Restoring an old family axe

Thanks for the info. I've heard that soaking the handle will make it swell. I dont want to have it shrink down on me later and become loose. Hmm.
 
pdangerp said:
Thanks for the info. I've heard that soaking the handle will make it swell. I dont want to have it shrink down on me later and become loose. Hmm.
Click to expand...

That was probably in reference to soaking handles with water.. a few books I've read, most notably John 'Lofty' Wiseman's SAS Survival Handbook make mention of this as a temporary measure for loosening heads. But that's in a survival situation. And with water. BLO will soak in, might make the handle swell ever so slightly for a tighter fit, but won't evaporate (or evaporate so minimally that it won't matter so shrinkage shouldn't be an issue).

Personally when it comes to treating the handle, this is what I'll do:
Rasp the handle to shape (I do some shaping before I put the head on, but I save most of it for after so I can test and feel as I go), sand with 60grit to get the rasp marks out, then finish with 120 into 220 grit. At that point I'll check to make sure all the lacquer is off (if there was any) then just slather the thing with the linseed oil. Don't bother with a rag - just a latex glove and pour it on. I'll let this soak in for a good 15-30 minutes before wiping the excess off with a rag. Let dry for a day or two then hit it with pad of 00 steel wool to get it down back down to wood. I personally have found that if I don't hit it with steel wool when all it said and done, there will be just the thinnest coat of BLO on the surface of the wood which can either be sticky or lacquer-y. Either way, it's annoying and I much prefer the feel of (more or less) bare wood. In my opinion, the point of using oil is to hydrate the wood - not to give a finish...

Lastly, when you do go to hang the handle, consider taking a tip from "An Axe to Grind" and use ONLY the wooden wedge, really smacking it in there. With the couple of axes I've hung, I've left the metal wedge out. The axes have been used fairly extensively and I haven't noticed any loosening yet. And should they ever get a wee bit loose - I still have the metal wedges to tighten them up! Completely agree with the old guy that metal wedges aren't really needed for newly and properly hung axes..
 
Last edited:
And, because I haven't seen it mentioned yet... remember that linseed oil-soaked rags can self-ignite. Rinse the linseed oil out in your sink prior to throwing the rags away.
 
Or...
Just throw them into a bucket of water!
I use to work with crazy chemicals in a paint shop. We would just throw them all into a bucket of water and let it evaporate or freeze... Which ever came first ;)
 
I've honestly never had any issues with BLO on rags and never noticed any significant heating up. I know it's widely spread knowledge (and even a warning on the product), but I feel it might be one of those situations where the right circumstances (low humidity, high temp, sun exposure and excessive drying agents in the mixture) caused spontaneous combustion a couple occasions and the warning label was tossed on. I don't believe linseed on it's own is has the issue, so I'm sure it's the drying agents used in the boiled variety...

Personally, I throw my rags with BLO into an empty paint-can just to be safe
 
killa_concept said:
I've honestly never had any issues with BLO on rags and never noticed any significant heating up. I know it's widely spread knowledge (and even a warning on the product), but I feel it might be one of those situations where the right circumstances (low humidity, high temp, sun exposure and excessive drying agents in the mixture) caused spontaneous combustion a couple occasions and the warning label was tossed on. I don't believe linseed on it's own is has the issue, so I'm sure it's the drying agents used in the boiled variety...

Personally, I throw my rags with BLO into an empty paint-can just to be safe
Click to expand...
I personally know 2 people this... meaning spontaneous computation, but neither involved BLO... has happened to.
In one case stain rags were left in the back of a pickup while driving down the road in the heat of the summer.
In another case the rags combusted in the heat of the sun sitting outside the shop.
BLO can and has combusted, but it's usually the result of high heat (ie...left in direct sun or a combination of heat and wind).
There was a paint shop in town that burnt to the ground a few years ago due to stain rags combusting inside a locked up shop in the heat of summer.

It can and does happen. I'm only really concerned about it if I'm using BLO in the summer months. My 'shop' is really just in my woodshed. I built a work bench in there along with a couple of shelves and a peg board.
So its exposed to the elements... In the summer that means heat AND wind. At the right time of day, it also involves direct sun.
 
Last edited:
The 32 on the axe indicates that it is a 3 1/2 pound head the 2 being 2 quarters of a pound and that appears to be a swanping or limbing axe
and as far as I am concerned you cant beat a kelly for overall good quality in every way and yours looks to be 99 % intact which is nice too.
I have used House Handles a lot and visited with them a couple of times in person and they are real good folks to deal with.
They put a finish on all the handles and when you order one with out they sand it off so it does take a while sometimes, you can also specify aa grade and they will hand pick em for you for a small upcharge, still cheaper than most other places.

Ypu have a great axe there that can be used and passed on to another generation.
It was made sometime after 1949 as it says true temper on it and thats when they took over Kelly.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong!


Larry
 
I finally got a chance to finish hanging this axe. It was my first one so I know it's not the prettiest. I also rubbed a few coats of mineral oil on the handle to keep it nice. I'm happy with the axe and this one will be a user.
ABB7E0CA-4F33-4BCF-92F5-47BD29B3DF49-8217-000007D730CF3C34_zps5e4bf95c.jpg

9A005B4E-114A-4141-97D9-7BBD23A09C7D-8217-000007D73895D189_zpsd8d1ec41.jpg

C77B29C9-01AD-4D94-89BB-312B50CE324E-8217-000007D74048D0A4_zps69301122.jpg
 
Hello,

The acidic treatment you have given it can potentially promote rusting so once you have finished with that stage you can better soak it in a soda water solution to neutralize the acidic salts lodged in the scratches and pitting, rinse it thoroughly more than a couple of times and then dry it in the oven. Use a non-acidic oil like camilla or clove oil or micro-crystalline wax to coat if you want.

E.DB.
 
Ernest DuBois said:
Hello,

The acidic treatment you have given it can potentially promote rusting so once you have finished with that stage you can better soak it in a soda water solution to neutralize the acidic salts lodged in the scratches and pitting, rinse it thoroughly more than a couple of times and then dry it in the oven. Use a non-acidic oil like camilla or clove oil or micro-crystalline wax to coat if you want.

E.DB.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I hadn't read that anywhere.
 
Alex Weygers in his book 'The Complete Modern Blacksmith' writes of sharpening files with a vinegar bath. But he cautions that after the vinegar soak the files should be soaked in running water for an hour to get all the acid out of the surface of the metal.
 
Very cool project. There are many considerations here that I was unaware of, but it sounds like something I might like to do.

Please show some action pics of the axe in use!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top