What did you rehang today?

I rehung my Russian Topor. This thing has been sitting on my bench for a couple years while I debated fixing the spur. The spurs on these are only decorative since they don't make contact with the haft. I thought about what I would have to do at the forge to correct this and decided it wasn't worth it. This axe has a very well formed eye and it doesn't need the additional support of a spur.

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When I first received this axe it was coated in some sort of tar or dried cosmoline. This was a NOS axe, never used. It was a mess and a bit of a bitch to clean up. My SKS was coated in a similar substance.
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But underneath all that was a decent axe and handle. It's from 1955 when they still used decent steel in the Soviet Union.
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I cleaned off most of the tar. It soaked deep into the top of the haft and even after cutting off 5/16" of wood the top is still black. Walnut wedge.
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Grain is pretty good to excellent and the handle is well sized to the eye.
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A few stains of cosmoline remain on the haft.
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Just after I took these pics I decided to show it to my Russian neighbor. I heard hammering so I knew he was in his backyard. When I looked over the fence I saw he was making kindling by batoning a hunting knife. I called him over and passed him the axe. He recognized it immediately and his eyes lit up. I enjoyed it that. He proceeded to ping the bit a few time to listen to the ring. This is exactly what Jake Pogg (or perhaps another forum member familiar with Russians) has said a Russian will always do. They have a firm belief that the ring indicates good steel. He looked at the date stamp and remarked that 1955 meant it had good steel.
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My neighbor brought the axe back about 10 minutes later. He showed me that he had sliced his finger on the bit. Kinda my fault. I hadn't warned him that it was shaving sharp.
It is probably me stereotyping but when I see Topor stuck deep into a stump I imagine abundance of headless hens and unlimited supply of chicken soup for cold Winter season.
Is the handle made of beech?
 
Yes, it's certainly a perfect axe for butchering small game. I'm more likely to behead a rabbit than a chicken but I've done plenty of each and this axe would be great for it.

I'm not certain of the wood. I think beech or possibly one of the birches. It seems less dense than my Austrian axes with beech hafts.
 
Not a full nn rehang, but the handle was loose on this old PROTO and the step wedge would neither drive in further nor pull out so I had to bite the bullet and " jam something in there " so to speak.


You can see the piece of screw in the step wedge from where I tried to get it pulled out.
 
This wasn't today but around a week ago. It's my first Emerson Stevens diamond eye!
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Made in 1929 and tempered by Pearly Pulsiver. One bit was longer than the other as is almost always the case. So it took some creative filing to make them appear to match.
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I have had this, "RC" in a tree stump,
helve for awhile. Anyone know who the company is?
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Real happy with the hang and even more so with the axe.
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It weighs under 3-3/4lb by not by a lot. Plenty of carbon steel in the bits left.
The steel wasn't as good as my other E&S axes which I was disappointed about but it's still plenty hard enough to hold an edge.
I'll try to post more, I've hung a ton recently I've just been busy! Take care all!
J3JkFV9.jpg
 
This wasn't today but around a week ago. It's my first Emerson Stevens diamond eye!
J3JkFV9.jpg

Made in 1929 and tempered by Pearly Pulsiver. One bit was longer than the other as is almost always the case. So it took some creative filing to make them appear to match.
gcBEin0.jpg

dyfWAEp.jpg

I have had this, "RC" in a tree stump,
helve for awhile. Anyone know who the company is?
FBx4dwo.jpg


Real happy with the hang and even more so with the axe.
OhPpSsB.jpg

UKikri5.jpg

gafEq96.jpg

NZtDG8V.jpg

dvByUCr.jpg

It weighs under 3-3/4lb by not by a lot. Plenty of carbon steel in the bits left.
The steel wasn't as good as my other E&S axes which I was disappointed about but it's still plenty hard enough to hold an edge.
I'll try to post more, I've hung a ton recently I've just been busy! Take care all!
J3JkFV9.jpg
How Knot Klipper's heat treatment compares to "better" Maine axes?
 
did up a couple more fallers axes recently, as that's how I've been using axes most frequently lately, either as a straight up fallers axe with the chainsaw, or packed in my backpack for trail maintenance which can include chopping logs out of the trail, lopping limbs, or pounding wedges in concert with either a chainsaw or a crosscut saw

both are hung on Links 27" miners axe handles as I've had pretty good luck ordering those from Bailey's.

