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- Sep 24, 2010
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So I wanted to share some pics, tools, etc on the subject of refurbishing. I have been getting some PMs, emails, etc, which are all welcome and I am grateful for the chance to try and help out. So I thought I would post on here the basics of how I do it. What I do isn't for everyone, isn't perfect by any means, but hopefully will give some of the guys on here asking and whomever else a good start on how to go about it. They can then tweak as they like. I always find myself changing and improving the process.
So first, lets go over what you will need - pretty much everything I use is in this pic, save a couple items -
I use an angle grinder with wire cupped wheel to do the majority of the work for me. You don't have to use one of these, but I know I have turned quite a few guys onto its use. It does the job well, quickly, and no chemicals are needed(if you don't count WD40 I guess). There are obviously different variations, types, styles, etc not only of the grinder, but also of the wire wheels. You will ultimately have to figure out what is best for you. I use the smaller compact tight wheel, I believe 3 inches. You can get that wheel in 5 inches, but for me that is just too big. Also, on the wires itself, I used the circle wires, not the straight wire wheels. These wheels work better and quicker for me, again just an observation.
Also in the pic you will see the axe heads, but then also some of the other tools you will need. The most important are your eye protection, and then a mouth/nose air filter as well. This keeps your face protected not only from the small wires that will disengage and fly away from the wheel as it is spinning, but also keeps you from breathing in whatever you are taking off of the axe head. I also have a fan blowing all the air out of the building as I work, to cut down on particle matter floating around in that little shop.
Bottom line try to have to breath in as little of that particle matter as possible - it can't be good for you. And to close on this, do not use this setup without eye protection - ever.
Also you will see my apron - this helps to protect you from the wires as well. While not an absolute need, I always use one for some added protection from the wires and the grime that will come off the axe.
Lastly you will see WD40, this is to spray down the axe head immediately after you are done with cleaning it with the wire wheel. The "beverage" of course is optional, but something I enjoy. If it is going to be nearby while you are doing this - keep it covered(lesson learned the hard way)
Ok, so if you are going to use the angle grinder and wire wheel, make sure you keep that wire wheel in good shape. The one I had on at the time was pretty rough, so I thought I would share how you change it - it is extremely simple.
As you can see that one has lost a lot of wires, and needs changed out pretty bad.
I use a large size of Channelocks to do the job - here you can see them compared to a normal pair, and then in the next pic their name -
And then the new head in place - There is a locking mechanism you hold into place and then loosen and tighten the head on and off. Pretty simple. Make sure it is as tight as it will go - horse it on there if needed.
Ok so we have the new wire wheel on, apron, eye protection, face mask for air protection, and axes. Couple other side notes - you can also use ear protection if you like. I do not most of the time, unless I am going to do multiple axes in a row. You can also wear gloves. I do not, simply because I like to have the feel of the grinder. I also feel I have a more secure grip with the grinder, and we will talk about why this is important in a second. Those options will be up to you, and you will have to experiment accordingly.
Ok so time to get to work - here is our first beauty, an old Council 3 1/2 pounder(with a twin). As you can see it is rusty, dirty, grimy, etc. I felt a good candidate.
So first, you have to get that axe in your vise TIGHT. If it is loose, the spinning power of the grinder can throw the axe out, especially if you catch an edge, bit, etc. Make sure the axe head is in their tight. Some guys will be concerned about teeth marks left in the axe head from the vise, and I am one of those guys. You can use just about anything to put over the vise, I use old paper bags or pieces of carpet to protect the heads. They make plastic pieces to screw on as well, I just have not gotten around to purchasing one, plus I have a ton of bags and carpet to use. The bags aren't perfect by any means, but they do the trick.
So, after a quick session -
You can see the immediate difference - while this head is no where near complete, you can see that the grinder does a good job overall. I don't really use a certain technique, I guess I do a round pattern when doing the axe, but this will be up to the user, and you will do whatever is comfortable for you. So lets keep going -
As you can see it works well overall. This head is in what I would call medium shape - its pitted and old, but could still make a nice collector piece or user - especially a splitter its shaped like a working beast.
