I found an axe head. Need advice. Pic heavy.

[R_Fonseca]

I was digging up some lawn to make a flower bed in the garden when I hit something hard. A hatchet head. I know it's not an ancient artifact by the broken fiberglass in the eye.

I cleaned it up with a wire brush on the drill and removed the remaining handle.

Now, I'm trying to decide whether I should go ahead and put a handle on and sharpen it. It weighs 620g.

What's giving me pause is the pitting. I'm not sure if it's cause for concern or a safety issue. I've taken a few photos in the hope that someone with more axe experience can have a look and share thoughts. My gut says that it'll be okay... but I'm aware that my gut doesn't know a thing about this.

https://flic.kr/p/2oA8Q8b

https://flic.kr/p/2oAaPF9

https://flic.kr/p/2oAba88

https://flic.kr/p/2oA9FNr

https://flic.kr/p/2oAba4L

 

[R_Fonseca]

Here are the rest of the pictures

https://flic.kr/p/2oAaPAp

https://flic.kr/p/2oA8Q4U

https://flic.kr/p/2oA9FHB

https://flic.kr/p/2oAb9Zx

https://flic.kr/p/2oA8PYZ

 

[Droidy]

If you can find someone with a dry grit blaster that will clean all the corrosion pits and if you paint it straight away they will be sealed up and won't carry on growing.
You can then continue buffing up the outside some more.

 

[Mesquite]

I've seen axes with a lot more pitting brought back to a new working life than your axe has.

Just look at it as a learning experience in sharpening and fitting a new handle.

 

[Ystranc]

A small plastic carton with a 10% solution of washing soda, then connect the positive terminal of a car battery to a nail and the negative to the axe head submerge both the axe head and the nail in the soda solution with a small gap between them. The axe head will begin to fizz and rust will fall away over a 12 hour period. You can examine the axe properly after that looking for cracks, the pitting shouldn’t be an issue as long as there aren’t any actual cracks.

 

[Broch]

Whereas I love doing up old axes, I have to say that I don't think the effort is worth it in this case; sorry. If it was an old late-nineteenth/early twentieth century English axe head yes, but this is a recent low-cost axe that you could replace for a tenner and has no soul.

Apologies if this seems very negative, but life is short.

 

[Stew]

Or use molasses to derust.

 

[R_Fonseca]

Thanks for the suggestions all.

I'll give it a go. Just going to get the rest of the rust off. I don't think there any cracks in this.

Whereas I love doing up old axes, I have to say that I don't think the effort is worth it in this case; sorry. If it was an old late-nineteenth/early twentieth century English axe head yes, but this is a recent low-cost axe that you could replace for a tenner and has no soul.

Apologies if this seems very negative, but life is short.

No need to apologize. You're right in many ways. As far as axes go it's not worth anything. But if it still has life in it, it's just the cost of a handle and a bit of time. I don't even need it. I have a 600g hatchet clean and sharp, ready to go. This is just for the fun of saving something I found buried under the grass. One of those things when you use it and tell people... You know, I found that under the lawn over there and cleaned it up... Maybe it's soul comes from that. Maybe it's crappy to use... Who knows

 

[Ystranc]

Who knows, the last crappy lump of rust that I cleaned up turned out to be a Gilpin.

 

[Tengu]

It found you. it wants to be used.

 

[demographic]

Axe heads are pretty overbuilt so personally I wouldn't worry about the pitting as long as you can get a reasonably decent edge on it.

If you make something usable that you need then its worth the effort, if you just learn something valuable in the process its still worth the effort.

Don't forget that whatever you do, its gonna look great from my house.

 

[Kav]

Consider it an apprenticeship for the Viking axe and gold jewelry next time. Oh wait, that’s state property.

 

[R_Fonseca]

Consider it an apprenticeship for the Viking axe and gold jewelry next time. Oh wait, that’s state property.

You know with the difficulty of getting rentals here, if I found something like that, I'd quietly cover it up again and never mention it.

