How To Cleaning NOS-ish axe

G

Glenn Bailey

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Jun 1, 2017
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I'm interested in folks' approaches in cleaning NOS (or near) axes. I just lucked into a late 1940's gem (for me) that has a good amount of surface grim but lots of original paint. It also has blue chalk running down the original handle. New territory for me. Thanks to anyone who's willing to share their secrets for cleaning the head and/or handle.
 
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thank phantom- I'll try that for rust spots. I do think the first picture might have misrepresented its state. It's more mucky/sticky/grimy stuff than rust though. My gut says just soap it up, but I don't wan to f*** it up. I also tried to quickly wet and scrub the blue chalk, but it didn't budge. And I don't want to add extra moisture to an old bit of wood. help
 
Glenn Bailey said:
thank phantom- I'll try that for rust spots. I do think the first picture might have misrepresented its state. It's more mucky/sticky/grimy stuff than rust though. My gut says just soap it up, but I don't wan to f*** it up. I also tried to quickly wet and scrub the blue chalk, but it didn't budge. And I don't want to add extra moisture to an old bit of wood. help
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I use a product called ballistol personally. I rub it on with steel wool, as was recommended, and then wipe off as much as I can with a cloth or paper towels. For the haft, in your case, I would also gently rub coarser steel wool over the haft to open the grain a little and then apply a liberal coat of blo. Wipe off excess and let stand a day or two. It's a fine axe you've got there. A very nice rixford! I don't recall ever seeing one in such good shape on the original helve. Great score man! Please post up photos once you've got it all cleaned up!
Edit; the coarse steel wool will remove that chalk no problem. If you are careful you won't lighten the color too much.
 
I use a citrus solvent (citra solv has worked great for me, in the concentrated form; others seem too watered down) and a green scrubby pad, takes off the grime and doesn't scratch the surface. Not sure about the chalk though, might have to live with that.
 
I think it depends on your intentions. If you wanted to restore the axe and use it, you might want to consider removing the haft and clean them up separately, then rehang. It depends on how good the fit is now as to whether that is a good approach. For a user, I like to know that head will stay on. I personally avoid using steel wool on wood after having rust appear in a couple of projects where the steel wool had gotten into the grain. Now I just use sandpaper on the wood. For the head it is fine and a variety of solvents will help break down whatever buildup there is. If you plan to keep it as a collectors piece, it may be best not to do anything other than trying to preserve its present condition. No sanding or scrubbing. Just a light oil to prevent any further rust on the head and maybe wipe down the haft with BLO a few times to preserve the wood if it looks/feels dried out.
 
I have heard of steel wool made from stainless steel. Bronze is news to me, but I would expect a slightly different color of oxidation in that case. Green instead of red or black.
As an aside, I make a vinegaroon dye for leather from steel wool and vinegar. This turns leather black. I wonder if bronze wool could be used for a green dye. Ha! Now I gotta go look this up.
 
Thanks everyone, this is super-helpful. I don't intend to use this axe (I have plenty of users), nor do I intend to sell. My goal is preserve and foster envy. ;). I think I'm going to clean the head with some of the softer recommendations, and not sure about the haft yet. If I knew the story behind the blue chalk, it would be an easier decision to leave it. I need to learn more before I make move.

Thanks again. This is a thread I know I'll be going back to for many years to come.
 
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