can anyone turn this into a useful axe for me?

[gorilla]

i am appealing to the experienced sharpeners among you!
i was considering a new axe until my landy developed £1500 worth of welding faults which means a drastic diversion of all available funds! i've had this axe for a while, and i reckon that if it was sharpened properly, it could be a workable carving axe. as you can see from the photos, it's in a pretty sorry state, but if anyone could offer to sharpen it to sharpy-sharpness for me, i will happily pay postage both ways plus a bit thrown in for your time. i want a GB carving axe, but like i said, it'll have to wait! someone pleeeeease help, as i need to carve to calm my stressed-out brain!

thanks

 

[leon-1]

I am sure that Red did a tutorial on redressing an axe.

Apart from sharpening what else needs doing, is the helve / handle in good condition?

 

[gorilla]

hi leon
i've read reds tutorial, but the problem i have is that the axe needs cutting right back as it is full of dints., and i don't have a stone or anything. i'm fine with my knives and my dc3 + wet/dry paper, but getting this axe useable is beyond my finances ATM - i can't afford to buy what i need to sort it out.
the handle is ok - it'll just need a wedge in the top to hold the head in place.
if i could get someone to cut it back to a good edge, i can keep it sharp with what i have - i just need that first bit done!

 

[mr dazzler]

Hi gorilla
It really isnt hard to get dings out, (I should know as I've had enough of them, I should really not use axe's to break up concrete and brick's) Shouldnt take more than a few minutes with a decent file. Then treat with your honing method of choice. One thing that I did notice in the pic's, has the axe been welded to repair it? There looks to be like a run of weld on the side. Those fold over types have a tendency to crack and gradually split along the forge welding until they are "inutile" as they say in france. Especially when it appear's to have been repainted as if to disguise it?
Hope I havent upset you, just thought I'd mention it though!
cheers Jonathan

 

[Jim_aramis]

I picked up a similar axe from a carboot sale for a £1. I sanded down the handle to remove grime and used a diamond hone to get the edge back. Very little effort and worked a treat.

 

[leon-1]

Gorilla the guys are right about the amount of work and how to do it, but if you really think it is beyond your abilities then let me know.

Shame you don't live down this way, you could pop in and I would show you how to sort it there and then on the spot.

If you have a Lidl's near you have a dig around, they normally have some very cheap diamond stones in there that would sort your axe very quickly.

 

[gorilla]

i'll see if i can get a cheap stone and file - it's not my abilities as such that it's beyond, just my pocket!
mr dazzler - no upset - itonly cost me 50p, so it's no loss if it turns out to be rubbish!

 

[Tadpole]

i'll see if i can get a cheap stone and file - it's not my abilities as such that it's beyond, just my pocket!
mr dazzler - no upset - itonly cost me 50p, so it's no loss if it turns out to be rubbish!

Gorilla, if it is metal and you can sharpen it, then no the axe is not rubbish. I paid a couple of quid for an axe and I will admit it is not the best thing in the world. It will cut through a 4’ length of 4X4 lump of treated fencing post, and chop it up for kindling but after than it needs sharpening. It was/is good enough to be useful, and so long as I didn’t ask two much it was enough for what I wanted (kindling and firewood).
Cave dwellers cut down trees with rocks; I think there is a link somewhere on this site where is a guy (on this forum) who cut down a small pine tree with a lump of sharp antler.
I got a dink in my hatchet/axe, followed the instructions in Ray’s book, reground the whole edge, but since then I’ve been told that it is not always necessary to do this, keep using it, and keep sharpening it and the dink will vanish over time. (YMMV as I’m no expert)
Can you sharpen it, does it do what you want it/need it for?
If yes to both then it is a “good enough” axe.

 

[Mike Ameling]

From the pics, the edge doesn't look bad to me - unless you are intending to do fine woodcarving. The dings will "work themselves out" as you continually use it and resharpen it. But for general chopping/splitting work, you don't need an edge sharp enough to shave with.

One of the most overlooked rough grinding stones out there is as close as the nearest cement sidewalk or street. The rougher the cement, the faster it will grind back your edge. The smoother it is, the finer the edge you can get from it. You don't need much more than a little time, a steady grip, and a consistant angle.

After the "rough" grinding is done, then you can move on to the formal sharpening stones.

There is this "concept" or "idea" out there that you HAVE TO HAVE an axe that is sharpened fine enough to shave with. That's TOO SHARP for and axe in general use - unless you are doing carving with it. The sharper it is, the faster it will dull. And for general chopping/splitting it is not necessary. Yes, it is nice to have the super sharp edge, but you have to ask yourself if the work necessary to keep it that sharp is justified by the benefit you might get from it out in the field.

So, a little "rough" grinding on a fairly smooth section of cement sidewalk should do enough to true up the edge I see in the pictures.

Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - a "user" of tools, not a "worshipper" of sharp edges for their sake alone

 

[mr dazzler]

i'll see if i can get a cheap stone and file

A cheap file is just that, cheap (and nasty), they come from india or the far east or china or whatevr. They cant make decent stones either (blackspur et al apart from the jap waterstones of course) Frankly cheapo files are a waste of money as the teeth are poor and they last but a few moments before they are past it, and they wont do the job of efficiently removing steel (you can feel the difference in the quality of the cut) Admittedly decent files are hard to find nowadays as we are expec\ted to use cnc and disposable tool's now , especially saw's . Nicholson are a decent make (I use theirs to do saw sharpening), sandvik also. They sometimes sell odd job lot's on ebay from out of old attics and engineering works etc that were left wrapped in oil cloths in boxes for 40 years or whatever. Those are the ones to get. Swiss & Japanese files are also good, I picked up 2 at a car boot both unused.
this sort of thing would be worth a look in
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-GROBET-VALL...yZ147806QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
or these
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-NICHOLSON-...tcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
(Nicholson ones are usualy around £7-£9 each.)
Not trying to be a nuisance or negative, but a good quality file is worth the extra expence believe me they do the job and last a long time

 

[British Red]

I personally wouldn't be too worried about the dings as mike said. But (and its a big but) that bevel is diabolical. Some muppet has sharpened that on a mechanical grinder at far too obtuse an angle and, from the picture, virtually flat. I would love to help there gorilla, but I'm bopping round the country right now. Leon would do a great job for you if you really don't want to spend £10 on supplies (thats all you should need). I normally like old axe heads but I can faintly hear something barking and whining with that one. The eye looks odd and there is a clear weld line. The bevel is repairable with a lot of work provided the temper remains.

If it still wants doing in a few weeks and no-one else has offered and you you want to risk the postage, drop me a PM. I'm honestly not convinced that ones worth too much effort though personally.

Red

 

[fishfish]

send it to me ille do it for e!

 

[SOAR]

Chainsaw flat files are good for getting a good edge for axes they are about a pound for the file and about two pound for a handle you can get them from any stihl chainsaw shop. I use one for my axes at work, then if you want you can use stones for a finer finish.

 

[gorilla]

the advice has been great guys - thanks!
the more i look at it, the worse it looks though! i got a cheap wet stone from the market today, and i'll just spend an hour trying to improve it a bit, and use it for splitting firewood.
time to list a few bits on the bay and raise the funds for a GB swedish carving axe - i really need a good axe for my carving, and i don't think this will ever be that! it does make me wonder if this axe ever had a proper purpose