Axe restoration thread

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Not much to resto do do on this yardsale find .

5 Sheckels


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Gerber?
If so, nice find.
I'd hang it in my Jeep.
 
Found this at an estate sale for $5 - longtime family friends of my FIL's family. Barely visible PLUMB marking. Looks to be a Michigan pattern by my rookie eyes. Aluminum wedge makes me think it's been rehung (or maybe that was all the rage in the 1960's.) Thin 34" haft. Now to decide whether to leave the patina and make it a wall hanger (boo!) or some kind of resto-mod or a full restoration. 20190903_224607.jpg
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Found this at an estate sale for $5 - longtime family friends of my FIL's family. Barely visible PLUMB marking. Looks to be a Michigan pattern by my rookie eyes. Aluminum wedge makes me think it's been rehung (or maybe that was all the rage in the 1960's.) Thin 34" haft. Now to decide whether to leave the patina and make it a wall hanger (boo!) or some kind of resto-mod or a full restoration. View attachment 757237
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Yep, nice looking Michigan DBA! Good score. You still see aluminum wedges today, heck, Council Tool still uses them to this day - the Boys Axe comes to mind. My FSS Pulaski came with acrylic wedge that worked its way lookse and I re-hung with a wood and steel stepped wedges
 
The last couple days I've been working on and off in my shop on a custom handle for one of my two vintage collared axes. One is a Swedish Hults Bruk, the other a Finnish Billnäs. Originally I attempted to hang the HB first, but messed up and rough cut the blank too thin on my band saw, and couldn't close the gap around the collar. Fortunately, the Billnäs has a more narrow and uniform collar, so I was able to modify the carved handle to make it work. Here are some progress pics:

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Right now the handle is straightened and aligned with the bit by guideline. The basic contour is there, all that is left is to shape the wood and thin it out with my preferred ergos on the palm swell. Tools used were band saw, hatchet, draw knife, spokeshave, Shinto rasp, 4-In-Hand rasp, and some 120 grit sandpaper. I modeled the handle as a hybrid western-style subtle cruved bit with a traditional somewhat straight shaft. Most of the curve is nearest to the grip, the haft is mostly straight.
 
The CastIron Pirates were by this week

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1 1/4 HB , Unknown but looks to be a Maine wedge , cute little Welland Vale and a Campbell Bros from New Brunswick hewing hatchet .
I like my CastIron Pirates :)

I'm digging that Maine Wedge - great design for a single bit!
 
Here is my finished — Finnish Billnäs axe:

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Three coats of BLO with intermittent treatment of Extra Fine Steel wool, the a final application of Citrus Oil and Bees Wax.

20° Scandinavian (Flat) grind with a 25° microbevel, honed up to 1000 grit and stropped. Busy few weeks, haven't had time to do some test chops, but this has been done a while already, just wanted to wait to post until I took some swings, but I couldn't wait!

Next up is my 100 year old Swedish Collared Axe (Hults Bruk)
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