The Great Divide: Felling and Bucking Wedge Thread

I do wish I had a forge and and nice anvil. Yes, a guy wouldn't want to disrupt the stamp on it. I bought two identical files and box of chalk to do a test to see if there is anything to it extending the life of a file. You are reading the file training correctly, Josh. File work is an art form if you were to ask me and you are an artist with a file! Nicholson is the only file anyone around here carries. I have always thought they worked OK, but, I am sure there are better files available. I need to do some research on that topic. Filing late at night without distractions you can really get focused on a project. I have gotten wrapped up in tube radio repairs late at night and the next thing you know the sun is coming up and you wonder where the night went? Good job Josh!

 

That thought crossed my mind. I don't have a power hack saw so by hand it would've taken quite awhile. I liked the idea of letting the grinder do most of the work. One of these days I'll get one of those vertical (adjustable) band saws. That would've made short work of it. It's getting quite rusty already!
I have no idea how long I'll have to let it rust before I can wire wheel it. I guess I'll find out!

 

A couple days ago I wire wheeled the rust on the wedge. Here's how it turned out.
I continually wet it for 8 days and let it rust. It doesn't match but I quite like the finish. That was bright steel! I'm definitely going to do that with the next axe I do.
Unfortunately, due to the stamp, I couldn't take all the evidence of mushrooming off. I really wanted to blend it so you could hardly tell. But it's all good! It was a fun project!

 

Wedgie

I am a fan of the undisturbed look of the large wedges but sometimes that mushrooming is so extreme that it catches your hands just moving them. It you take just a little off of the edges it leaves them shiny so you may as well take it all off. It does change the look of them but it’s the same premise as taking off jagged mushrooming off the poll of an axe I guess.

Here is a quick before and after quick bluing just to take the shine off it. I wish I had taken a picture of the amount of smashed steel overhanging the butt on it but maybe next time lol.

Wedgie


Wedgie

 

The Gabriel was very mushroomed, less so now. The 12" tore my glove pulling out of a bucket before taming.

 

@ithinkverydeeply
Search for “gun blue and bleach etching” you can do years of pitting in hours. May be something worth trying.