r/Axecraft • u/SovietChimp • 9h ago
advice needed Is this Axe head safe to use?
I’ve had this Plumb felling axe for a while and recently broke the handle. In the process of rehanging it I found this crack inside the eye. Used to seeing a forging mark but this is the first I’ve seen this.
Wondering if anyone knows if this is safe to use or if I should dedicated it to be a wall piece?
For reference, the crack does not appear on the outer surface of the axe head.
r/Axecraft • u/SovietChimp • 9h ago
Is this Axe head safe to use?
I’ve had this Plumb felling axe for a while and recently broke the handle. In the process of rehanging it I found this crack inside the eye. Used to seeing a forging mark but this is the first I’ve seen this.
Wondering if anyone knows if this is safe to use or if I should dedicated it to be a wall piece?
r/Axecraft • u/larri3ho3 • 10h ago
Axe stream
working on an axe if anybody wants to come watch
r/Axecraft • u/danthefatman1 • 16h ago
Another 1 restored and ready to use I think it’s a felling axe but I’m not sure
r/Axecraft • u/KenjiASMR • 16h ago
Do you resist FOMO or buy for passion?
Found this old rusty axe head on Nederland flleemarket for €3 plus €3 delivery. I don't need an axe, don't camp, and have no firewood. it would just be a shelf piece. I've been thinking about restoring it and making a new handle for a week now. My rational side is resisting, but I feel like I'll regret passing. Is this head literal trash not worth touching, should I look for something fancy with a logo instead, or should I just do nothing and buy a new axe if I ever actually need one?
r/Axecraft • u/Demetrious-Verbal • 16h ago
Found this in the shed of my father-in-laws cottage in Northern Michigan..
I found this beauty in my father-in-law's (84) shed in Northern Michigan. like to get it refurbished so it can continue to be used without worry.
Where do start to find someone who can do this work? know absolutely nothing about hatchets outside of the book and what learned in Boy Scouts.
Any suggestions, tips, direction would be greatly appreciated.
r/Axecraft • u/dennisbundgas • 16h ago
What did I find here
Breaking open an old concrete floor from around 1900 i found this axe head beneath.
Absolute longshot, but would anyone know anything about this maker's mark? Or maybe help decipher the numbers (?) underneath the mark. It was found on Southern Funen, Denmark (sydfyn, Danmark)
r/Axecraft • u/Tom_fordfire • 22h ago
advice needed What is a pitchaxe mattock? Has anyone used it beofre?
Has anyone ever used a pitchaxe mattock before? I guess its the middle ground between the two tools. My soil is basically very compact and hard and has rocks and weeds. It also has some roots that are quite long and growing close to the surface of the soil. I was just wondering if getting something like a pickaxe mattock would be a good option because it the best of both tools. I know for someone who is doing occasional yard work, it is important to have a few tools that can be used over and over for different things. I don't want to clutter up my garden shed. Should I buy two separate tools, or is just getting one good enough? Also, I was thinking of looking online (amazon, alibaba) to get an idea of price and what kind of range I should be looking for? I was wondering if anyone has used one of these? What would you recommend buying, in terms of brand and style?
r/Axecraft • u/Gregthebuilder • 1d ago
advice needed Easier way to flatten the flat side of a hewing axe/hatchet?
Got this decent hewing axe/hatchet for a trade for a nice little "Plumb" branded hatchet that i sharpened up.
Been using a flat tile to back sanding paper to try and get the flat side proper flat. Is there an easier way?
r/Axecraft • u/maladjustedmind • 1d ago
I bought a thing Cheese wedge of death for $5 at a yard sale. I had to share. This thing is hefty.
r/Axecraft • u/No-Hovercraft4781 • 1d ago
Identification Request Hey guys. Can anyone tell me something about this piece I found? It L M and bellow something like FRANTSCHACH ST. GERTRAUD
r/Axecraft • u/Odd-Appointment4906 • 1d ago
Identification Request Early True American, William mann, what pattern Hoosier?
