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.