What did you rehang today?

[Agent_H]

An awesome all original Collins Connie, 3.5lb on a 28" handle. All I really did was clean/oil/sharpen. The hewing Hatchet is nice, I'm not done sharpening it. The hammer is a 3lb spalling hammer.

I missed that spruced up Homestead Connecticut. That is a shapely axe for sure. What do you suppose the story is under the tape on the swell? Repairable?

 

[Able_walker]

very nice. I would personally rasp off the little hump on the back of the handle just below the head.
Nice axe and nice handle though. good job. Post it up when you have some oil on it. also a closer up pic of the detail on the head would be sweet

looks like the old school guys did just that....

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View link for image expansion here...

http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/archives/digitized/McMcHTML/06Lumbering09.htm

 

[Square_peg]

Twindog, I think that looks terrific. The double wedge seems really appropriate and looks like it won't come off of there easily.

Poll or not, that is a fine looking axe :thumbup:

Agreed. It's a sharp looking axe and well hung. I'd love to have it in my collection.

 

[Square_peg]

looks like the old school guys did just that....

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View link for image expansion here...

http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/archives/digitized/McMcHTML/06Lumbering09.htm

Note the abrupt swells, too. Something I've been preaching for years. COTS does it very well now.

 

[Jlemay18]

very nice. I would personally rasp off the little hump on the back of the handle just below the head.
Nice axe and nice handle though. good job. Post it up when you have some oil on it. also a closer up pic of the detail on the head would be sweet

I think it may appear more prominent than it really is due to the god awful lighting in my basement, I tried something different with the shoulder but it didn't come out how I liked so I ended up rounding it like that. I guess it may form a little hump, idk where I'm going with this haha just that I think the lighting/shadow makes it appear larger/more prominent than it really is. Got the sanding and a couple coats of BLO done last night so I'll post a mostly finished product later on

 

[Jlemay18]

Nice work...don't see those heads in second hand shops for cheap anymore...word is out on their collectability.

Unfortunately not, seems to be everyone's white whale but a man can dream..although someone on the axe group I'm in on Facebook recently claimed they picked up a double bit for $4 at a garage sale. Seemed genuine enough and it was in basically mint shape minus a bit of surface rust.

 

[phantomknives]

jeez, you guys are chasin black ravens and old collins and i cant even find a flint edge for cheap, hey canadian, got any info on the giant connie in the picture you showed awhile ago? i got one that was so loved its missing about 3/8ths off the top of the poll, but the 4 pound weight really helps cutting. i got this friend, hes got a youtube channel, i think you guys'd love'm, goes by buckin billy ray

 

[Jlemay18]

Not a whole lot different than my last picture but finished sanding and applied a few coats of BLO, also a closer picture of the head.

 

[Jlemay18]

jeez, you guys are chasin black ravens and old collins and i cant even find a flint edge for cheap, hey canadian, got any info on the giant connie in the picture you showed awhile ago? i got one that was so loved its missing about 3/8ths off the top of the poll, but the 4 pound weight really helps cutting. i got this friend, hes got a youtube channel, i think you guys'd love'm, goes by buckin billy ray

Don't be discouraged man, the vast majority of my purchases are online. Unfortunately I don't have much more than a flea market locally and an antique mall near my families cabin. The flea market is hit or miss, usually miss lol and the antique mall is usually overpriced. I wish I could say I found the black Raven in person but I bought it online, paid more than I like to for an axe but it was cheaper than usual so if I ever decide to sell it I'll make some money.

 

[nzedge]

^same. not much chance of running into a piece of old american axe history down here in NZ!!
you couldent even buy a basic beat up kelly if you tried. they just are not here.

for me, the internet is the only way to play

very good job with the hang Jlemay, cant see you will ever want to get rid of that beauty

 

[phantomknives]

speakin of beauties, i have a kelly perfect balt-jersey, its great but the only problem is is it on a truper handle, and its too thin to shave, ts basically a 1"x2.5" with a palm swell, i wanna keep the handle intact for whatever reason, and i dont have any"fancy" equipment. oh and its got 2 step wedges btw.

 

[Jlemay18]

^same. not much chance of running into a piece of old american axe history down here in NZ!!
you couldent even buy a basic beat up kelly if you tried. they just are not here.

for me, the internet is the only way to play

very good job with the hang Jlemay, cant see you will ever want to get rid of that beauty

Thank you! Only the second one I've made myself so still learning as I go but I'm very pleased with it, I'm not usually much for wall hangers but I think I can make an exception for a black Raven, it's in pretty great shape Id be worried I'd mess it up using it haha. But yeah you definitely have it worse than me, I live in the states in an area that should be pretty good but all the antique shops cater to old ladies and only one of the two flea markets around potentially has anything and it's usually miss rather than hit. But I guess I'll just have to make a few road trips and be patient so it could be worse.

 

[Curt Hal]

Zenith Hatchet

Found this in a box of axe heads at an antique store. The handle is a House hatchet handle. It is sanded and finished with mineral oil and beeswax.

 

[jblyttle]

I missed that spruced up Homestead Connecticut. That is a shapely axe for sure. What do you suppose the story is under the tape on the swell? Repairable?

I don't see any evidence of splits etc, could just be for grip.

 

[300Six]

I don't see any evidence of splits etc, could just be for grip.

Probably owned at one time by a fervent hockey player! These types of guys are known to wrap everything (sometimes even the forends and pistol grips of Lee-Enfields) with hockey tape! You can create your own butt swell on a sledge hammer or splitting maul via that sturdy friction tape.

 

[jblyttle]

This is a rare Craftsman 4lb Connie on a nice Lowes (stripped and oiled) handle. Funky kerf but it's good.

 

[Curt Hal]

This is a rare Craftsman 4lb Connie on a nice Lowes (stripped and oiled) handle. Funky kerf but it's good.

Awesome work. I like the Connies best of all.

 

[Curt Hal]

Picked up a nice 2.5 lb Hults Bruk and put it on a 28"HH octagonal handle. Sanded the haft and applied a few coats of mineral oil/bees wax.

 

[Jlemay18]

Carved this handle from a 26" hickory handle blank from Thrane, black walnut wedge, Spiller 3lb jersey head. Just finished it last night, well finished for now, I tried carving pieces of wedge to fill the space in the eye but it ended up being the most frustrating thing I've ever done with an axe. The eye constricts on the inside and then widens at the top so unfortunately the eye of the handle ended up being a lot smaller than the top of the eye of the axe. As I was lightly tapping the pieces of wedge in they broke off below the opening so I couldn't pull them out, figured I'd just pound them down and put more on top, the main wedge broke as I was doing that. So I ended up having to drill out the original wedge and rehanging it. I'm keeping this axe as a personal user so after last nights fiasco of trying to fill the gaps I'm not sure if I'm going to try again, I know I'll get shit for it but it's hung super tight and having already drilled out the first wedge I know it's not going anywhere anytime soon. That being said I'm a perfectionist when it comes to this stuff, especially when they're my own personal users, so it's bugging the shit out of me that it's not perfect but I'm not sure what else to do. I may eventually try again but I have a feeling the pieces of wedge will just keep breaking off when I try and tap them in, and it took me like 2 hours to carve/sand them down to the correct shape.

 

[nzedge]

^you could fill it with epoxy?