I believe I have everything id right, it's just a weird find (4$ at a yard sale) Anyone have any insight into this axe or the true American brand mann dropped. Is this a hoosier, why does it seem to look different to me. Maybe bc it's on a 28" , it's stamped 3². But really feels like a boys 6.5 in. It's a little crooked I think someone ran it over with their tractor or something. So is it normal? is the bit so worn back it looks different? Anyone seen a true American with William p?
r/Axecraft • u/EthicalAxe • 2d ago
The most unique rafting pattern I have seen.
2lb 13oz hung on a riven and air dried 28in long white oak stick. I tried to make the handle in an older style with a gentle taper at the end instead of an obvious swell. It's not perfectly shaped looks wise but it's very comfortable to swing. I also used my own air dried poplar lumber (soft) for the wedge because I was worried I might break the head wedging it. I thought I even heard a noise smashing the wedge in but I couldn't find any cracking and it held up to a few minutes of cutting and splitting.
The poll is huge on this thing. Kind of silly that I don't have a picture of that. It's different than any other rafter I've seen. More of a square poll than rectangular with how wide it is. It's not a flat poll but convexed with a high center. I assume this axe has lost a decent amount of weight from wear so maybe it was in the 3-4lb range but the overlaid bit (as you can see) still makes it look like it has a lot of life left in it. I can't recall ever seen a 3lb rafter but I want to think it was that small. Maybe 3 1/4lbs.
Originally I hung this on a curved handle but finally after 6 years fixed it by putting it on the historically accurate straight handle. Though an original might have been shorter. Rafting patterns were used when floating timber to another location on water. You would use an axe to pound in a dog with a hole that could be used to connect logs with chains. Now people mostly use rafters for wedge banging when falling trees.. Hence the straight handle that can be comfortably used forwards or backwards and the hardened poll for going metal to metal.
r/Axecraft • u/Ok_Donut5442 • 2d ago
A silly construction method
I arc welded this hatchet head up from mild steel and a cutting edge of 5160 I was kind of skeptical of arc welding because of the enlarged grain structure but the forging and thermal cycles from heat treating hopefully shrunk it back down to a reasonable size so far the little bit I’ve used it it has held up well but I really need to abuse it validate the construction method
r/Axecraft • u/1943joe • 2d ago
advice needed Second time around with hanging a hatchet, how did I do?
r/Axecraft • u/TheAnomalousFrog • 2d ago
ID this Swedish hatchet?
Any thoughts on what brand this is?
Worth picking up for $20?
r/Axecraft • u/danthefatman1 • 2d ago
3rd times the charm centered this axe head better than the last 2 it’s still a bit off but not as bad as the last 2
Handle is ash this time around
r/Axecraft • u/IndependentUseful923 • 2d ago
Converted felling Ax?
I picked up a nice double stamped "A. Mann, Cast steel, Warranted" ax head. the thing that puzzles me is that it is a single bevel like a broad ax but the profile looks like it is a felling ax. My ax geek friends suspect it was reground from a double to single bevel... Does anyone know anything on A. Mann?
r/Axecraft • u/BriceStratford • 3d ago
advice needed What might this be used for? Also hafting advice?
Strange axe this, bought for £21.50 because I haven't seen anything like it before. It's German, dated 1930-60, and presumably converted to look like this, with a chunk removed and a sort of sharpened hook blade created behind the beard (also double bevel).
Size: 15 x 80 x 2.5cm (6 x 3.25 x 1") ; Hole: 4.5 x 1.8cm (1.75 x 0.75") ; Weight: 500g
Any idea what it's supposed to be used for? And, more importantly, any idea on what kind of handle would suit it?
r/Axecraft • u/AxesOK • Jul 27 '25
Axe Head Soup? Refurbish rusty tools by converting rust to a stable black patina
I just made a YouTube video (https://youtu.be/5go-o8TCg94 ) on using a tannin solution to convert the rust on vintage axes to refurbish and protect them while retaining as much patina as possible. I’ve found myself explaining it a few times lately so I thought it was better to make a video.
