Most I’ve ever considered filing off

P

PhilipWimberly

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2023
Messages
97
How do you guys decide how much steel to sacrifice? I was given this Legitimus and I’d like to use it. I’m pretty sure I’ll just always pick something else, though, unless I flatten up this edge…at least a little…more than a little. I think if I take this much off, it would make a solid 18-20 inch house axe, right?
I feel guilty filing away this much old steel, though. Is that dumb?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0751.jpeg
    IMG_0751.jpeg
    275.8 KB · Views: 6
How much do you. Like it? .How.much time are you willing to spend????

Enjoy the journey of the whole deal. Little at a.time and see how she worx.....Why hurry...You have others correct..😉.
 
yeah, that's a tough one to decide if it's worth the trouble. no one knows but you how much time you have to spend/waste on it. I've wasted more time on way dumber things. I did that once on an axe and there wasn't any hard steel left in the bit by the time I got it straight. For me five years ago, I might have done it. For me now. nope. Somehow I'm 20 years older than I was 5 years ago.
 
I'd buy a cheap 1x30 grinder from harbor freight, go slow with a coarse belt and dip in water every pass to keep it cool. Yes, if you get reckless you can over heat it and lose the temper. If you go slow and keep it cool you'll be fine. I've done heavy removals many many times.
 
shinyedges said:
I'd buy a cheap 1x30 grinder from harbor freight, go slow with a coarse belt and dip in water every pass to keep it cool. Yes, if you get reckless you can over heat it and lose the temper. If you go slow and keep it cool you'll be fine. I've done heavy removals many many times.
Click to expand...
If taking that much off it might be worth using a cutoff wheel in an angle grinder or dremel and just making sure to use long, light passes with the cut made a few mm back from the line, a "stainless"-grade grinding disc to grind down to the line and to reshape the cheeks, then a series of flap discs to blend it all in and finish it up. But also, who knows if the bit will even still be hard that far back from the original edge. Hence my suggestion of having it re-steeled. I know Downing Arts has done resteeling work for folks in the past.
 
jfk1110 said:
How much do you. Like it? .How.much time are you willing to spend????

Enjoy the journey of the whole deal. Little at a.time and see how she worx.....Why hurry...You have others correct..😉.
Click to expand...
Good advice. Honestly, my biggest problem is that it hurts my feelings a little to file away all that venerable old steel. Dumb. It would be a lot worse to never use any of that steel again
 
DeadPineKnives said:
Not to sound rude, but why?
Click to expand...
Not rude at all -- but I'm not 100% sure "why what?" If it's why not use it with the big curve or if it is why bother fixing it at all. But the answers to both are similar. With the dramatically worn bit, I'll always feel like it isn't or won't do as good a job. Why fix it at all is probably a better question -- I already have more than I can ever use, but it's just what I do. I like making these old things into tools again.
 
FLINT77 said:
yeah, that's a tough one to decide if it's worth the trouble. no one knows but you how much time you have to spend/waste on it. I've wasted more time on way dumber things. I did that once on an axe and there wasn't any hard steel left in the bit by the time I got it straight. For me five years ago, I might have done it. For me now. nope. Somehow I'm 20 years older than I was 5 years ago.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the thought. I have too much time (bad news), but there is plenty of good steel left in the middle 2/3's of the bit (good news). I tried to show an angle that represented that, but I'm not much of a photographer.
 
shinyedges said:
I'd buy a cheap 1x30 grinder from harbor freight, go slow with a coarse belt and dip in water every pass to keep it cool. Yes, if you get reckless you can over heat it and lose the temper. If you go slow and keep it cool you'll be fine. I've done heavy removals many many times.
Click to expand...
100% on board -- and at least 60% of the removal will happen exactly as you describe...right down to the cheap grinder. I just don't like to say it too loud...an awful lot of Pearl Clutchers on that subject and I hate to jangle them up.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
If taking that much off it might be worth using a cutoff wheel in an angle grinder or dremel and just making sure to use long, light passes with the cut made a few mm back from the line, a "stainless"-grade grinding disc to grind down to the line and to reshape the cheeks, then a series of flap discs to blend it all in and finish it up. But also, who knows if the bit will even still be hard that far back from the original edge. Hence my suggestion of having it re-steeled. I know Downing Arts has done resteeling work for folks in the past.
Click to expand...
Embarrassed to say it never dawned on me that I'd be throwing off the rest of the geometry of the head when I take that much off. Solid gold reminder on the cheeks! Thanks a bunch.
 
If this is a project that you'll enjoy, then you should have at it. It's going to be rewarding once you're done ( in 2028 ;) )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top