Is This Axe Head Safe To Use? [Fixing A Crooked Bit?]

boy&hisdogs · Jul 3, 2019

I inherited some of my grandpa's old tools, one of which was this Vaughn boy's axe. I don't ever remember seeing him use it, but since it was just about ready to fly off an aftermarket handle, I bet it's seen some use. My question is: Should I rehang and keep using it? Or should it become a wall ornament?

I'm concerned with the way it curves. To me, it looks like a severed toe waiting to happen. But I know there's those weird asymmetrical splitting mauls, and that trick where you twist the axe just right to split wood, and probably other things that I don't do or know of. Could this curve be intentional?

Right now it's making axe soup with an old Craftsman splitting maul head that I found at the dump.

A17 · Jul 3, 2019

It looks like the left side of the eye is bulged to me. If you straighten it, it should be fine. Try cold hammering first and if that doesn't work, use a torch to heat the eye while keeping the bit cool with a wet towel wrapped around it.

3fifty7 · Jul 3, 2019

Simmer until tender and you should be fine.

jblyttle · Jul 3, 2019

Unfortunately, that looks very bent to me. It's one thing to fix a slightly deformed eye, another to deal with a bit that isn't pointing in the right direction. To my eye that's a wall hanger if it has value to you. Save your time and effort and put them into a head worthy of use.

A17 · Jul 3, 2019

The deformed eye is the source of the bent bit, I believe. The bent side has been pushed out, pulling the bit with it. When restored to its original shape, it will push the bit out and roughly square it up.

jblyttle · Jul 3, 2019

A17 said:
The deformed eye is the source of the bent bit, I believe. The bent side has been pushed out, pulling the bit with it. When restored to its original shape, it will push the bit out and roughly square it up.

Perhaps. I was drawing a mental line from the center of the back of the eye to the center of the front, then comparing that line to where the bit was pointing. It looks like a tough fix to me, but I could be wrong.

phantomknives · Jul 3, 2019

might could make it into a broad axe

Square_peg · Jul 4, 2019

A17 is correct that the bulged eye is the main problem. But I'm not sure correcting that alone will straighten the bit.

boy&hisdogs · Jul 4, 2019

Well I don't have a drift to put in the eye so I'm afraid that I'll take one step foreward and two steps back trying to re-shape it. I think it'll be a wallhanger for now unless someone has a good idea of how to fix it.

A17 · Jul 4, 2019

I just eyeball it. The only time I use a drift-like tool is for removing hafts, not for straightening eyes.

Yankee Josh · Jul 4, 2019

boy&hisdogs said:
Well I don't have a drift to put in the eye so I'm afraid that I'll take one step foreward and two steps back trying to re-shape it. I think it'll be a wallhanger for now unless someone has a good idea of how to fix it.

Depending on the thickness of the steel on the eye wall it can move pretty easily cold. I don't know if it would offer you encouragement but here is a photo of me doing that process with my drift and some small steel pieces.

It's not the easiest process but at the same time very simple not that hard. And while I wasn't able to remove all of the dents it did turn out a good hang. Nice little Emerson Stevens cruiser. Worth the time even with the big chip out of the heel.

It would undoubtedly be easier with a large drift properly shaped to begin with but it's very doable. :thumbsup:

boy&hisdogs · Jul 5, 2019

Well, I took my first whack at it today. It turns out that that deformation on the left side of the eye is just right there on the edge. The rest of it is fairly straight, but also much thinner than the other side. I'm hesitant to thin it out any more, at least not before trying other things first.

Here we are, two days of axe head soup (in "cleaning strength" white vinegar in cool, coastal weather) and most of this rust just rubbed off with my finger. I had to take a stainless dish scrubber to the nooks and crannies but the ratio of rust removed vs elbow grease applied is amazing. The vinegar bath served a second purpose as well. It etched the blade so that I could see just how far up the bit it's hardened so I could avoid hitting or heating that area.

I tried cold working it with a cross peen hammer at the base of the bit, just ahead of the eye and nothing seems to have happened. Then I propped it up in a pot of water with the hardened area submerged and hit it with my mapp torch. Unfortunately that's all I have for fire right now. After four and a half Hank Williams songs played (about 12-15 minutes) I saw blue and purple run up the side of the eye but nothing was glowing red. I gave it a few solid whacks anyway, but nothing happened other than putting more dents into the cheek of my axe.

This may have to wait until I have more fire. I'm going to do the brakes on my truck here in the next few days, so I'll have the makings of a drum/rotor forge soon. I'd really rather not have to re-harden and temper a steel I know nothing about, so I'll hold off on that and try to find another way to fix it.

jblyttle · Jul 5, 2019

Everyone values things differently, so I can't say what this effort is worth to you. It is a Vaughan, so the there isn't a ton of collectable value in the head. If it were me, I would move on. On the other hand, the effort in trying this, even if you fail, also has value. Win or lose, I hope for your success. If it ends up a wall hanger, that's all it is now so nothing to lose.

boy&hisdogs · Jul 5, 2019

jblyttle said:
Everyone values things differently, so I can't say what this effort is worth to you. It is a Vaughan, so the there isn't a ton of collectable value in the head. If it were me, I would move on. On the other hand, the effort in trying this, even if you fail, also has value. Win or lose, I hope for your success. If it ends up a wall hanger, that's all it is now so nothing to lose.

