Weekend Trip - Plumb DB

zatch

zatch

Joined
Sep 6, 2008
Messages
460
Finally got a chance to get away from the crazy holiday rush and went up north to the GF's cabin. The mini-trip gave me some good free time to go and try out a few axes I just got/cleaned up. I also got a chance to clean up a Plumb DB I received from eBay (FINALLY. I haven't been able to win on there yet). It's got a small chip in one of edges, but no biggie. No major work done, just a good cleaning - Sanding, followed by a vinegar soak, and then a new handle. The handle is not the greatest, but the grain orientation is good.


Here's some pictures...

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Dirty and rusty...I like!

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Bath time

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All cleaned up!

Wyoming-20111227-00140.jpg


More pics coming...
 
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I really, really like the plumb. It worked far better than I thought. I didn't have any sharpening materials with me (just bastard files); the edge was filed and used as is. It went through the downed tree in NO time. I don't know how much a super sharp edge would have changed my results. However, I was still impressed.

I did learn a few things though. My hafting skills need some work (as you can see in the pictures). I didn't have a whole lot of tools to work with up at the cabin. The head is definitely secure (time will tell :D), but it's no where near as pretty or as easy as I thought. Much harder than the Collins in the picture. I need to take my time and only remove small amounts of material each time I test fit it...plus, I need to make sure I get linseed oil right up to the head.

I also found out that I suck at both gathering tinder and trying to start a fire in the winter :eek:. I have no trouble using a firesteel in the spring/summer/fall months - winter was a different story...definitely need to practice finding and gathering the right tinder and materials.

As a side note, do any of you use paracord on your handles? I put a wrap on a Wetterlings hunter to try it out. It felt nice when I first put it on, but haven't used it since. After using it, I found I didn't like it at all. The balance feels a bit weird and the handle is now awkwardly big. I have large hands (part of the reason I put it on in the first place), but it's still big.

Thanks for looking! :thumbup:
 
Thanks for the pics. Very nice. That Plumb cleaned up very nicely. The stamp is very nice and clear. A nice find.

As far as the paracord, I've never tried it because I prefer a fairly thin handle. I have long hands as well, but I still thin out all the handles I buy because they all seem to come much too thick for my liking. My hands tire much more quickly with a fat handle.

Edit to add: Sorry for using the word "nice" so many times. My brain is too tired to come up with anything better! :D
 
M3mphis said:
Thanks for the pics. Very nice. That Plumb cleaned up very nicely. The stamp is very nice and clear. A nice find.

As far as the paracord, I've never tried it because I prefer a fairly thin handle. I have long hands as well, but I still thin out all the handles I buy because they all seem to come much too thick for my liking. My hands tire much more quickly with a fat handle.

Edit to add: Sorry for using the word "nice" so many times. My brain is too tired to come up with anything better! :D
Click to expand...

I feel like I said "nice!" with every giant chip that flew out of the downed tree :D

I tried to thin out the Plumb handle with 60 grit sand paper (by hand) but I didn't get any farther than just a resurface. I'll have to look into something else If I want to thin it out more (which, I do, at least a little).

Thanks :thumbup:
 
Nice restoration Zatch. I'm still working on my hafting skills as well. Some handles and heads seem made for each other and go together quickly and easily while others seem to take forever and still not line up well. I've got a couple of high end axes that don't have perfect alignment so even those guys have trouble from time to time. I've paracord wrapped one of my Fiskars splitters and a Fiskars chopping axe. It seems to dampen vibrations a bit but my hands get sore holding onto a fatter handle. I'll skip the paracord in the future.
 
trailmaker said:
Nice restoration Zatch. I'm still working on my hafting skills as well. Some handles and heads seem made for each other and go together quickly and easily while others seem to take forever and still not line up well. I've got a couple of high end axes that don't have perfect alignment so even those guys have trouble from time to time. I've paracord wrapped one of my Fiskars splitters and a Fiskars chopping axe. It seems to dampen vibrations a bit but my hands get sore holding onto a fatter handle. I'll skip the paracord in the future.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. The Plumb ended up pretty close to what I would call "perfect". I had problems getting the sides of the eye level on the handle; when you look at the bit from the bottom of the handle, the bits are just a hair "curved". I worked at it for a while and got it very close, but it still needs work. However, until I need a new handle (or if I get REALLY bored) this one will stay as is. I plan on much more practice in the near future :D

I'm still very green when it comes to most of this, but I'm addicted...
 
