What did you rehang today?

[Yankee Josh]

I re hung the Peavey last evening. The eye on this is, typical of hand made Maine axes, irregular. It's actually a little larger at the bottom of the eye. You have to leave plenty of room at the top of the eye when using a metal wedge and i learned that the hard way. I can't believe the welds didn't spring apart with how hard i had to pound that wedge to get it in there! That thing won't be coming loose for a few decades at least!

This haft didn't quite fill out the eye on the bottom. But I paid special attention to sand it just right so the axe slid down and ramped onto the shoulder if you know what I mean. It's extremely tight.

I'm a little puzzled by the colors in this head. They're different from what I've ever seen before. If that cap wedge was original than this axe never really got that rusty. It does appear to have been cleaned up at some point but apparently it was long ago. It's a real good chopper. Feels real good on that 28" haft. Due to the short bits and sharper angle it bites deep and throws chips very well.

Have a good one!

 

[rjdankert]

For one of my grandsons





Bob

 

[Jasper33]

One more very special hang before Christmas.
A hand made aluminum head with an ash handle and wedge, and a nice splitting profile, lol.
Have a safe holiday and enjoy your time with your loved ones!

 

[Miller '72]

Thank you Jasper33. Thats brilliant...and skillful!

One more very special hang before Christmas.
A hand made aluminum head with an ash handle and wedge, and a nice splitting profile, lol.
Have a safe holiday and enjoy your time with your loved ones!

That's a great looking cant dog too!

 

[Yankee Josh]

Well folks have a merry Christmas!
I really debated as to whether or not i should do this. But I'm pretty sure i matched what original color i could see. Vermillion. I used a tooth pick and it took me forever AND a sore neck. Not perfect but I'm happy. What do you guys think? Should i have just left it alone?

 

[jblyttle]

One more very special hang before Christmas.
A hand made aluminum head with an ash handle and wedge, and a nice splitting profile, lol.
Have a safe holiday and enjoy your time with your loved ones!

The last pic reminds me of Chucky.

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

Well folks have a merry Christmas!
....What do you guys think? Should i have just left it alone?

Looks great! I wonder how the wax they make to accent embossing on guns would work? (You rub off the excess for a clean look)
Cheers!

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

It was fun to rehang this huge Collins.
It’s nearly 6lbs. In great shape but the handle was shot.

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

Spending this holiday vacation cleaning up a little group of axes. Some have gotten staggered a bit but I am starting to get them hung now on a bunch of NOS handles I had laying around.

Plumb, Anchor Brand

Zenith. I know you guys hate polished axes but this is actually not as shiny as it looks in the photos. It’s more of a satin finish directionally brushed with steel wool and oil.

Ok, this Tommy’s axe is really shiny. Suffer it’s glare, just as onters at the campground will suffer mightily from the gleam of sunlight and run for their sunglasses when it’s chopping kindling or pounding in tent stakes with its hardened poll.

This one is fun. I blackened it(as previously discuss) with Caswell’s Black Oxide Activator and banged out a quick leather sheath for it.

All the best this holiday season!

 

[Yankee Josh]

Spending this holiday vacation cleaning up a little group of axes. Some have gotten staggered a bit but I am starting to get them hung now on a bunch of NOS handles I had laying around.

Plumb, Anchor Brand

Zenith. I know you guys hate polished axes but this is actually not as shiny as it looks in the photos. It’s more of a satin finish directionally brushed with steel wool and oil.

Ok, this Tommy’s axe is really shiny. Suffer it’s glare, just as onters at the campground will suffer when it’s chopping kindling with a gleam of sunlight or pounding in tent stakes with its hardened poll.

This one is fun. I blackened it(as previously discuss) with Caswell’s Black Oxide Activator and banged out a quick leather sheath for it.

All the best this holiday season!

I don't think anyone HATES polished axes. I sure don't. All your axes look spectacular and I like your bluing method. Finished product is really nice! Beautiful man!

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

GTW Germantown Works (Griffith Town Works), barrel hatchet.
Hard to discribe how small it is and I just happened to find the perfect vintage (comically small) handle for it. I just did it for fun because I liked the shape, maybe I’ll give it to the kiddo to play with.

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

The last pic reminds me of Chucky.

Terrifying.

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

1940 Sager, California pattern. 36” NOS handle.

 

[Maine20]

If it’s gotta be cleaned, I’m kinda liking not a high polish finish but a satin brushed look. By using 1200 Emory then directional #0000 wool. Like this..

I would like to go for this look on my next head. I assume you bring it to near polish, what Are the final steps to get this look.

 

[ithinkverydeeply]

I would like to go for this look on my next head. I assume you bring it to near polish, what Are the final steps to get this look.

Sure, it’s easy.
I typically might go 500,1000,1200 with Emory paper on a 1/4 sheet sander. But this axe was in such good shape I just used some 1000 grit to really lightly deburr some file marks around the eye and superficial scratches that were likely from a wire brush someone had cleaned it with, then I messaged it with 1200 grit till it had the lush satin look to it.

But I nstead of polishing it on a buffing wheel at this point, I just used #0000 steel wool in long direction strokes with Hoppe’s gun oil on it.

Although again, on this one I didn’t do that much, wanting to preserve it as much as possible. You can still see some of the superficial scratches that I didn’t remove and it’s not “brushed” that much. But this has that cool satin look from just going up to 1200 grit then using #0000 wool and oil.
I think that’s the look you’re going for!

Compared to that Zenith that I did more directional steel wool brushing but I also polished it a little first. You’ll want to skip the polishing.

 

[Curt Hal]

The axe marked M 2 1/2 mentioned in a previous post. Turned out to have very nice steel, although I really wish people would keep grinders (I know, some people know what they’re doing) and sledge hammers away from axes! Not the best grain orientation on the handle, but you take what you can get in this part of the world! I decided to enhance the knob for more a purchased grip.

 

[plumberroy]

I have been working on my Christmas present. A Collins Michigan pattern single bit axe hanging it on a 36 in house handle . I have had more trouble with this than anything else I have rehandled. I didn't get it set on the handle right first time. I shouldn't have been working on it when I was really tired . I got the wedge out and the head pulled got a new wedge got the wedge in took it out swung it a few times. Lost the wedge and head off. I ended up having to use both a wood wedge and steel wedges but I think I have it now

 

[Agent_H]

I’ll see my folks over the New year.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Well folks have a merry Christmas!
I really debated as to whether or not i should do this. But I'm pretty sure i matched what original color i could see. Vermillion. I used a tooth pick and it took me forever AND a sore neck. Not perfect but I'm happy. What do you guys think? Should i have just left it alone?

Hate to burst your bubble, but you could have just brushed on some paint and wiped the excess off the surface leaving only the stamping behind

You did a great job with actually filling it all in by hand though, it adds a nice touch and some contrast.

 

[Yankee Josh]

Hate to burst your bubble, but you could have just brushed on some paint and wiped the excess off the surface leaving only the stamping behind

You did a great job with actually filling it all in by hand though, it adds a nice touch and some contrast.

No bubble busted. The previous owner cleaned and cold blued the axe head. I was worried if i got excess paint on the head that wouldn't wipe off easily I'd end up putting a wear spot and have to blue it again to make it look right. I was going for a clean look. I've since used it and messed it all up anyway.