Restoring an old axe

[Leshy]

So I found this badboy on one of my jobs , and it was destined to the skip .
Being the hoarder that I am , decided to keep it and restore it .
It will come useful as I need to chop loads of logs that I've been foraging for the burner ... So perfect timing it was .

It was in a poor state , the bit was covered in rust and the haft dirty and in dire need of some love ...

 

[Leshy]

So I soaked the bit in white vinegar overnight , which made the rust removal a lot easier and sanded the haft.
It came out good and now I can even read that maker's mark (Sandvik) which swmbo told me it's a place in scandiland!!
If that it's a scandilandian axe of some description then I'm happy.....as they are famous for making fairly decent axes



The next step will be to put an edge on it and get it scary sharp again ... I hope .
Followed by oiling the haft and get a mask on it ...

Battered and bruised but most definitely a workhorse , this one will see more work here ...
And besides keeps out of mischief and gives me great pleasure to bring an old tool back to life again...

...to be continued...

 

[Janne]

Excellent find!
Yep, a quality Swedish axe!
Sandvik/Sandviken en is a town and famous steel works north north west - ish of Stockholm.
You guys will recognize the steel they make as the blade steels in Morakniv knives plus lots of others, including some very expensive Japanese kitchen knives..

Sandviken steel industry never made axes as such, they were made by one of the other axe manufacturers. Wetterlings up until the 1970's.
Bahco, another Swedish company, bought the tool department from Sandviken.


They were painted orange-red, so that trace of the colour is the original paint.

Oldfashioned quality, will last you your life out!

 

[Leshy]

Thanks for all the info Janne !
Much appreciated.

Arya was right , she already had told me it was most definitely a Bahco made in Sandviken.
She is such a smart cookie, not just a pretty face ....

Anyhow , this axe will chop more wood again soon , just needs a keen edge

 

[Janne]

No. Sandviken made by Wetterlings ( if older than late 70’s.
Bahco were marked Bahco!

 

[WealdenWoodsman]

From my understanding the early Sandvik axes were indeed made by Wetterlings and are marked 'SANDVIK SWEDEN'. The later axes with just 'SANDVIK' (sometimes SANDVIK GERMANY) were manufactured by Helko Werk in Germany. They do sometimes turn up with their makers stamp hidden under the old paint or a simple 'HW' under the poll.

I have a later 4lb and it takes a very good edge and importantly keeps it!

 

[Tony]

Looking forward to seeing where this goes Leshy

 

[Leshy]

From my understanding the early Sandvik axes were indeed made by Wetterlings and are marked 'SANDVIK SWEDEN'. The later axes with just 'SANDVIK' (sometimes SANDVIK GERMANY) were manufactured by Helko Werk in Germany. They do sometimes turn up with their makers stamp hidden under the old paint or a simple 'HW' under the poll.

I have a later 4lb and it takes a very good edge and importantly keeps it!

Nice . Thanks for the info .
I'm happy to bring it back to life regardless .
I've been filing an edge back on it, blooming hard work , and then will go over it with the stones before oiling the haft.
Doesn't really need to be razor sharp but I do like it like that so I will .
More soon ...

 

[Arya]

From what I've heard Sandvik and Bacho eventually fused, and their axes were made by the same factory in Germany.
So today, you will get an axe that says Bacho instead of Sandvik.
Is that correct?
It confuses me a bit since you can still get Sandvik saws... But maybe they just fused the axe departements? Or those saws are made by another company with the same name? Does anyone know?
Nice job on that axe Leshy! I hope it is of great help to you in the future when it's nice and sharp again!

 

[Janne]

Correct, first they were made in Sweden, then Germany.

Gods know where they are made today.

I dislike that Gransfors are now forcing people buy these artisan made, expensive axes. I see no improvement in quality between those and the more 'standard' production axes made in Sweden in the past.

Finding an old quality axe is the way to go!

 

[Broch]

Finding an old quality axe is the way to go!

Yep, preferably late 19th century

The saws are sold as Bahco here as well. It may just be my imagination but I'm not sure the wood-working tools are as good as they were when Sandvik

 

[Janne]

I bought a Bahco felling axe last year, to use to chop dry birch logs ( I buy it dry and ready chopped) and am not happy with it, so I use an old rusty axe ( manufacture unknown, very rusty) I sharpened.
The Bahco I have has a composite handle.

Maybe I should restore the head of the old axe as the results shown on this forum are so fantastic!

In fact I found several rusty axe heads in the cellar.

 

[Leshy]

I bought a Bahco felling axe last year, to use to chop dry birch logs ( I buy it dry and ready chopped) and am not happy with it, so I use an old rusty axe ( manufacture unknown, very rusty) I sharpened.
The Bahco I have has a composite handle.

Maybe I should restore the head of the old axe as the results shown on this forum are so fantastic!

In fact I found several rusty axe heads in the cellar.

Yup , white vinegar makes easy work of it.
Soak the bit overnight and the next day the rust comes off easy when scrubbed.
Easy .

 

[Janne]

Thank you, will do!
You get so many (crazy) ideas on this forum!

 

[Robson Valley]

The edge. Logging companies and log home builders here commonly use 2 types of axes.

One has a sharp edge and is used for felling, limb pruning and other cutting needs.
The other is a dull edged axe for splitting.
Dull, it can't cut into fiber and stall. You don't bust a gut trying to pull a jammed axe out of a wet log.
Mechanically, the wood fiber parts ahead of the dulled edge and splits in the manner of a wedge.
Same intention as a splitting maul.

 

[Janne]

Now, that is interesting......
I doubt anybody here thought of that!

When I go back to do some more fishing ( Halibut in summer) I will try one of the rusty, dull ones to split some wood.

 

[Robson Valley]

I do have hard-core loggers in my family. They gift you axes for your birthday.

I use a 1.5kg log mallet with my froe for splitting carving woods.
The froe edge is 1mm wide. Sharper wouldn't split well at all.
Then I can walk the split down the log with a bunch of wooden wedges and the mallet.

 

[Broch]

Now, that is interesting......
I doubt anybody here thought of that!

When I go back to do some more fishing ( Halibut in summer) I will try one of the rusty, dull ones to split some wood.

Sorry Janne, pretty standard in our household to have a pruning axe and a splitting axe - not only less sharp but with a broader ground angle. It does depend on the wood though, a really tight grain or a very cold log is difficult to enter with the less sharp edge.

 

[Janne]

I only ever use an axe to fine split wood for the woodburner, so that info is quite useful.
For reluctant, knotty wood I have a wedge. Smack it into the wood using the back end of the axe.

 

[Broch]

I only ever use an axe to fine split wood for the woodburner, so that info is quite useful.
For reluctant, knotty wood I have a wedge. Smack it into the wood using the back end of the axe.

I'm really biting my tongue now Janne; that's what a sledge hammer is for