Regenerated Hatchets

[rancid badger]

Some time back, I acquired a couple of "potentials" at a local car boot sale, covered in rust, neglected and in effect, thrown out. I cleaned them up, re-ground and sharpened them, gave them new ash handles/hafts and have been using them, along with a couple of other regenerated axes and hatchets ever since.



The smaller handled tool is an old Staniforths "Severquick" hatchet, with a lovely thin, more or less parallel profiled blade, making it a nice sharp carving tool




While the other one, is I believe, a "Danke" 600. It's hard to tell as the makers stamp is only half there but the actual shape of the tool is quite a common design, with several manufacturers copying it.
The profile of it's blade is very like the GB small forest axe, though it does have a bit more meat in the cheek.

The handles were made from local, riven ash and both tools are "shaving sharp" quite literally, you can shave off arm or leg hair with them, making them bite into the wood in use, rather than bounce off.

Of course, once you've sorted out your "new" hatchet or axe, you need to protect the edge from damage and you and others from the edge, so some leather-working is required;






You have to invest some time and effort into bringing these tools back to life, in these cases about 10 hours each, but it's well worth it.

thanks for looking and I hope one or two of you are inspired to rescue an old hatchet from a boot sale near you!

best wishes

Steve

 

[Macaroon]

Great stuff, I just love seeing tools like this brought back to life; I especially like the look of the Severquick as a carver

 

[ozzy1977]

Cracking job, I really must make a start on my collection in the shed think I have around 4 or 5.

 

[Samon]

You've done a fine job, mate. That little one is particularly nice!

Im waiting on some supplies I ordered to rehandle an axe I modded and returned a while back. I need a wooden wedge and some metal wedges to hand it good and tight!

In fact it started like looking almost identical to your larger axe! Mine was smaller though I think as it said 500 on it. It had the worst rust pitting I've ever seen too, it was a mess! I busted the handle I out back on after I finished the head.. So I haven't been able to use it in ages.




I reckon this thread could be a gallery for refurbished, regenerated and ressurected axes/hatchets!

Anyone else?

 

[sandbender]

Great stuff, just shows what can be done.

 

[DocG]

Agreed. Lovely work and an inspiring set of images.

 

[huntersforge]

Top Job steve. Love to see old stuff getting a new lease of life. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Demonwolf444]

I have a tiny skandvik hatchet head with a mean edge on it on a five foot long haft which used to be a splitting axe haft which broke.

The other day we were filling the log store up for winter and my dad laughed at me when he saw this little axe, which looks ridiculous, weighs next to nothing.

Its brilliant, the sharp edge and the long handle means you can swing it with your arm fully out stretched to stick into a log on the top of the log pile and pull it down with, using it like a pickaroon which saves climbing to the top of the pile and man handling them down. Its no good for splitting from a round because of the thin head profile and lack of weight, but because its so light with a long handle you can get some real speed behind the head so you can stand half a round on the chopping block and just shave wood burner sized logs off the outside of a large round. Because its so light weight you do not get tired using it and you can use is as a pickaroon picking up the cut logs to put them in the barrow to save your back. Its my new favorite tool. My dad now uses it too.

Reading up on pickaroons there apparently is a variant of a pickaroon with an axe like head, known as an axearoon. So i'm obviously not the first to find such a tool useful.

Its cool reading up on different tools as all tools were invented as labor saving devices to make a job easier, many have fallen out of use over time but that's not to say they are no longer useful so its funny when you discover something that makes a job easier only to discover people made the same discovery hundreds of hears ago.

Love seeing old tools put back to use, many of my wood working tools are rather old, i may have a slasher, bill hook and scythe to restore at some point.

 

[Tengu]

That's great, I have another hatchet head Ill post pics

 

[rancid badger]

Thanks everyone, for the kind comments.

I actually find "tinkering" quite therapeutic, almost addictive in fact!

I like the idea of a "restoration" section or maybe just a sticky, where folk can post up their latest restored "whatevers"

Thinking about it, I should have taken a lot more photo's and video of the things from start to finish but it never really crossed my mind with these.

Anyway, lets see a few more restored or modified old tools

Thanks again

Steve

 

[Demonwolf444]

I'll get some pictures up tomorrow, i think we should have a running thread for restorations of old things.