The axe graveyard

[Square_peg]

Theoretically, you could slosh some borax in the crack and stand the head in a coal fire, bring it to white heat, and hammer-weld the crack shut.
The axe-head is big and not very delicate- I'm thinking of doing this with my "new" p-v.

Forge welding flux is dry crystalline anhydrous (no water) borax that doesn't 'slosh'. It does however melt when you sprinkle it on a piece of orange-hot steel. At white heat you will begin to burn off the carbon in your steel. Bright yellow heat that starts to get a liquid appearance on the surface is the right heat for forge welding carbon steel.

To repair a crack in an axe I would grind the crack open and stick weld it.

 

[screened porch]

Forge welding flux is dry crystalline anhydrous (no water) borax that doesn't 'slosh'. It does however melt when you sprinkle it on a piece of orange-hot steel. At white heat you will begin to burn off the carbon in your steel. Bright yellow heat that starts to get a liquid appearance on the surface is the right heat for forge welding carbon steel.

To repair a crack in an axe I would grind the crack open and stick weld it.

Thank you for the color correction, Square-peg. I wasn't even going to look that up. (Slosh was a bad word-choice on my part.)
Do you think it's a mistake to try to hammer-weld the P-V? With the flat wedge Maine shape, I think I should be able to hammer right up to the eye without much deformation to the eye. The exciting part will be trying to weld new steel to the bit.
If I fail, I'll have made a useless axehead out of a useless axehead, so I have nothing to lose but the fuel and the effort.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Modern welding techniques may not create as deep of a bond as forge welding, but TIG or stick welding provide an excellent bond in situations when the depth is shallow, as the heat affected zone is MUCH smaller. You dramatically lessen the degree to which the steel becomes compromised from reheating.

 

[Square_peg]

Do you think it's a mistake to try to hammer-weld the P-V? With the flat wedge Maine shape, I think I should be able to hammer right up to the eye without much deformation to the eye. The exciting part will be trying to weld new steel to the bit.
If I fail, I'll have made a useless axehead out of a useless axehead, so I have nothing to lose but the fuel and the effort.

I think the problem that you would run into is getting the two sides of the crack to stick back together. When you put steel in the fire you're naturally going to get oxidation on the surface. This is where the flux comes in. It coats the surfaces protecting them from oxidizing.

Then assuming you got some flux in there you still have to have a way for it to get back out. When a blacksmith makes a forge weld he/she first prepares the two surfaces by making 'scarfs'. These are slightly rounded convex surfaces which will meet in the middle first when the two pieces come into contact. Gentle hammering then closes the rest of the joint, squeezing out the flux as the two pieces join. If you tried to join two fractured ends of metal you'd invariably get flux trapped in pockets in the weld, severely compromising it.

42 is correct about the depth of a stick welded bond. But that can be overcome by preheating the material to be welded. A few very skilled blacksmiths are even able to repair hardened anvil faces with this method.

With a welded axe you would have the choice of just accepting that it is a compromised piece or else go thru the process of re-hardening and tempering it. If you have the ability to re-heat treat then that would be your best option.

Bottom line - if you've got an otherwise throw away axe then go play! Have some fun with it. Try anything. And please report back.

 

[eyeeatingfish]

I would think that even with deformed eyes (the place where the handle goes right?) one could somehow salvage it and create a usable handle setup. Am I wrong?

 

[screened porch]

Thanks, FortytwoBlades, Square_peg, and eyeatingfish-
'fish, you're right. If I just pinch the eye a bit I can whittle down the helve a bit. (If I manage to close the eye, it will complicate even wall-hanging.)
42, I could take the head somewhere and have it stick-welded. But I want to straighten out the poll and re-steel the bit, so the whole thing's going to be compromised by heat and hammering.
Square_peg, thanks for the details and I'm liking your last advice. I'll try it- at the worst I'll get some wholesome exercise. If I can straighten it out so it looks better on the wall, that's a triumph.
Thanks again for the info and advice. I'll get back to you with results and pictures.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

42, I could take the head somewhere and have it stick-welded. But I want to straighten out the poll and re-steel the bit, so the whole thing's going to be compromised by heat and hammering.

Almost sounds like it would be easier to start from scratch! But if you go that route have someone standing ready to help take lots of pics! I know your hands will probably be very full during the process! :thumbup:

 

[cooperhill]

I just bought a MARSH & SONS CO OAKLAND MAINE Double bit and need some help with getting a handle for it. It was never mounted and has an almost diamond shaped opening. Can any one point me in the right direction to get a handle or does anyone know someone who could make a custom handle? I do not want to mess this beauty up. Thank you.

I just picked a Marsh & Sons double bit this week.



I did this one (no maker mark) earlier this year. You need a cruiser axe handle (this one is 28#) and just rasp, whittle, etc. to make it fit the diamond.