So what I like to do is that as soon as I am done with the grinder I take the axe head and hit it with WD40 - this removes any grime or left over matter and then also gives the head a nice dark patina appearance. I really enjoy it. It works well especially if the axe head is hot, almost to the point where you can't handle it. No worries, that isn't hot enough from the grinder for any metal issues. The heat and the oil make for a nice dark shiny head -
So that was the Council head. Not a great piece to have wall hanger or anything, but I thought a good example of the before and after. I thought that head came out well. Then, if you want, you can take it further with sanding, polishing, etc. I do not do that myself, but I know a lot of guys that do, and that is fine. This angle grinder process can just help you get to those steps faster.
Here are some other examples, and a couple of them you can see the difference in the appearance of the axe head with the pressure you apply to the grinder to the head. This can be seen in the Collins -
In this next pic, hopefully you can see the difference in the appearance of the axe. This is all due to the amount of pressure you exert. The higher up more pressure and hence darker, while lower less pressure and lighter overall. You will have to tinker with this, as some will want different levels of axe left when you are done. I usually take it all the way, then when I hit it with the WD40 I get the nice dark color.
Next is a Flint Edge that was painted red -
And finally an old Dunlap hatchet -
So hopefully you can see the method to the madness. I have been using the grinder for a long time. It seems to work well for me. Couple last words of advice - hold on the grinder - that baby is rolling at some serious RPMs, and if you aren't paying attention - it can be dangerous. If you catch the wire wheel on an edge, or sometimes the bit, it will kick back on you, and if you aren't holding on - who knows where it is going. Also, as I stated, make sure that axe head is securely in the vise - 3 or 4 years ago I had an axe head, as I caught the grinder on it, fly out of the vise ACROSS the garage and put a hole in a metal gas can - good times. Also, only use this method with good ventilation - I would not use it in a basement, especially in winter, where the air will be circulated throughout the house. Learned that he hard way with the ex wife. Too bad she didn't have a mask on
So its a technique to clean up axe heads. Its not perfect, and you will all find your own way. But this is pretty basic, and how I do it. Hope this helps, and if anyone has questions or comments lets see em, or PM me if you like as well, I will help with whatever.
We will tackle axe/hatchet handles next.
Thanks!!
Mike
So first, lets go over what you will need - pretty much everything I use is in this pic, save a couple items -
I use an angle grinder with wire cupped wheel to do the majority of the work for me. You don't have to use one of these, but I know I have turned quite a few guys onto its use. It does the job well, quickly, and no chemicals are needed(if you don't count WD40 I guess). There are obviously different variations, types, styles, etc not only of the grinder, but also of the wire wheels. You will ultimately have to figure out what is best for you. I use the smaller compact tight wheel, I believe 3 inches. You can get that wheel in 5 inches, but for me that is just too big. Also, on the wires itself, I used the circle wires, not the straight wire wheels. These wheels work better and quicker for me, again just an observation.
Also in the pic you will see the axe heads, but then also some of the other tools you will need. The most important are your eye protection, and then a mouth/nose air filter as well. This keeps your face protected not only from the small wires that will disengage and fly away from the wheel as it is spinning, but also keeps you from breathing in whatever you are taking off of the axe head. I also have a fan blowing all the air out of the building as I work, to cut down on particle matter floating around in that little shop.
Bottom line try to have to breath in as little of that particle matter as possible - it can't be good for you. And to close on this, do not use this setup without eye protection - ever.
Also you will see my apron - this helps to protect you from the wires as well. While not an absolute need, I always use one for some added protection from the wires and the grime that will come off the axe.
Lastly you will see WD40, this is to spray down the axe head immediately after you are done with cleaning it with the wire wheel. The "beverage" of course is optional, but something I enjoy. If it is going to be nearby while you are doing this - keep it covered(lesson learned the hard way)
Ok, so if you are going to use the angle grinder and wire wheel, make sure you keep that wire wheel in good shape. The one I had on at the time was pretty rough, so I thought I would share how you change it - it is extremely simple.
As you can see that one has lost a lot of wires, and needs changed out pretty bad.
