T.Saslow
Periodic Thinker
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2013
- Messages
- 479
My Grandpa has been trying to get rid of stuff lately and he gave me an old scout axe head. Naturally, i headed to the local Exotic wood store and picked up a huge piece of PERFECT 2 inch thick ash and got to work! I used all hand tools on this particular project including cutting a hunk off the main piece with a handsaw. All in all, it probably took around 12 hours for the handle alone and another 3 for the leather sheath. The wedge is a piece of walnut i chiseled down to a wedge shape. I finished the handle with several coats of linseed oil which i spent around five minutes rubbing in per coat.
The leather sheath came from a piece of shoulder hide from Tandy leather. For around 6.5 square feet of 6-7 oz leather, it was about 30 dollars. It was discount leather because it had some stretch and fat marks. After cutting out the pattern which i pre-designed using card stock, i soaked it in hot water for about 5 minutes and formed it around the axe head. I set it in my Kydex press for about an hour, wrapped with some cotton towels. Once it was done forming, i put it in the CLOTHES DRYER! I was pretty leery of it at first and checked in on it pretty much every minute but i eventually let it run in between commercial breaks of duck dynasty until i was satisfied with the moisture levels. I then punched the rivet holes and pressed through the leather with a extra pointy awl to make the stitch holes. I also made the strap that holds the sheath on and fixed the button snap on it-epoxying it after setting it for added durability. i stitched the strap to the sheath, sewed it up, put the rivets on, and put a nice finish on it. I actually used wood stain to finish it which did a wonderful job on it! Lastly, i put a water proofing rub on it and let it dry over night.
Here is the finished product! I hope you enjoy it!
The leather sheath came from a piece of shoulder hide from Tandy leather. For around 6.5 square feet of 6-7 oz leather, it was about 30 dollars. It was discount leather because it had some stretch and fat marks. After cutting out the pattern which i pre-designed using card stock, i soaked it in hot water for about 5 minutes and formed it around the axe head. I set it in my Kydex press for about an hour, wrapped with some cotton towels. Once it was done forming, i put it in the CLOTHES DRYER! I was pretty leery of it at first and checked in on it pretty much every minute but i eventually let it run in between commercial breaks of duck dynasty until i was satisfied with the moisture levels. I then punched the rivet holes and pressed through the leather with a extra pointy awl to make the stitch holes. I also made the strap that holds the sheath on and fixed the button snap on it-epoxying it after setting it for added durability. i stitched the strap to the sheath, sewed it up, put the rivets on, and put a nice finish on it. I actually used wood stain to finish it which did a wonderful job on it! Lastly, i put a water proofing rub on it and let it dry over night.
Here is the finished product! I hope you enjoy it!
