Off Topic Rusting a cheap harbor freight hatchet to age it ( update )

Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

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I just finished reshaping my harbor freight hatchet head into a Hudson bay ( probably weighs about a pound now ) and now it's time to make it look old, because that's the best look.

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I've settled on leaving it on the wet ground occasionally flipping it as well as misting it with water.

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Oh, at the nice old heads I've came across here in KY that were pitted to hell because of the ammonium nitrate used to grow Burley'Baccer. Don't take long either.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I'm in California and it's mostly covered in potting soil and a bit of normal dirt dug up from the yard, so it may take a while but I'm hoping I can get good results an a month or two. I don't have a handle for it right now anyways so I guess I can wait as long as I have to.
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A little rock salt, or fertilizer would really speed the process along.
 
What if I told you that forcing the distressed look on your tools is a hipster thing to do :p?

I should've seen this coming...that thread yesterday about old handles was a trap...:)

(Still couldn't help myself...;) )
 
I used to rust new traps by first boiling them and then leaving them out side in a wet burlap sack. Three or four days would usually do it.
 
I can only share what I've tried, new steel and old steel react differently as well as from head to head and even given the texture of the surface.

But here are a couple of more low tech approaches/tips you could try:
First:
1. mix up a cap of white vinegar with dijon mustard - it's what I had but there are seeds that stick so maybe something like French's. Mix it to not quite a "paste"
2. cut up some dabbing sized sponges. (you won't want to save these after a couple of runs)
3. apply with dabs evenly and very thinly across the metal
4. Let that side dry completely
5. repeat other side or poll or whatever
6. wipe it clean and repeat

Second:
1. run a looped wire through the eye so you can hang it bit down.
2. coat the edge with a couple of coats of nail polish
3. put white vinegar in a spray bottle
4. mist each side evenly
5. hang outside

I think after the vinegar dries it kind of halts the darker look so you can reapply and let it dry as much as you want. Some of it will wipe off but that is when you go at it again. You can also conservatively combine all of the other ideas too.

Why not have some fun? And besides, if you don't? you are going to wonder what happens if you did, right? Hickorynsteel - you're not a hipster.

Yuck, I can taste it now lol. :thumbsup:
 
Btw mustard and vinegar are a no go because my nose is allergic to them, I'm not joking they both make me vomit nine times out of ten with only a couple of whiffs.

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Hickory n steel said:
I had an idea to test out.
The neighbors always over water their backyard so there's an area next to the fence that stays wet and muddy during the summer, I laid it down on the muddy ground and caked the other side completely with the salt I scooped from the tub. I did this so I can compare what the salt does to what the wet ground does.
if I find something that gives me a good result I try and stick with it.
Btw mustard and vinegar are a no go because my nose is allergic to them, I'm not joking they both make me vomit nine times out of ten with only a couple of whiffs.
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I hear you there. I actually taste "tin foil" right now thinking about it when it should be Hefeweizen lol.

Oh, the sacrifices we make for science...
 
The hydrogen peroxide IS an oxidizer so whatever process you choose it (peroxide) will hasten the process.
You can also buy it in gallons at higher than average (pharmacy/dollar store) concentrations.
 
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