For me, I have a bit to gain and nothing to lose. I have always enjoyed fixing things, and I have always had a soft spot for old tools. I've also been wanting to try a mid-sized axe anyway, and it sure would be a shame to pay for another one when I have an almost-usable one already. If I fix it and don't like it or can't fix it, then at least it's a learning experience and something to check off the to-do list. I know my grandpa would have been proud if I found a way to fix it and get it back out into the woods.

I'll see what I can do about making a drift or drift-ish thing and try working on the left side of the eye to push the bit over. Or maybe try a larger scale version of the pipe and vice way that I have used to straighten knives and other smaller things. I'm all ears if anyone has ideas.

boy&hisdogs · Jul 7, 2019

I stopped by my parents' house this afternoon and talked with my dad about it. He used to weld professionally and has a lot of mechanical and metal working experience. He suggested doing the same thing I tried before but use his oxy-acetylene rig instead. As I was about to leave, he said "Want another?" and picked this True Temper Michigan head up out of the dirt on the side of the house. I vaguely remember an old axe head kicking around when I was a teenager and still lived there, but had completely forgotten about it until he mentioned it today. He said it came with the house. I brought it home, scrubbed the dirt off, snapped a few pictures, and into the vinegar it went.

This one also has a wonky eye, but at least the bit is straight. It was very obviously used as a hammer, which is mostly likely where the deformed eye came from. Luckily that deformation is just around the rim and doesn't go very deep at all into the head. I bet I can cold work this one, if not then at least I'll just bring it with me when I go to work on the Vaughn with the O-A rig.

All I need now is to find a rusty old hatchet head somewhere...

Square_peg · Jul 7, 2019

That type of swelling is typical of an axe that has been used as a splitting wedge, something they weren't designed for. Thanfully iiiiiiiiit's pretty easy to fix aand you will have a fine axe.

rjdankert · Jul 7, 2019

A F & H Co - T T Tools 1938 snip

Bob

jblyttle · Jul 7, 2019

rjdankert said:
A F & H Co - T T Tools 1938 snip

Bob

First, the bottom left pic is half of the Maine axes I see. Second, the article said "his". Hate crime.

jake pogg · Jul 7, 2019

Boy&hisdogs,that Vaughan almost looks like it was bent that way deliberately...(i'd not be surprised if it'd make a decent tool for hewing an almost-finished log-wall flat..(your grandfather wasn't from Finland,by chance?

Straightening that bend Hot would be challenging,you'd have to use some fast,tricky O/A torch moves to only heat that thinner cheek and a part of the blade...Doing all that without heat soaking into the edge would not be possible,i don't think.
(Re-heat-treating something like that,however,would not be the greatest challenge;just be careful to avoid assorted common urban legends on this subject and look up a competent process steps.Acetylene or even Mapp gas will work,only Enclose your heat,with a few bricks or batt refractory et c.).

I'd try it Cold,first.Don't worry about a drift,manipulating the sides of the eye would not apply correct force,or enough of it.
I'd try to use an automotive press,20-ton+,the more the merrier.
High-center the axe on edge and poll,arched Up,and see if you can't press the middle down...Once the eye comes to bear,maybe start using shims under the poll to keep it(the eye) from getting distorted.
That TT can probably be corrected by pressure even easier yet.
Btw,filling the eye with whatever hardwood,Tight,would also help distribute the loading correctly.
Search among your friends,see if anyone works at an automotive repair joint,maybe there's a press around...?...

Good luck,and i like your can-do kinda attitude!

boy&hisdogs · Jul 7, 2019

jake pogg said:
Boy&hisdogs,that Vaughan almost looks like it was bent that way deliberately...(i'd not be surprised if it'd make a decent tool for hewing an almost-finished log-wall flat..(your grandfather wasn't from Finland,by chance?

Straightening that bend Hot would be challenging,you'd have to use some fast,tricky O/A torch moves to only heat that thinner cheek and a part of the blade...Doing all that without heat soaking into the edge would not be possible,i don't think.
(Re-heat-treating something like that,however,would not be the greatest challenge;just be careful to avoid assorted common urban legends on this subject and look up a competent process steps.Acetylene or even Mapp gas will work,only Enclose your heat,with a few bricks or batt refractory et c.).

I'd try it Cold,first.Don't worry about a drift,manipulating the sides of the eye would not apply correct force,or enough of it.
I'd try to use an automotive press,20-ton+,the more the merrier.
High-center the axe on edge and poll,arched Up,and see if you can't press the middle down...Once the eye comes to bear,maybe start using shims under the poll to keep it(the eye) from getting distorted.
That TT can probably be corrected by pressure even easier yet.
Btw,filling the eye with whatever hardwood,Tight,would also help distribute the loading correctly.
Search among your friends,see if anyone works at an automotive repair joint,maybe there's a press around...?...

Good luck,and i like your can-do kinda attitude!

Finland, no, but he was the son of migrant construction workers all over California and the Southwest. Spent most of his adult life in Central California. After the army he was a police officer, and always an avid outdoorsman and wood worker.

I did notice that even while bent, the edge did line up with the handle fairly well. The bit is bent but the eye is also crooked and you can just about draw a straight line through the eye to the edge.

I was able to keep the edge cool by leaving it half submerged (edge down) in a pot of water. It worked with the mapp torch, and I have done it before when soldering rings with set stones to keep the stones cool.

Granted OA is much hotter, but I'll sand the old oxides off and keep a close eye on tue colors.