WIP: Council Boys Axe

L4NE4 · Mar 8, 2012

Just got this old head off the auction site for almost nothing. I think its a Council Tool. You can see the markings below...

Is this considered a hatchet? Seems a little heavy. I plan on letting it sit in vinegar and getting a new handle. What length would match up with it?

bearhunter · Mar 8, 2012

yeah, thats a council tool... she should clean up real nice...

i would go with a 28" haft it it were mine... plus they are usually easy to find (atleast in my area)...

L4NE4 · Mar 8, 2012

Really? So is this a boys axe?

EDIT; looks like the current production boys axe is 2 1/4lb.

bearhunter · Mar 8, 2012

i would consider a 2 1/4lb head to be a boys axe...

Square_peg · Mar 8, 2012

Yes, I would call that a boys axe. And an old Council like that should have some pretty good steel. It appears to have had minimal if any filing done to it in the past. Should be a great usable little axe once it's been re-hung.

Congrats!

trailmaker · Mar 8, 2012

Nice little Council axe you got there, that will look nice when you get it cleaned up. I've got a 2.25lb head on a 28in handle and it feels and looks about right.

Frank-New Zealand · Mar 8, 2012

Doesn't look like she has done much work with the paint well down like that. It may be an illusion but she looks an unusual shape to me. I reckon 26 to 28" haft would look good. If she were mine (and she's not of course) I would try and leave some of that paint on.

Enjoy the project mate...and I look fwd to the end result.

regards...Frank

L4NE4 · Mar 8, 2012

Thanks guys. I'm going to get a 26" and 28" to see what I like.

Any ideas on how to save most the paint? I think that would be pretty cool.

scruffuk · Mar 9, 2012

Nice.

L4NE4 said:
Any ideas on how to save most the paint? I think that would be pretty cool.

How about brushing some hot beeswax over the painted areas. Let it harden and then place in the vinegar??
Should keep the paint on the bits you want.

Broady · Mar 9, 2012

I recently won a CT felling axe off of the bay. The seller soaked it in red spray paint before selling. I'm gonna blast it with brown AL oxide and soak for a spell in vinegar...

L4NE4 · Mar 9, 2012

I edited the title to say boys axe now that I know!

I thought about just sharpening the bit and getting that polished edge and keeping the rest of it just the way it is.

nickzdon · Mar 9, 2012

L4NE4 said:
I thought about just sharpening the bit and getting that polished edge and keeping the rest of it just the way it is.

Another ugly duckling for the string! (I'm partial to the nasty rusty ones myself.)

In my experience a vinegar soak won't remove the paint that's still stuck on the steel, but it will remove the stuff that's flaking off. I've got a Council Railsplitter double bit that I soaked for a couple days that came out with much of the paint still attached but minus the rust.

L4NE4 · Mar 9, 2012

nickzdon said:
Another ugly duckling for the string! (I'm partial to the nasty rusty ones myself.)

In my experience a vinegar soak won't remove the paint that's still stuck on the steel, but it will remove the stuff that's flaking off. I've got a Council Railsplitter double bit that I soaked for a couple days that came out with much of the paint still attached but minus the rust.

Hmm, I might have to try this. Any vinegar in particular?

nickzdon · Mar 9, 2012

L4NE4 said:
Hmm, I might have to try this. Any vinegar in particular?

Run-of-the-mill white distilled.

cattledog · Mar 9, 2012

Looks like you did pretty darn good.

I read somewhere the new ones aren't 2.25 lbs yours looks like the real deal. Try and weight it. Post office might have self serve scales.
Good find.

L4NE4 · Nov 16, 2014

Not sure why I never updated this but here it is, well over two years later. The edge has already seen some use although I dont use it that often. I have a lot of wood to process on Tuesday so ill post a better picture of it outside.

I ended up buying an old Blue Grass handle for it off of ebay. I got lucky and it was in savable condition.

rkmoore · Nov 17, 2014

Wow! That's gorgeous! I really like the look with the bluegrass handle. It looks like it just came out of somebody's grandpa's shed. You should be proud of that one. Thanks for sharing!

L4NE4 · Nov 17, 2014

rkmoore said:
Wow! That's gorgeous! I really like the look with the bluegrass handle. It looks like it just came out of somebody's grandpa's shed. You should be proud of that one. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks man, I dig that the handle was US (I think?) made as well as the steel. I also really like the little bit of the sticker that is left over and readable. This is probably my favorite axe that I own right now even though I don use it really. Tomorrow I have a lot of wood to process on my splitter but a lot of it is still kind of green so I use this or a hatchet to cut the strands of wood that hang on.