So, this Axe is warped! What can be done?

[MertzMan]

Firstly, I brought this for £1 at a car boot a few months ago and only really got around to inspecting it today prior to going to sharpen it. But for a quid I'm still happy with the quality of the haft!

The bottom half of the cutting edge is bent to the right of centre, extending into the ramp by an inch. The middle is bent the opposite way although on a milder angle and not as far as the bottom half. The top of the cutting edge is just blunt, not bent or warped.

It appears to have been abused as a kind of pry bar by the previous owner. The haft is superb however so I'm unsure on just throwing the head out or what. Any suggestions...

 

[Mesquite]

Can you get a picture posted of the cutting edge with a straight edge on it to show the problem?

 

[MertzMan]

Can you get a picture posted of the cutting edge with a straight edge on it to show the problem?

A picture is a 1000 words etc... so here we are... Hopefully my camera phone can show the problem...


I'm quite happy sharpening knives and axes but with this degree of warp I assume there is a penalty to be paid in terms of cutting efficiency.

EDIT: it's quite hard to show this warp in the pictures but sighting down the haft at the bit in person it is noticable.

 

[Mesquite]

Almost looks like it's a side axe

 

[ozzy1977]

I would just sharpen it and keep it for rough jobs like cutting roots and stumps

 

[Big Stu 12]

I would just sharpen it and keep it for rough jobs like cutting roots and stumps

Same here something I would not worry about too, much.. you never know it may well of been like it since it birth..... OK in an ideal world, and for teh purrests out there is of no use..

To me I would just throw it in my Molassas Mix clean it up, sharpen it re helve it, and use it for the rough work.. or just mod it, cut the edge back with a grinder to leave the parreallest bit if the edge to the heleve, and make a nice small lightweight Pack Axe.... the fact it to one side does not matter .. just off set the helve a bit....

 

[robin wood]

yep just sharpen it and use it. You would very quickly get the feel of an axe like that nothing to worry about.

 

[MertzMan]

Thank you for the advice chaps. I guess my question was a little bit more theoretical than actually practical. I certainly wasn't complaining about it given the price I paid. Nice to hear the words or wisdom from some of you more experienced chaps and chapesses and make sure I'm on the right track. There's not really anyone local to me I know who is even remotely interested in anything close to bush craft.

 

[Firebow Swagger]

I would heat up the a 20mm strip from top to bottom on the convex side until it goes red with a little blow torch. it will expand at first but as it cools it will shrink past its starting point and straighten up the kink.

Once its straight (if you can be bothered)heat the whole thing till nonmagnetic and quench it in oil then re-temper it ...loads of advice on this in these forums

I would suggest bending it cold with a a monkey wrench on a scaffold pole and vice. But closing a wedge shape in a vice is a silly thing to do and could result in stitches in your face.

But don't hit it with a big hammer, no matter how tempted ,it could split or chip ...resulting in stitches in your face and a broken axe

the other option is to leave it alone and just tell everyone its and american import so its left hand drive

 

[Stew]

I would heat up the a 20mm strip from top to bottom on the convex side until it goes red with a little blow torch. it will expand at first but as it cools it will shrink past its starting point and straighten up the kink.

Once its straight (if you can be bothered)heat the whole thing till nonmagnetic and quench it in oil then re-temper it ...loads of advice on this in these forums

So you reckon do a localised heat to change the curve by expanding/contracting one section more than another but then you'll follow it with an all over heat....
Something a bit dodgy there...

 

[Firebow Swagger]

Yeah its dodgy I straightened a meat clever the same way and it didn't fail (thinking on it the clever was stainless). It would be better for the shape not to re-temper it but that will leave the soft strip, If you have an anvil smack it flat before you quench it but that involves removing the handle etc

so it is best left alone

 

[Stew]

so it is best left alone

Indeed.

Just use it and sharpen the 'high points' more than the other bits and it may straighten in time.

 

[MertzMan]

Yet again, top advice. Thank you all.

I'm in the process of setting myself up for home heat treatment so I may as well give this a go after blow torching the end. It will have to wait until I head back home for the Christmas holidays, If I can get the time then! Not sure why I didn't think of heat treatment this morning but I'd always associated it with keeping a straight edge rather than as a part of a process of correcting a warped one.

It will be good practise for the stock removal knife I'm making and I won't really mind if it doesn't go to plan.