Author Topic: what to do? (Read 3283 times)

oldfart · « **on:** March 23, 2011, 12:51:01 PM »

i have been invited to go on a camping trip in may, my problem is as i was going thru my stuff i have a problem with my hatchet. the wooden handle is no good as it hasn't been used in years, it was my fathers and i just put it up when he passed and just now got it down. i went to my local hardware store and checked on handles hickory or ash are $3.95, but they have new stainless steel hatchets (mine is carbon) with fiberglass handles for $9.95. the new hatchets have a thick spot in the middle of the head and very dull head but a little filing and they would probably smooth out, my dads hatchet has a nice wedge shape that slowly tapers from back to front. i'm asking what would ya'll do? buy a new handle for my dads hatchet or get a new fiberglass stainless hatchet? thanks for any help

blind ear · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2011, 12:59:40 PM »

I would fix the old one but I might leave it at home unless I was sure it wouldn't get misplaced on the camping trip. If the handle is just srunken and loose you might soak it in mineral oil and let it swell back up thght, replace the wedges if they have fallen out. ear

Curtis · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2011, 04:08:47 PM »

I keep telling myself I'm going to buy one of them "modern" Gerber or other brand fancy hachets, but I just keep buying hickory handles for my old trusty one when needed. I guess that tells you what I'd do!

Curtis

mechanic · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2011, 04:29:50 PM »

Don't waste money on the cheapo's like the Coleman. You need a 4# hammer to drive it through a stick of wood. The Gerber is a good investment, or a handle for your Dad's. I gave the Coleman to the grandkids to lose in the woods or whatever....it was that good.

Ben

Hooker · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2011, 08:01:30 PM »

Estwing make a great camp axe I keep one in my 4x4.
Wooden handled hatchets and hammers I soak in anti freeze the green stuff not the ELC.

Pat

Winter Hawk · « **Reply #5 on:** March 25, 2011, 07:09:50 PM »

Put a new handle on your Dad's hatchet. Whenever you use it, you will think of him and that's a good thing (usually). I have my Father's hatchet which is darned near 100 years old. I don't use it much as I prefer a 3# head axe (a Collins which I also inherited from the old man) but when I do it brings him back to life in my memories!

-WH-

powderman · « **Reply #6 on:** March 26, 2011, 07:41:14 AM »

OLDFART. That old hatchet was made for using, not looking at. Fix the handle or buy a new one. Your Dad would be proud to see ya use it. POWDERMAN.

oldfart · « **Reply #7 on:** March 26, 2011, 07:46:57 AM »

thanks guys, i'll get a new handle monday. with the blade being carbon steel will i need to keep it oiled alot? thanks

blind ear · « **Reply #8 on:** March 26, 2011, 12:36:37 PM »

just a good coat wiped dry after use and check it now and then. You can polish the head up and rub it down with raw cabbage or lemon juice and give it a black patina that is a good rust preventative then wash it well and oil it. ear

Dee · « **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2011, 02:44:56 PM »

Quote from: oldfart on March 26, 2011, 07:46:57 AM

thanks guys, i'll get a new handle monday. with the blade being carbon steel will i need to keep it oiled alot? thanks

Well, it seems you've made up your mind already, but I was going to ask you: What would your ole daddy do? I think you've already figured it out.

Winter Hawk · « **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2011, 07:00:06 PM »

I've gone to using Johnson's paste wax or Turtle wax on my guns & tools. Clean up the hatchet, make sure it's dry, then put a couple of coats of wax on. Works for me....

-WH-

Dee · « **Reply #11 on:** March 27, 2011, 02:07:18 AM »

Back in the old days we waxed our pistols, and shotguns, and Winchesters, ( a few Marlins), to keep them from rusting. This was of course, Law Enforcement BEFORE, stainless steel handguns, and Mini 14s, and AR15s.
I wish I had thought to buy one of those Model 27 Smiths, and one of those Model 94 Winchesters stamped: Texas Dept. Of Public Safety (THP).

bilmac · « **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2011, 02:28:26 AM »

I have been putting new handles on lots of tools lately. I have been putting either polyurathane glue or epoxy in the joint as I put them together. I think maybe the epoxy is better. I soak loose heads in linseed oil, raw is better. I also use the linseed to coat the whole tool including the head when I put them away in the fall.

Dee · « **Reply #13 on:** March 27, 2011, 02:34:37 AM »

Not many people nowadays remember to do that bilmac. When I was a kid, an axe was an important tool around the place. Of course then a draw blade was too.

pastorp · « **Reply #14 on:** March 27, 2011, 03:16:09 AM »

Shoot Dee, I thought when you were a kid they still used stone tools..............