 

[R_Fonseca]

Small update, for anyone who's interested
.
Here it is after 24 hours in vinegar and a quick scrub with a scouring pad. It's what I had on hand at home and am actually surprised how well that worked. There are still a few spots inside a few of the pitts, but I think a bit of elbow grease will sort them out. Then I'll fill them with a clear coat after degreasing as suggested above.

A bit of pitting right on the edge is annoying, but I'll see how it goes when I take the file to it. Ordering a handle for it now (Local stores don't have anything this size unfortunately, so have to wait)
I'll share another pic when it's done. Won't be too different - I don't have any intention of shining it up. Then all going well, I'll need to figure out a sheath without spending more money on this. Probably duct tape.

@Ystranc - I've been dying to do the washing soda and battery thing, but didn't have the stuff on hand. I'll see how I go with this one. There's a 4lb head laying around here that's rusty, but in much better condition than the little one. That's going to be a good excuse. I reckon I'll do that at some point, even though I have no use for an axe that size.

https://flic.kr/p/2oAtdhE

https://flic.kr/p/2oAwYSn

 

[Hammock_man]

Good as new (had it been made by me).
Plus those marks look like a map of the 14 iceni major settlements and the 4 Roman forts. { or some other bull***t you tell the person you sell it too}

 

[Kav]

Funny, There was a time ( set up misty fog machine) when a bit of fine steel was worth a fortune. Now it’s single use plastic for single use junk. You just saw a brief flash of a ancient trader exchanging a wicker basket of iron with a blacksmith cleaning that up. Turns fog machine back on.

 

[Jared]

It's sometimes handy to have a beat up axe, for things like cutting roots.
Used to use one that I'm pretty sure someone put in a fire or something to burn the handle out or something. It was soft as. Useful for stump removal.

 

[Kiri]

One of those things when you use it and tell people... You know, I found that under the lawn over there and cleaned it up... Maybe it's soul comes from that. Maybe it's crappy to use... Who knows

Makes you wonder how it ended up under your lawn in the first place… maybe check for a nearby body.

 

[R_Fonseca]

Makes you wonder how it ended up under your lawn in the first place… maybe check for a nearby body.

Same applies as before... Slowly cover it back up and don't mention it... Just kidding... I think.

It's sometimes handy to have a beat up axe, for things like cutting roots.
Used to use one that I'm pretty sure someone put in a fire or something to burn the handle out or something. It was soft as. Useful for stump removal.

This is what I think it'll end being for. Just random stuff in the garden... Especially old roots when digging. Though a sharp spade does a good job unless it's something really thick. Maybe if I like it I'll downgrade the fibreglass one (also crappy hardware store stuff, but it's worked for a few years now).

I have a handle now... But will probably only get it on next week. My wife has my weekend schedule packed.

 

[Ystranc]

Small update, for anyone who's interested
.
Here it is after 24 hours in vinegar and a quick scrub with a scouring pad. It's what I had on hand at home and am actually surprised how well that worked. There are still a few spots inside a few of the pitts, but I think a bit of elbow grease will sort them out. Then I'll fill them with a clear coat after degreasing as suggested above.

A bit of pitting right on the edge is annoying, but I'll see how it goes when I take the file to it. Ordering a handle for it now (Local stores don't have anything this size unfortunately, so have to wait)
I'll share another pic when it's done. Won't be too different - I don't have any intention of shining it up. Then all going well, I'll need to figure out a sheath without spending more money on this. Probably duct tape.

@Ystranc - I've been dying to do the washing soda and battery thing, but didn't have the stuff on hand. I'll see how I go with this one. There's a 4lb head laying around here that's rusty, but in much better condition than the little one. That's going to be a good excuse. I reckon I'll do that at some point, even though I have no use for an axe that size.

https://flic.kr/p/2oAtdhE

https://flic.kr/p/2oAwYSn

I did an Army clasp knife with that method that started off looking like a potato made of rust. My difficulty was finding enough metal to make an electrical contact…I forgot to mention, only use steel wire to connect the anode and cathode to the battery not copper wire unless you fancy a very thin copper electroplating effect.