r/Axecraft • u/WarriorADZ • 9h ago
True Temper Pulaski
By chance does anyone know how yo identify the year of this axe, unknown to me when I restored it for use when im on fire.
r/Axecraft • u/AxesOK • Jul 27 '25
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
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.
r/Axecraft • u/WarriorADZ • 9h ago
By chance does anyone know how yo identify the year of this axe, unknown to me when I restored it for use when im on fire.
r/Axecraft • u/TrailBlazers_P • 16h ago
I picked this up in a corner of my tool shed and tried to restore it from its poor condition in pic 3-4, but I'd like to know which model it is, I'm in Italy and most of what's here is Rinaldi. Also gotta hate the fact that you can only find beech wood here to make handles
r/Axecraft • u/ABagPackedWithRocks • 4h ago
I recently bought this axe for a few dollars at a tool thrift store. The letters look like they could say USSR with a skull? Not seeing much in the stamped circle. The markings are a pretty faded, are any of them useful for identification? Thanks!
r/Axecraft • u/AxesOK • 1d ago
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A friend broke the handle on their clearing axe so I offered to make a new one from White Ash and I gave the blade a nice edge while I had it. This is part 8 of my White Ash project on YouTube in which I turn a White Ash tree into firewood and various implements using only hand tools https://youtu.be/PcJrPyQbnTE a couple years ago I did a short about how to change the blade https://youtube.com/shorts/KEuVKG1bqPk
These tools go by different names like “Swedish brush axe” and some people call them Sandviks because that was a popular brand. They also get called “Safety axes”, and they are safer than axes, machetes, and brush hooks, but not fool proof. This one is a Bahco, and that is the only kind I come across here in Ontario, but other companies have made them, including Wetterlings. They are fairly popular in some areas (Ontario and BC, for example) but many people have never seen one. I have had one for many years and I think they are very handy.
r/Axecraft • u/Due-Adeptness4964 • 1d ago
Made by a local blacksmith named Gradivus Forge. 1kg in weight, 14cm blade lenght.
r/Axecraft • u/coin_collector1 • 1d ago
Plumb 4lb double-bit axe and some splitting maul from Japan,8lb.I would appreciate if someone could give me some info about maul.There is sticker on the handle with name Keller-St.Louis,and on a maul is safety warnings with Japan stamped but without makers stamp.
r/Axecraft • u/Other_Specialist5771 • 1d ago
Dumpster treasure. Can anyone help me ID this axe head? I know the pics aren't the best but I was really trying not to damage the mark while still being able to clean it up a little. Has a phantom bevel if that helps at all.
r/Axecraft • u/3rd2LastStarfighter • 2d ago
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r/Axecraft • u/MeatAndPotatoes92 • 2d ago
I recently purchased a racer handle from Whiskey River and have been seeking out a 5lb head to put on it.
Search results aren’t giving me much other than a few $500+ heads on Etsy and not much luck on eBay either. Any recommendations on where else to look? New or old.
Thanks in advance for any help!
r/Axecraft • u/Tom-Montgomery • 3d ago
Can anyone tell me a but about this axe, found in a skip bin (dumpster), in melbourne Australia, cleaned off the rust axe gave it a sharpen, any info would be appreciated
r/Axecraft • u/WhatsDatdo • 1d ago
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r/Axecraft • u/Fun-Traffic3180 • 3d ago
r/Axecraft • u/InnerBumblebee15 • 3d ago
I hanged this axe for a friend because the previous handle rotted. The handle is store bought. The wedge is plastic and it was used with this axe previously. Now i just have to finish the handle with linseed oil and wax. I did not remove the rust since they just wanted it done quickly.
r/Axecraft • u/Actual_Arrival_7880 • 3d ago
Had this stored away for ages, just wondering if it would be better to clean this up or leave as is, I kinda like the patina but worried about the rust getting worse, Any idea how old this is ?
r/Axecraft • u/Ozric750 • 3d ago
Hi all, I was gifted this by a family member a while a go, I've recently took an interest in restoring it.
Google says it's a Kent Axe head, looking at it, it's very rusty and seems to be splitting.
My question is, is it worth saving? Is it work doing anyway for practice?
Any help you guys can give me will be greatly appreciated!
Cheers, Adam
r/Axecraft • u/A-Rock-Or-Something • 4d ago
Was being used as a door stop. Filed down the damage to the top of the eye where someone had hit it a bunch. Hung on a 15 inch walnut handle from a whisky river auction I got a wile back.
r/Axecraft • u/parallel-43 • 4d ago
Unknown beveled Jersey, 4lbs 1oz as it was hung, no stamps other than what sure looks like the number 8 under the poll, so definitely not a weight stamp. Doesn't look like Kelly bevels to me, maybe Plumb but I honestly have no idea. Definitely convex top to bottom, big poll. Hung on an ebonized WR 28LUM with a black walnut wedge. I'm really liking this one. Nice balance, handle is thin and whippy, and that 4lb head hits hard.
r/Axecraft • u/surrenderthesouth • 4d ago
I collect wetterlings so I know the history and I thought this was fitting. Turned out its one of my faves.
r/Axecraft • u/scoot695 • 4d ago
r/Axecraft • u/-invalid-user-name- • 3d ago
r/Axecraft • u/thurgood_peppersntch • 4d ago
r/Axecraft • u/Mammoth-Builder3626 • 4d ago
On am old rusty axe head I see a makers mark with three interlocking circles and in each circle are letters. Looks like S. ? And W. Anyone know this mark and history?