Regards,

Dee · « **Reply #15 on:** March 27, 2011, 03:40:33 AM »

Well pastorp as a matter of fact we did. My grand father had a big grind "STONE". It was mounted on a frame with a seat, and one pedal. You turned it with the pedal and sharpened hoes, axes, or anything else that needed sharpening. Low tech, ancient, but effective.

Winter Hawk · « **Reply #16 on:** March 27, 2011, 05:31:33 PM »

My word, Dee! That brings back memories. I keep looking for a pedal grinding wheel but they aren't to be found. They did the job, and you didn't have to worry about burning the edge like these electric wheels will!

-Kees-

Dee · « **Reply #17 on:** March 27, 2011, 06:17:42 PM »

Some of these youngsters missed out on a lot didn't they WH? Ever wonder why a plow handle Colt single action "just fits the hand", or how an old Winchester just naturally shoulders, and points. No customized grips needed, or stock alterations. The old timers knew what worked, and how to make it fit.
It's like the 38 S&W. Now a days it's too light for protection, but many a badass is in the grave yard with a 38 S&W hole in them. We could actually use some of the "LOST" stone age knowledge.
They made their livin, and fed their families, and protected them, with sticks and rocks, and we debate what kind of hatchet handle we need.

Victor3 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 28, 2011, 07:00:24 PM »

One of my Son's Boy Scout acheivements was axe/hatchet use & care. My Dad and I found this head at a dump some 40 years ago. Buster Brown Shoes promo item. I dug it out, got a handle for it and me and the boy fixed it up...

Used Acraglas to fill in the gap around the opening, let it harden, then drove in the wedges coated with more Acraglas. I don't expect it'll be coming apart anytime soon...

mechanic · « **Reply #19 on:** March 29, 2011, 02:00:59 AM »

Good job Victor, and a very usable tool! My personal favorite is a "boys axe", which is a notch bigger than a hatchet, but smaller than a full size axe. I cut the haft a bit shorter than it comes, and it has enough weight to do some real work without being too big to carry.

Ben

bilmac · « **Reply #20 on:** March 29, 2011, 05:14:54 PM »

+1 Mechanic, the boys axe is an excellent cutting tool. Smaller and lighter than a full size axe, but big enough to do some real work. Actually I think I can do more work with a boys axe because it doesn't wear me out as fast. Another great axe is a cruisers axe which is about the same size, but with a tomahawk shaped head. Maybe a little lighter, but it may be a little harder to keep the head tight on the handle because the head isn't as deep.

Dee · « **Reply #21 on:** March 29, 2011, 05:17:24 PM »

Dang Victor I'd like to have that axe. That's a great heirloom, and useful too. I remember when they advertised Buster Brown Shoes.

Winter Hawk · « **Reply #22 on:** April 13, 2011, 07:27:58 AM »

"I remember when they advertised Buster Brown Shoes."

Me too!

-WH-

blind ear · « **Reply #23 on:** April 13, 2011, 02:10:02 PM »

Buster Brown shoes and watching Tarzan on Sunday afternoon.

oldfart · « **Reply #24 on:** April 17, 2011, 10:19:52 AM »

well i went and got a nice handle for my dads hatchet and it really looks nice. i cleaned the hatchet up and found out that its made in my home state of kentucky, its got belk nap- louisville, ky. i got most of the rust off and recoated it, put the handle on and tried it out. it really holds an edge very good and i've always called small axes as hatchets. thanks to everyone who helped, i really feel good when i use it, sorta like my dad is there with me chopping the wood as he did for many years. thanks again.

gcrank1 · « **Reply #25 on:** May 25, 2012, 01:43:44 PM »

I have an old Boy Scout hatchet that was my uncles, he gave it to me when I was about 10. Dont remember when the wood handle gave out, but I kept it in my jumble. About 20 yrs ago I dug it out and put the broke off end of a deerleg axe handle on it, runs about 18" and is way sweet to carry and use. IIRC it goes under 2# and the extra swing really gets the job done (and that old steel holds an edge). I like keeping and using stuff that has been with my family, or friends.

jpshaw · « **Reply #26 on:** January 08, 2013, 04:57:37 AM »

Maybe it's just Louisiana but no body carries a hatchet around here. However I keep a machete in the truck at all times. Carry it sometimes for hiking, all the time for camping and during hunting season everyone has one in their truck.