How to unhaft an axe.

  • Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
You could cut the helve off flush with the head, soak the head and the bit of remnant helve in water until the grains swell; this crushes the wood fibers in the axes eye. Once it has swelled as much as it will, set the head in a warm sunny place. With average luck, the crushed bit of helve in the eye will simply fall out.

Neat....I like that idea for field expedience :)
 
Its really not that hard. And I can imagine 'burying the hatchet' will f' up the temper completely.

Cut the head off, drill some of the wedge out, prop the head upside down with the eye between two bricks/pieces of wood and hit the remaining handle out with a hammer and poker. Piece of pish!

No need for fire, holy water or badger blood. Common sense works wonders in the right hands!
 
Lofty advises burning it out when in the field in the SAS survival handbook IIRC. Burying the edge in the earth. He does caution being careful not to damage the temper though.
Clipboard01.jpg
 
Last edited:
Samon, Do you often carry a drill, hammer & poker when you're out and about then?

No. And I don't carry an axe either!

If you break your handle when you playing in the woods then fix it later. I cannot think of one occasion where I needed an axe so badly when camping or playing in the woods. Plenty of sticks all over the place that you can simply break by standing on.

And if I did break an axe when I was out I'd just put it in my bag and fix it properly when I get home. You are so likely to ruin the temper its not even worth attempting. And I don't care what celebrity survival guru claims to do it, its a bad and outdated idea!
 
Lol, I've never read it!
3263454-impliedfacepalm.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Brizzlebush
No. And I don't carry an axe either!

If you break your handle when you playing in the woods then fix it later. I cannot think of one occasion where I needed an axe so badly when camping or playing in the woods. Plenty of sticks all over the place that you can simply break by standing on.

And if I did break an axe when I was out I'd just put it in my bag and fix it properly when I get home. You are so likely to ruin the temper its not even worth attempting. And I don't care what celebrity survival guru claims to do it, its a bad and outdated idea!

But Samon, when I'm out in the bush we are not playing. Our axe is used in winter for cutting wood, building shelters, cutting frozen meat for the dogs, chopping holes in ice to fish, cutting paths to kill game and other uses. We have to fix it where we are. We are often in huntin or fishing camps for several weeks long and many days travel from our cabin/homes.
You must come and visit some time.
 
Well whatever, I am not rehandling this axe in the bush but at home. Next task to clean up and rehandle an adze, got the head off that one no trouble as it was loose anyway.
 
But Samon, when I'm out in the bush we are not playing. Our axe is used in winter for cutting wood, building shelters, cutting frozen meat for the dogs, chopping holes in ice to fish, cutting paths to kill game and other uses. We have to fix it where we are. We are often in huntin or fishing camps for several weeks long and many days travel from our cabin/homes.
You must come and visit some time.

Ah, now that's when an axe is actually needed! I'd still recommend anything but burning the handle out though. A hand drill can be packed easilynand will have multiple uses. The rest can be made with a knife to extract the remnants.


Are Canadian badgers as blood thirsty as the English ones?
 
Well whatever, I am not rehandling this axe in the bush but at home. Next task to clean up and rehandle an adze, got the head off that one no trouble as it was loose anyway.

In the bush or at home, burning out an old handle isn't going to hurt an axe. That said, drilling is by far the easiest (quickest) way if you have access to power tools. The exception might be when the previous owner did a poor job and used too much metal shimming as you described.
 
I believe they're called wolverines. (I know, technically wolverines aren't badgers, they're weasels) LOL

Last night we watched a English badger on my friend's grass. Very tame. We feed him and he eats bread, currents(?) and bit of dog biscuits. In the south of our Canada there is a badger that looks similar.

The wolverine (Kihkwahakew, in Cree) is very powerful. Similiar size to badger but very, very strong. Can kill and drag deer or similar animal a long way and protect it from wolves & bears. Bad problem if you have one on trap line. They eat all your catch and take it away.
 
I'll tell yer sommat 'bout badgers me old pal me old beauty, they don't arf stink if you find a dead un! Chuffed as a bowl of badger fat yer won't be :)
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE