorite axes overall. It would be sweet to have a boy's Legitimus. I'll sure you'll love using this axe. They're just a great size and weight.

With so little use on the bit and so much mushrooming on the poll this axe was probably used by a crosscut sawyer to drive wedges. Thank goodness we have plastic wedges now.
 
Smashing work. I really like the idea of peining back the mushroom.

Just to confirm, you literally 'mashed' the steel back in? Did you then redress the face of the poll?

Re. the brush in drill press. I'm without an angle grinder, so have thought about adopting this technique myself but have erred due to safety.
How about feeding some flat bar through the eye and clamping that down either end to the drill table? You can then tip the head, whilst working it under and around the brush and not risk it whoosing across the workshop?? Just a thought.....

That stamp is VERY crisp isn't it. I hope its a great user for you.
 
Scruffuk, "Smashing work" is right:D Yes, I literally smashed the mushroom back into the poll using the peen end of a ball-peen(pein) hammer. I took my time and was careful to only strike metal that was shroomed. It did roll the edge back onto the poll side a little but most of the metal actually smushed itself back into the poll. Patience is key. More than once I stopped myself from grabbing the mill file:). When I started the process there was a definite saddle in the middle of the poll and by the time I was finished it was nearly gone.

As for the flat bar as a brace I though about something similar but opted for a low speed setting. The edges and around the eye just require less pressure and a little more time. I don't recommend this technique but that is how I managed it.

And yes the stamp pops. :D
 
Have you considered using a drill press vise to hold the axe in place while you worked it under the wire wheel? Remember to be gentle - drill press bearings are designed to accept vertical loads not lateral loads. That's why you can't use a drill press as a milling machine.
 
Square_peg said:
Have you considered using a drill press vise to hold the axe in place while you worked it under the wire wheel? Remember to be gentle - drill press bearings are designed to accept vertical loads not lateral loads. That's why you can't use a drill press as a milling machine.
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Gentle is my middle name.... uh... sometimes. Still digging around for that 4" angle grinder around here somewhere. Slow and steady, light pressure until then. Thanks for the heads up.
 
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