Norlund hatchet - £8 car boot score

[Xunil]

I mentioned this in another thread and, as I recall, was called a 'git' as a result.

I assume this is a bushcraft acronym for something complementary, rather than the more standard use of the word...



Totally untouched as yet by my own fair (!?!?!?) hand(s), this was what a few minutes of negotiation bought me for £8 at a car boot fair recently:

With a part-modified, super-sharp convex ground Cold Steel Trail Hawk and a Gransfors Mini for scale:

Geometry compared to the GB mini, and you can see where someone has tried to re-wedge the head:

And next to a Husky, again, for scale, and also to demonstrate that I have far too many axes for my own good:

I may be a git but I'm a smug one

Best of all is I got a same-size Norlund head in more or less unmarked condition for £2 at the same car boot (different seller) a couple of weeks after this score, so I guess that makes me a git to the power of two, or is that a git squared ?



Needs a little TLC and I think I will make a new handle rather than rework the existing one, but with a little work it should just about come up to muster...

 

[dave53]

git squared lol nice one buddy

 

[Hoodoo]

Great score. That's a good one. The 3/4 Norlund axe is also a great one if you happen to luck out. Norlund double bit hatchets go for crazy money on ebay as well.

 

[Everything Mac]

I mentioned this in another thread and, as I recall, was called a 'git' as a result.

I assume this is a bushcraft acronym for something complementary, rather than the more standard use of the word...



I may be a git but I'm a smug one

Best of all is I got a same-size Norlund head in more or less unmarked condition for £2 at the same car boot (different seller) a couple of weeks after this score, so I guess that makes me a git to the power of two, or is that a git squared ?



Needs a little TLC and I think I will make a new handle rather than rework the existing one, but with a little work it should just about come up to muster...

A smug git indeed. LMAO.

Very nice find Xunil.


I'm not jealous...honest.

Andy

 

[bb07]

Great find. Two now, eh? Careful you don't get robbed!

 

[Ian S]

....I have far too many axes for my own good....

I do not understand this concept. Please explain.

 

[Tengu]

Nor me....

 

[Xunil]

I got a little free time today after helping a mate of mine on his farm shearing sheep. He was let down at the last moment and I was drafted in to help

It's a few years since I last did any shearing and it showed today - I don't envy the sheep who, I am pretty sure, were drawing straws to see which sacrificial victim they would send my way next...

Anyhow, this evening turned quiet (can't have any of that) so I gave the Norlund a little once-over to re-edge it.

As I bought it:

Edge marked up with permanent marker to highlight the area I want to work with (note: I don't do this myself any more but I highly recommend the method to anyone who hasn't worked on a lot of axes - stops you making some really stupid mistakes - as me how I know this... ):

A minute or so on a fresh 60 grit belt in my metal munching home-built belt grinder:

Note that the above shot shows the very edge remains untouched as yet - I want to do more work behind the edge and blend into the actual edge at the last stage.

Cleaned up on a 400 grit belt to get rid of any coarse grinding marks and begin the blend to the edge proper:

A few more 400 grit passes and then inked in with permanent marker to check for coarse grit leftover marks:

Close-up of the above shot showing the entire area I've worked on and the beginnings of the final edging:

600 grit blend on the entire area I've worked on, and about to convex right into the edge itself (you can still see a fine line of black marker along the very edge):

Edge fully blended and half a dozen strops each side with Solvol Autosol, able to effortlessly and cleanly slice very thin curls from A4 paper:

The process is basically the same with hand tools, only it takes a little longer. You can achieve the same with a good file and several grits of wet and dry on a mouse mat, and if that's all you have it is more than enough to get the job done.

I'd like to reassure everyone that no axes were harmed in the process, and making the Norlund this sharp has nothing to do with the very real possibility of a return visit to my mate's farm in the morning to shear more stroppy sheep ...

 

[Soundmixer]

Very nice mate. Must look closer at the next boot sale.

 

[joejoe]

wasnt a farm in consett by any chance

 

[Xunil]

wasnt a farm in consett by any chance

Nope - about 70 miles north and maybe a few west for good measure.

You're not blaming me for any crappy shearing in County Durham

 

[joejoe]

no just reminded of a friend have not seen in a while