The first is a plumb national 3^2. Head weight is right at 3 1/2 lbs. 7 1/2" x 5"









Next is a Flint Edge Jersey. Head weight was 4lbs 3oz. 7" x 5 3/4"







I had wanted to do up a jersey as a fallers/trail/pack axe because I already had this axe cover that fit my other two jersey's with 5 3/4" bits



I sharpened both of them up quite sharp and can't wait to use them - shouldn't be long

 
did up a couple more fallers axes recently, as that's how I've been using axes most frequently lately, either as a straight up fallers axe with the chainsaw, or packed in my backpack for trail maintenance which can include chopping logs out of the trail, lopping limbs, or pounding wedges in concert with either a chainsaw or a crosscut saw

both are hung on Links 27" miners axe handles as I've had pretty good luck ordering those from Bailey's.

The first is a plumb national 3^2. Head weight is right at 3 1/2 lbs. 7 1/2" x 5"









Next is a Flint Edge Jersey. Head weight was 4lbs 3oz. 7" x 5 3/4"







I had wanted to do up a jersey as a fallers/trail/pack axe because I already had this axe cover that fit my other two jersey's with 5 3/4" bits



I sharpened both of them up quite sharp and can't wait to use them - shouldn't be long

Those are magnificent! Well done!
 
So after moving to a "temporary" place with no workspace which turned out to be 8 months. Followed by a quad bike accident where i injured my wrist and elbow shortly after moving to my current place. I'm back in action and have a few projects lined up.
First up, A rehang I did a while back on a super fat slabby spotted gum handle 31in overall, 3 1/2lb unmarked head. I've significantly slimmed it in width and thicknes, formed a nice swell, sanded out all the tool marks and took it a bit overboard going to 600 grit. Finished it last night and only the first of many coats of blo to come. With an identical handle purchased at the same time.
hzoLu40.jpg
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LtzXrPM.jpg
ZLMGSP8.jpg
 
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So after moving to a "temporary" place with no workspace which turned out to be 8 months. Followed by a quad bike accident where i injured my wrist and elbow shortly after moving to my current place. I'm back in action and have a few projects lined up.
First up, A rehang I did a while back on a super fat slabby spotted gum handle 31in overall, 3 1/2lb unmarked head. I've significantly slimmed it in width and thicknes, formed a nice swell, sanded out all the tool marks and took it a bit overboard going to 600 grit. Finished it last night and only the first of many coats of blo to come. With an identical handle purchased at the same time.
hzoLu40.jpg
d19wv2C.jpg
LtzXrPM.jpg
ZLMGSP8.jpg

Back in Action! Glad things are on the uptick for you after a few...challenges lol!
 
did up a couple more fallers axes recently, as that's how I've been using axes most frequently lately, either as a straight up fallers axe with the chainsaw, or packed in my backpack for trail maintenance which can include chopping logs out of the trail, lopping limbs, or pounding wedges in concert with either a chainsaw or a crosscut saw

both are hung on Links 27" miners axe handles as I've had pretty good luck ordering those from Bailey's.

The first is a plumb national 3^2. Head weight is right at 3 1/2 lbs. 7 1/2" x 5"









Next is a Flint Edge Jersey. Head weight was 4lbs 3oz. 7" x 5 3/4"







I had wanted to do up a jersey as a fallers/trail/pack axe because I already had this axe cover that fit my other two jersey's with 5 3/4" bits



I sharpened both of them up quite sharp and can't wait to use them - shouldn't be long


Wow! Both perfectly done.
 
I finally rehung this double bit axe. There’s a bit of a story on it. This is the axe head that got me into collecting axes this year. I found this early this year deep in the dirt, metal detecting a old farm house property in Michigan that dates back to the 1800s. I cleaned the rust off and that started my interest into axes and hatchets. I now have dozens of vintage ones in my collection. This weekend I decided to hang it on a store bought 36 inch hickory double bit handle. It took some sanding and adjusting to get it to fit properly. I didn’t have a single large metal wedge the width of the head so I had to use multiple smaller metal wedges to take the place. I finished the handle with danish oil. Although it might not be the prettiest the handle and head are rock solid and it can chop again!
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