Snow and Neally - First axe refurbish advice. (photos)

K

kjf5389

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Feb 10, 2014
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Hi everyone,

I've recently gained an interest in axes, and have been keeping an eye out for a prospective first refurbish. I have family roots in Maine and have read a little about Snow and Neally, so I was excited to find this axe in it's home state while visiting my sister. It's clearly not in excellent shape, but doesn't look too bad.

I have read a fair about about cleaning up and sharpening the head and I think (hope) I can manage that, but any and all advice is welcome. My main problem is that the head is fairly loose on the helve. The obvious solution is to rehang it. However, it is original and doesn't look like it's in horrible shape. I value the historical aspect of keeping it original and think it's a nice looking helve, but I know there can be unseen damage and could be difficult to tighten up. So, my questions are: 1.) should I replace the helve? and 2.) if no, how should i go about tightening the handle? As you can see it has a metal wedge.

Also, if anyone can provide any idea as to age, history, etc. that would be great. It's stamped with the company name on both the head and the helve, stamped "ATLAS" on the helve and "3 1/2" on the head. Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide me, and I'll be happy to post photos of the final product.

Best,

Kevin

















 
First, I would get rid of that awful nail! :barf::D Do you think that you could work that wedge out? They often have a lip. If so, then you can inspect the handle better. If it's in good shape, I would make my own wooden wedge and then once refitted, soak the head assembly in some boiled linseed oil.
 
It's actually in pretty good shape. No pitting and no excessive wear. A wire cup brush on an angle grinder will have it looking spiffy in no time.

And you're right about that being a helve worth saving. What you need to do is whittle away some material below the head so that the head can slip about 1/4" down the helve. Then cut off the protruding helve above the eye with a hacksaw - leaving the wedge proud. Then grasp the wedge in a vise or even with a pair of vise grips and pull it out. The handle can then be removed. Give it a light sanding followed by 3 or more coats of boiled linseed oil, letting it dry overnight between coats. Then re-hang it. You'll likely need to cut the kerf a little deeper to accept the new wood wedge.

Good luck and please don't forget to share some photos of the re-hang.
 
Getting the handle good and dry might help with the removal as well. I parked my last one behind my wood stove for two days and this bought me a significant amount of wiggle.
 
That wedge looks like it should pop out with a couple old flathead screwdrivers no sweat. That's what I always try first.
 
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