Big Brother Bearded Ax

As promised, here is the update on the second half of the double bit ax. The head was given a long cycle of baths rotating between a bleach bath, warm dish soap and rinse, and an extended stay in a vinegar mixture. The mixture is vinegar, salt, and a touch of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer. If you try this be really careful about contamination between the bleach and vinegar. Chlorine gas is nasty stuff, even in small doses, and death doesn't agree with my complexion. The general idea was a heavier carving ax that could stand up against some chopping, splitting, and batoning.

The final product is an artificially aged medium sized chopper with good weight and balance. It fits well in the hand and the scale makes it look a bit like something from an anime. It actually has me plotting a story about a huntsman's daughter set in a manga style alternate universe. Have to tread a fine line to avoid looking like a hunger games knock off. I think the first step is make her a little less emo.

Here's the stats:

Handle: scavenged bradford pear

Overall Length: 16"

Handle Width: 1.5"

Head: recycled antique double bit

Butt to Bit: 7.5"

Bit Length: 4.5"

Head Width: 1" at haft

Total Weight: 3#

The antiquing on the head was tricky, but it really makes the piece. The warm colors and the striped chatoyancy in the handle were pure luck. Bradford pear is known for this type of grain pattern due to the crossing grain. the down side is it is a nightmare to split, and tricky to carve. 

The upside is that it will sand and scrape to a beautiful sheen, and you can easily get a glass like finish by 400 grit or so. I have yet to turn any, but I'd imagine tear outs are likely. If you plan to use a block plane on it, keep it sharp. The random grain makes that a challenge too. 

The last thing I need to do is put a final sharpening on it. I did a mid angle bevel grind on the smaller of the pair, so I'm thinking a slightly more aggressive flat grind on this one. The wedge is made from a split of hedge apple, and the yellow/orange sets it off. The width required to haft a double bladed ax head shifted the carving grip down slightly on the handle, but the hefty hunk of timber left on the end sets the balance point right below my index finger in an up-close working grip.

Sometimes You Just Need an Ax

So, I found myself needing a new caving ax. My previous version was hot forged out of a leaf spring and hafted into the handle in a rather primitive style. During the Easter trip home I hit the flea markets with my father-in-law with the intentions of picking up a antiuqe, vintage, or just plain rusty ax head I could modify for my purposes.

Thanks to my my bargain hunting buddy's quick eye, and a five dollar bill I came into possession of this high carbon lovely patina bearing beauty.

It quickly occurred to us that twice the blades meant two axes if I was careful while rough cutting.

I chunked a two dollar cutting wheel on the 4.5" angle grinder and I had two ax head blanks.The primary concern is overheating the cuttig edge, but a nearby bucket of water keeps the heat in check. An occasional quick dip was all that was needed.

The general idea was a pair of bearded axes.

Some additional shaping with with a grinding wheel and a 40 grit flap sander yeilded a couple of pleasing shapes.There was little attention given to the surface finish, as the intention is to induce rust pitting, followed by a vinegar etching. The rust is encouraged by soaking the steel in a bleach and salt water solution. It is pointless to do any sharpening before this step. The cutting edge would just get eaten away. The additional swirls, scratches, and imperfections make me smile, so I skipped the polishing. After a few years of handling the steel should develop a nice warm patina that invites you to handle and use the the tool without fear of hurting it. I like my gear to be attractive, yet still rugged.

To that end, the first piece and the smaller of the two, got a hand cut oak handle. A red oak trim board could have been obtained easily enough, but that would have underminded the intended idea and aesthetic.

I found a suitable piece of oak in a pile of five inch thick branches that were rescued last month, before they could make the trip to the dump. After the general shape was carved the head was mounted.

The final shaping and sanding process was followed by a ferric acetate wood stain. This sounds impressive, but it is pretty simple. Soak some fine oil free steel wool in vinegar for at least twenty-four hours. When you brush this solution on a tannin heavy wood like oak the tannins react with the iron and turn a deep grey black. If the wood you want to stain is not tannin rich, brew some strong black tea and brush it over the wood. Let it dry, and then apply the vinegar solution.

I followed that up with a commercial walnut colored stain and seal in one that I had lying around. The result is a deep brown with heavy black sinews.

The unique bone shape is an artifact caused by a nasty looking knot at the base of the handle. Once I carved around it I fell in love with the extra detail. The grip is extremely comfortable and feels natural. The heft and balance are perfect whether battoning or carving up close. There is a slight twist along the length that makes the aim instinctive. The steel isn't as high carbon as it could be, but it has held an edge well under pretty heavy use. Overall I couldn't be more pleased with the results, and now I have a nice ax to carve the handle for his big brother.