I thin my handles with a spoke shave. Works like a charm. I have made several double bit handles into octagon-ish shape while thinning. I really like it because it makes it very easy to "feel" the direction your bit is going to strike throughout the swing. Hopefully that makes sense. You can also work down a handle simply by scraping shavings off with a knife. It's a lot faster than sanding.
 
M3mphis said:
I thin my handles with a spoke shave. Works like a charm. I have made several double bit handles into octagon-ish shape while thinning. I really like it because it makes it very easy to "feel" the direction your bit is going to strike throughout the swing. Hopefully that makes sense. You can also work down a handle simply by scraping shavings off with a knife. It's a lot faster than sanding.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what a spokeshave is, I'll have to check that out - it was mentioned in the article that Steve Tall posted above. I was able to use a nice set of chisels which made the wood removal (when I fitted the head) almost too easy. I need to improve my chisel skills. While my GF's dad doesn't know a whole lot about axes, he is a VERY skilled builder/woodworker, and was able to help me out a bit in certain aspects.

Edit...just watched a video on a spokeshave. Looks like it would work really well, I'm def. going to look into getting one. Thanks!!
 
That looks fantastic! How did you clean the head so well? I can see you gave it a vinegar bath. What did you use afterward to get the metal bright and glowing like that?
 
moogoogaidan said:
That looks fantastic! How did you clean the head so well? I can see you gave it a vinegar bath. What did you use afterward to get the metal bright and glowing like that?
Click to expand...

It was all hand sanding and filing, starting with really low grit sandpaper. The nice thing was that there wasn't too much pitting, just lot's of surface rust. My guess is that it was stored dry but unused for a while. I hand sanded to about 500 grit (3M stuff) - it took a long time (I had the time to burn).

I believe the "bright and glowing" is from the camera flash; it is more of a dull grey from the vinegar. It also hides some of the imperfections and very light pitting that is near the edges.
 
nice lookin' Plumb feller.
man the vinegar soak really makes the old look new.
i have never tried the technique of soaking an axe in vinegar, i guess i'll have to give it a go.

all good

i have a Plumb 3.2 [3 1/2] somewhere in the shop

buzz
 
zatch said:
I have no idea what a spokeshave is, I'll have to check that out - it was mentioned in the article that Steve Tall posted above. I was able to use a nice set of chisels which made the wood removal (when I fitted the head) almost too easy. I need to improve my chisel skills. While my GF's dad doesn't know a whole lot about axes, he is a VERY skilled builder/woodworker, and was able to help me out a bit in certain aspects.

Edit...just watched a video on a spokeshave. Looks like it would work really well, I'm def. going to look into getting one.


Thanks!!
Click to expand...

a broken piece of glass, window pane glass does a good job of scraping down a handle:thumbup:. i use this technique on spoons and other wood projects where a rasp might not work so well or the shape of the wood is difficult .

buzz
 
markv said:
a broken piece of glass, window pane glass does a good job of scraping down a handle:thumbup:. i use this technique on spoons and other wood projects where a rasp might not work so well or the shape of the wood is difficult .

buzz
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, never heard of that! Thanks for the comments as well.
 
markv said:
nice lookin' Plumb feller.
man the vinegar soak really makes the old look new.
i have never tried the technique of soaking an axe in vinegar, i guess i'll have to give it a go.

all good

i have a Plumb 3.2 [3 1/2] somewhere in the shop

buzz
Click to expand...

Just be careful - dont leave it in too long - I like vinegar for removing rust, I am not sure if I am sold on the finished product. Though I have never tried the secondary bath as some have suggested, sounds interesting though.
 
Operator1975 said:
Just be careful - dont leave it in too long - I like vinegar for removing rust, I am not sure if I am sold on the finished product. Though I have never tried the secondary bath as some have suggested, sounds interesting though.
Click to expand...

Yep. I think I did right around 3 to 4 hours, and that was all that was needed. I haven't done two baths before...
 
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