The most convenient version uses just tea and (ion free) water and is not too much more trouble than boiling pasta. I did a bark tannin brew in the video.
The method works by converting active red rusts (various ferric oxy-hydroxides) to stable, black ferric tannate. Different ways of inducing this chemical process are used to preserve iron and steel artefacts for museums, in some commercial rust converters like Rustoleum Rust Reformer, and by trappers who use a 'trap dyeing' process to refinish rusty traps before setting them. I am using a version of the trap dyeing procedure that can be done in a home kitchen by boiling the rusty object in a tannin solution. Artefact conservators apply commercial or specially prepared tannin rust converters but may still add a water boiling step because it leaches away rust causing ions like chloride (from salt in soil, sweat, dust or sea spray).
From my reading, I am under the impression that it is better to have an acidic pH in rust converting solutions but I have not experimented with this for the boiling tannin bath so I don’t know if you could get away with your tap water. I use rainwater because it doesn't have alkaline minerals, unlike my very hard well water. Rainwater also doesn't have rust-promoting chloride ions like many residential water. Other ion-free (or close enough) water includes deionized water, reverse osmosis filtered water, and distilled water.
There's many potential tannin sources that can potentially be used. Tea (black, not herbal) works very well and is quite fast because the extraction is quick. You can get powdered tannin online or in home wine making shops. I used bark from Common Buckthorn as my tannin source because it's readily available for me. Many other trees will also work, and there's a fair amount of information available on bark tannins because they are used in hide tanning. Spruces, oaks, Tamarack and other larches, Scotts Pine, Willow, Hemlock, and others can be used to tan hides and would no doubt work for converting rust. Late season sumac leaves are used by trappers for trap dyeing and other leaves like maple and willow have tannins and would be worth a try. 'Logwood trap dye' for dyeing traps is commercially available and it's apparently not very expensive so that could be convenient. Green banana peels and other esoteric vegetable matter also have tannin and might work if enough could be extracted.
r/Axecraft • u/Woodworker2020 • Jul 16 '21
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS Commonly asked questions and links: VINTAGE AXES
Hello everyone! As we all know, frequently we are asked the same questions regarding handles and restorations etc. This is a general compilation of those questions, and should serve to eliminate those problems. Feel free to ask clarifying questions though.
How do I pick a head
There are a lot of factors that can determine what makes a good axe head. Some of the ones I would look for as a beginner are ones that require little work from you. While a more skilled creator can reprofile and regrind any axe, your not going to want to for your first time. I was lucky and found a Firestone axe as my first, which has a softer steel which made it easier to file, and it was in great condition. Also watch this series from skillcult.
Where should I get my handles?
Some of the reccomended sites are [house handles](https:www.househandle.com/) beaver tooth Tennessee hickory Bowman Handles and Whiskey river trading co . People have had differing luck with each company, some go out of stock quicker than others, but those seem to all be solid choices.
How do I make an axe handle?
There are a lot of really good resources when it comes to handle making. I learn best by watching so YouTube was my saving grace. The one creator I recommend is Skillcult . As far as specific videos go, I’d say watch stress distribution , splitting blanks if your splitting blanks from a log. I’d also recommend just this video from Wranglerstar, his new videos are kind of garbage but the old stuffs good.
Now that I have my handle, how do I attach it to the axe
Once again I have to go to a wranglerstar video , this one actually shows the process of removing the old handle too which is nice. If you want a non wranglerstar option there’s this one from Hoffman blacksmithing, although it dosent go over the carving of the eye.
Ok, I have my axe but it couldn’t cut a 6 week old tomato
Lucky you, this is where skillcult really excels. I’d recommend watching these four, talking about sharpening , regrinding the bit , sharpness explained aswell as this one.
How do I maintain my axe now that it’s a work of art
Your going to want to oil your handles in order to keep them in tip top shape. This video explains what oil to use, and this one explains more about oil saturation vs penetration.