I use a large size of Channelocks to do the job - here you can see them compared to a normal pair, and then in the next pic their name -
And then the new head in place - There is a locking mechanism you hold into place and then loosen and tighten the head on and off. Pretty simple. Make sure it is as tight as it will go - horse it on there if needed.
Ok so we have the new wire wheel on, apron, eye protection, face mask for air protection, and axes. Couple other side notes - you can also use ear protection if you like. I do not most of the time, unless I am going to do multiple axes in a row. You can also wear gloves. I do not, simply because I like to have the feel of the grinder. I also feel I have a more secure grip with the grinder, and we will talk about why this is important in a second. Those options will be up to you, and you will have to experiment accordingly.
Ok so time to get to work - here is our first beauty, an old Council 3 1/2 pounder(with a twin). As you can see it is rusty, dirty, grimy, etc. I felt a good candidate.
So first, you have to get that axe in your vise TIGHT. If it is loose, the spinning power of the grinder can throw the axe out, especially if you catch an edge, bit, etc. Make sure the axe head is in their tight. Some guys will be concerned about teeth marks left in the axe head from the vise, and I am one of those guys. You can use just about anything to put over the vise, I use old paper bags or pieces of carpet to protect the heads. They make plastic pieces to screw on as well, I just have not gotten around to purchasing one, plus I have a ton of bags and carpet to use. The bags aren't perfect by any means, but they do the trick.
So, after a quick session -
You can see the immediate difference - while this head is no where near complete, you can see that the grinder does a good job overall. I don't really use a certain technique, I guess I do a round pattern when doing the axe, but this will be up to the user, and you will do whatever is comfortable for you. So lets keep going -
As you can see it works well overall. This head is in what I would call medium shape - its pitted and old, but could still make a nice collector piece or user - especially a splitter its shaped like a working beast.
So what I like to do is that as soon as I am done with the grinder I take the axe head and hit it with WD40 - this removes any grime or left over matter and then also gives the head a nice dark patina appearance. I really enjoy it. It works well especially if the axe head is hot, almost to the point where you can't handle it. No worries, that isn't hot enough from the grinder for any metal issues. The heat and the oil make for a nice dark shiny head -
So that was the Council head. Not a great piece to have wall hanger or anything, but I thought a good example of the before and after. I thought that head came out well. Then, if you want, you can take it further with sanding, polishing, etc. I do not do that myself, but I know a lot of guys that do, and that is fine. This angle grinder process can just help you get to those steps faster.
Here are some other examples, and a couple of them you can see the difference in the appearance of the axe head with the pressure you apply to the grinder to the head. This can be seen in the Collins -
In this next pic, hopefully you can see the difference in the appearance of the axe. This is all due to the amount of pressure you exert. The higher up more pressure and hence darker, while lower less pressure and lighter overall. You will have to tinker with this, as some will want different levels of axe left when you are done. I usually take it all the way, then when I hit it with the WD40 I get the nice dark color.
Next is a Flint Edge that was painted red -
And finally an old Dunlap hatchet -
So hopefully you can see the method to the madness. I have been using the grinder for a long time. It seems to work well for me. Couple last words of advice - hold on the grinder - that baby is rolling at some serious RPMs, and if you aren't paying attention - it can be dangerous. If you catch the wire wheel on an edge, or sometimes the bit, it will kick back on you, and if you aren't holding on - who knows where it is going. Also, as I stated, make sure that axe head is securely in the vise - 3 or 4 years ago I had an axe head, as I caught the grinder on it, fly out of the vise ACROSS the garage and put a hole in a metal gas can - good times. Also, only use this method with good ventilation - I would not use it in a basement, especially in winter, where the air will be circulated throughout the house. Learned that he hard way with the ex wife. Too bad she didn't have a mask on
So its a technique to clean up axe heads. Its not perfect, and you will all find your own way. But this is pretty basic, and how I do it. Hope this helps, and if anyone has questions or comments lets see em, or PM me if you like as well, I will help with whatever.
We will tackle axe/hatchet handles next.
Thanks!!
Mike
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