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- Oct 17, 2015
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- 2
As the title says, I am looking for axes and hatchets to restore. I've done a few, and I'd like to do some more. Thanks.
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Where can I look for Axes and Hatchets to fix up?
- Thread starter Bananadude17
- Start date
Square_peg
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2012
- Messages
- 13,859
Garage sales, antique stores, ebay.
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2012
- Messages
- 12
Flea markets and estate auctions.
No offense but you're gradually gonna have to develop some tradesman/artisan 'cred' (such as COTS has been cultivating over the years) in order to have a "go" at this. Sure, garage sale and flea market items can/will get you $5 desirable-stamped axe heads (lots of searching time involved though) but the folks that potentially want $200 resurrected tools are a lot more fussy than you think. In fact many of them (within the collector and purist crowd especially) will turn their nose up at a thoroughly labour-intensive 'shined up' Black Raven that has decorative Rosewood double cross-wedges on a AAA hand-carved handle, and go instead with a lonely untouched rusty head, and, willingly fork over $100 more just for that privilege.
Square_peg
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2012
- Messages
- 13,859
Those are very good points, 300. I sold quite a few refurbished axes a few years ago. I was lucky to get $10/hour for my efforts. Restorations are best for personal use. Folks like COTS and Olybears are doing first rate restorations. Their products easily surpass the stuff sold by Gransfors Bruk. But they don't get that kind of money for them - or at least I never did. At least one fellow on this forum did pretty good on Etsy for a time.
One successful niche market is pimped axes. Jesse does beautiful work and turns over a lot of product. But those are decorator pieces not work axes. Those and 'boutique axes' seem to be where the money is.
People just want to fix it up themselves. I can hand file and hone an edge that I believe surpasses anything available anywhere* but there is no market for it. Getting maximum function out of an axe isn't valued the way appearance and brand name (earned or not) are valued.
* I'm talking work axes - racing axes are another matter.
One successful niche market is pimped axes. Jesse does beautiful work and turns over a lot of product. But those are decorator pieces not work axes. Those and 'boutique axes' seem to be where the money is.
People just want to fix it up themselves. I can hand file and hone an edge that I believe surpasses anything available anywhere* but there is no market for it. Getting maximum function out of an axe isn't valued the way appearance and brand name (earned or not) are valued.
* I'm talking work axes - racing axes are another matter.