Vintage Axes and Garden Equipment

[lux]

On 17/03/2024 at 17:04, Botty Cough said:

I did consider giving it to my farrier.

Depends how much heat is required I guess. Obviously dipping it after makes it stronger.

Being older the metal should be a better quality but I'm kind of thinking leave it as is ,. 

It's been well used and I kind of like that

If you reshape it , heat it with the oxy torch very localised to the 'mushroomed' area. Introducing any colours that spread could do more harm than good. Quenching after heat will harden it but its a striking tool so you will want to temper it as well. Probably 2-3 cycles of tempering. If you dont know what colours you are looking for at the quenching stage take it to non magnetic and you will be in the ball park. 

Personally I would just leave the deformation, if its on the original handle still, the head is part of the story / history of it. 

[Botty Cough]

13 hours ago, lux said:

 

Personally I would just leave the deformation, if its on the original handle still, the head is part of the story / history of it. 

I think I'm inclined to leave it as is.

I like it and it's part of the house really.👍

[sime42]

Here's a bit of a derail but still within the bounds of the thread I think.

So I went to a water powered forge mill at the weekend. They used to make farming and other metal tools, including bill hooks and I think axes. Fascinating to see how such things were made. The wheels were actually running and some of the machines and tools. Plus an awful lot of heavy, rusty, wrought iron lying around the place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://churchillforge.org.uk/

 

 

[roys]

On 15/02/2024 at 15:16, roys said:

Look what I found in the woods today. No not the steel rule.

As an update, my mate has turned a bit of hickory to make a new handle. 

[sime42]

Lovely job.

[roys]

3 minutes ago, sime42 said:

Lovely job.

Thank you, just noticed a marking above the “Made in England” mark, I think it says “Brades”

[sime42]

Nice, one of the best. A piece of fine Yam Yam, or (more politely, Black Country) engineering.

 

 

[openspaceman]

I was given this, and some other stuff, from a house clearance today.

 

It is a Kent style felling axe but the handle was not original and too short. It weighs 0.8kg or short of 2lb.

 

The inscription is:

 

       4

D?. B&Co Ltd

       ?

Warranted

 

 

Does anyone know this manufacturer?

[openspaceman]

On 21/05/2024 at 12:48, roys said:

As an update, my mate has turned a bit of hickory to make a new handle. 

Smart but what's to stop the head flying off? Does it look like the tang has bent straight again?

[roys]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

Smart but what's to stop the head flying off? Does it look like the tang has bent straight again?

Cheers, but I’m not sure what you mean, it is a 6” tang and other than friction from hammering the handle onto the tang nowt to stop it coming off, but how else would / could you do to it to make it more secure? 

I know with kukri’s they allow the end of the tang to poke out the end of the handle where it is then (peaned) mushroomed over but I haven’t seen that done on a billhook, of course willing to be corrected on that.