When buying heavily rusted heads

J

jmacdoug

Joined
Jan 4, 2012
Messages
15
Does anyone have any rules of thumb they follow when buying old axe heads from tool salvages and whatnot? Typically the heads I find are so heavily rusted that I can't even tell if there's a stamped maker's mark or anything. Is it just a matter of luck that you pick one out and end up uncovering the markings of a sought after manufacturer when you put the work in cleaning it once you're home?
 
Presumably there isn't much risk of failure or financial loss providing the original selling price isn't much higher than scrap. You could take a cordless drill with a coarse wire wheel along with you but if maker's marks then magically appear you may find that the price changes radically.
 
I don't care about makers marks. I look at the form (It's not hard to tell a vintage axe from more modern once you develop your eye), edge, deepness of pitting, and amount of mushrooming. I turn down axes with excess problems simply because I have about a dozen good ones to hang now. Often rust is just a surface problem.
 
How do people on this forum clean up their rusty axes? Is there a "Go To" step-by-step process that everyone should follow ??
 
You will find a few different methods with each having its own bonus. Some like a 2 day soak in vinegar- this leaves the metal with a flat gray etch and shows the temper line on the bit. Some like a wire wheel on a bench grinder, some a bronze cup brush on a drill or angle grinder- these preserve the natural patina and let you vary how much to take off. I use all three on different heads- the vinegar bath really comes in to play when I want to see how much good steel I have left in the bit on a well worn axe or one that needs reprofiling.

For mushrooming on poll or eye- either a grinder or file works. I stay away from the grinder on bit unless I am reprofiling edge and then dip it in cool water after each pass to preserve temper.

Bill
 
"How do people on this forum clean up their rusty axes? Is there a "Go To" step-by-step process that everyone should follow ?? "

I used an angle grinder with a course twisted wire cup on it to clean up this Kelly hatchet. It was a $5 garage sale find. The angle grinder set up works very nicely and leaved a nice patina on the steel.

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Sharpen as needed and some BLO on the helve.

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lmalterna said:
You will find a few different methods with each having its own bonus. Some like a 2 day soak in vinegar- this leaves the metal with a flat gray etch and shows the temper line on the bit. Some like a wire wheel on a bench grinder, some a bronze cup brush on a drill or angle grinder- these preserve the natural patina and let you vary how much to take off. I use all three on different heads- the vinegar bath really comes in to play when I want to see how much good steel I have left in the bit on a well worn axe or one that needs reprofiling.

For mushrooming on poll or eye- either a grinder or file works. I stay away from the grinder on bit unless I am reprofiling edge and then dip it in cool water after each pass to preserve temper.

Bill
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I agree with Bill. Different techniques yield different results. If you want to re-sell the axes, some people like patina. A wire wheel on a bench grinder can make an old axe look almost new. A flapper wheel on an angle grinder is a really helpful tool too.

Don't discount axes with no roll stamp on them. They can be great tools. Halfaxe hit that one on the head. If you plan to use the tool these can be excellent. They are a little hard to re-sell at a profit.

Later
Brent
 
Very helpful. I had an axe soaking in vinegar and when i pulled it out there was a visible line from where the tempered edge was. I didnt know that at the time, but i do know. Thanks! Will the black go away with a wire wheel?
 
It is a surface etch so it will fade a little with wire wheel, more with use and sharpening.

Bill
 
Dom,
My pleasure- it is wisdom I gained on this forum in the past few months :)

I hope to start taking pics of some of the ones I am doing..problem is I keep doing them with no pics :) My skills are pretty basic.

Bill
 
At this point I won't usually take a big risk on super rusty axes. Check them as throughly as you can, bring a small steel bristle brush(something you can put in your pocket) to brush off surface rust and look for stamps, check for ridges in the eye and eye deformation, check for cracks, fullness of the bit/blade area and if it looks like some dummy tired to sharpen it with a wheel grinder. I'll buy axes with funky/unusual hafts even if the bit isn't all that pretty… for me it is what I can see of the history of a particular tool the more personalized it is the better.
 
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halfaxe said:
I don't care about makers marks. I look at the form (It's not hard to tell a vintage axe from more modern once you develop your eye), edge, deepness of pitting, and amount of mushrooming. I turn down axes with excess problems simply because I have about a dozen good ones to hang now. Often rust is just a surface problem.
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Great answer.
 
Screwdriver said:
Have never done an axe head, but have used Navel Jelly on old tools. Works pretty well.
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Glad to see you're checking the axe forum. You'll be hooked soon.

Refinishing an axe with wire wheels will yield the result you want depending on how long you apply the wheel.
 
if temper lines don't show after a vinegar bath, is that a good sign that the temper has been ruined, by someone burning out the haft for instance?
 
If temper lines do not show at all, the axe was not heat treated. Just to be sure you may compare its hardness by filing a bit at the cutting edge and at the poll.
 
If it doesn't show a temper line then it wasn't differentially heat treated. The whole tool could have been hardened.
 
The rustier the better in my book. Some of my favorite axes were real rust buckets. Literally. Rust keeps costs down. Hm and haw with a seller over the price and you can get rusted heads for a couple bucks. I've never payed more than $5 for a fully rusted head. That's my price limit. As long as the bit's in decent shape, and it doesn't appear that the toe's been broken and filed back, I'll buy anything regardless of rust. Even if they aren't great users, these no-name axes give me a chance to try out different bit profiles and generally play around without the stress of ruining a 'nice' axe.
 
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