New Axe? Old Axe? Use this Hack to Make it Last a Lifetime!
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
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Stay in the Woods,
Dan
Just a little public service announcement to ensure everyone stays safe. Spontaneous combustion risk is real and known to occur with linseed oil. Rags soaked with linseed could smoulder for hours before flames are visible. Rags used with linseed oil should be allowed to dry completely in a safe place. Store in a safely located metal container with a tight lid to starve oxygen from any potential fire.
i use paper towels for linseed oil and each one of them i put in my wood stove after i finish.
The idea of an axe lasting a lifetime got me thinking. Ötzi the iceman had a copper axe that lasted 5000 years. Homo erectus, Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon stone hand axes are in museums everywhere. Having an axe last a lifetime doesn’t seem like a very high bar.
Depending on materials and how the ax is maintained determines whether it is safe and effective for its use for a lifetime.
I acquired an old ax that was not cared for properly, and now it will need a complete restoration.
For technical purposes... "last-a-lifetime" for tools and equipment means that the materials, workmanship, and functionality of the item will give a lifetime of service as long as it is maintained properly and not mishandled or abused.
Axes, swords, and other relics may be found at archaeological sites - however, materials and conditions of exposure will determine if each item is still intact and reasonably functional.
(Many relic finds are so far degraded that they never make it to a museum case.)
Therefore, buy good-quality tools & equipment, use and maintain them properly, and they should give many good years of service.
@@paulamcclure3402I don’t usually argue with people just because they’re wrong, but for most non-lumberjacks, you could buy any old axe at Home Depot, throw it in your garage, and it would last a lifetime. I grew up on a farm. We used tools; we didn’t collect them. We had more work than we could do in a day and we didn’t sit around polishing and oiling cheap hand tools; there were more valuable things to do with our time. When my dad died, his tools outlived him. I have them now and they’ll outlive me. Don’t preach to me. Enjoy your hobby and fetishize your toys all you want. I’m sure you have Germanic intolerance for rust of any kind, but a rusty axe will work just fine.
There weren't any caveman.
You mortals 😂
yea, ive never had an axe that was used up. sure the handle can break but you just need to replace it. the axe head will last a lifetime either way.
I use Plain old Vaseline on all my steel, after drying it....lasts forever and prevents rust....great stuff.....I also use "Watco Danish Oil" an all my Wood....I prefer Dark Walnut........ OnWard.....
Paul Sellers’ oilcan in a jar comes to mind.
I've been treating my Hultafors with hot melted dubbin. The handle, the axe head, the leather sheath. And it's been happy for years now. I clean it every time I use it, and treat it every time I do my boots.
I have my uncles carpenters hatchet. From the 50’s.
I browned a cheap double-bit axe a long time ago. No doubt that browning a blade will aid in the long term “quality” life of an axe. No one does this but it’s a great way to extend the life of a blade in general.
Always so many good tips and advice Dan, thank you.
I'm in the final stages of my refurb of my passed uncles axe, it was a mess but was beautifully balanced so I took it all back and have oiled the handle many times, polished the metal and used 'gun blu' and then took it back a bit. It's a rat rod, very happy with it.
Great tips ! I use gun blueing on the axe head for great protection and a cool look !
Thank you for this, Sir. 👍
Just dry things out in your airplane hanger..😂😅bluing your axe heads will be a good rust protection. Good video.
Thanks for this great piece of advice ! 👍👍👍Cheers
Whenever my axe 🪓 doesn't work, I know that the problem is the nut holding the handle! 😉
It's the same with a vehicle. The problem is the loose nut behind the wheel.
Really good stuff
Great video as usual Dan! =)
Thank you for all the great tips and tricks, I'm learning new things all the time from you!
I have a couple of "shingling hatchets" left to me by my Dad.
Good tips Dan.
Number one tip: Don't pound on steel or iron with the back of your axe!!! It's not a sledge hammer.
Some folks treat their axe heads with carnuba car wax. I keep saying I'm going to try that, and then I forget. I squirt Corrosion X on virtually every metal object that I own.
That green pad you were holding is a Scotch Bright pad, or a knock off. Don't use it on aluminum. Norton makes a brownish one that is more aggressive. It's great for axe heads, but it's not for use on anything made of stainless steel.
When I'm trying to polish or clean anything sharp, including kitchen knives, I place the side of the blade on something flat. Then I tilt the item slightly so that the actual edge touches the flat surface. That way if I slip it is almost impossible to cut myself. At the same time, it let's me scrub the surface harder.
IMO, you may want to put a leather loop on your handle so that you can hang up when you're not using it. Resting it against a wall, even on a cement floor, can cause it to rust and the handle to warp. I will admit that I have some handles on some of my tools that I just can't bring myself to drill a hole for the loop though. I stores those axes on a shelf.
When I remove the mask to use the axe, I run the loop through my belt and then snap it. That way I don't lose the mask.
My initials are also on the butt of the handle because to some folks all axes look alike, and they might accidentally pick up mine. I'm not inclined to let others use my axe though.
I've found putting a little vics vapo in the cheap rubber blade guard that came with my axe and an ankle sock thrown over the head works great
Always hang an axe to store as well.
Do you think hanging from the axe head, head up, or hanging from the axe handle, head down, is preferable?
Cool video
All my leather I usually warm up the leather with a hair drier rub on my boot grease then run the hair drier or heat gun across the leather to help warm up the treatment and soak into the leather a time or two depending on how dry the leather. Finish by wiping off the excess. I have boot that have lasted many years depending on what type of abuse they get.
That works for wood treatments as well.
Now i ain't gotta axe nobody how how to do it. Kind of strange my Hults Bruk axe costs as much as the Benchmade knife i carry daily or the other way around
Oil and lubrication are your friends
Hi Dan, love your videos man. Question, what type of edge do you put on an axe and what grind nd angle do you use?
Thank you
My problem I have is over the winter the head will loosen from dry air or low humidity. How do I prevent this?
Those scrubbers are from Schotch bright
Obenaufs for leather is the best.
What does it do better than the others?
👍 Good tips. Would really like to use them on your Appalachian Trapper’s Axe, when do you believe they will be back in stock and ready to be sold?
Neatsfoot oil is an excellent leather preservative.
i think my axe will last a lifetime either way. to be fair it's not used more than a few times every year though. if anything actually breaks it would be the handle splitting due to woodcutting, that happened once with an old axe i used.
I was told to also add turpentine to the wood as well. Is that a good idea?
Green Scrubbies as we call them in the food biz!
Thanks, Dan. Great advice that I've pretty much followed for decades.
Question: How do you store your axes/hatchets? Do you lay them flat on a shelf, hang them by the head ... or by the butt of the handle, or do you lean them up against the garage wall (yikes!)? These probably don't matter much if they're used every other day, but for once-in-a-long-while usage, storing them improperly can warp the handles *_(I think)._*
THANKS for ALL your videos!!
Hackin' zee axe.
If you will be processing game with your axe you should use a food grade oil.
Do you ever use wax? Like wicked wax or similar products?
Would oiling the axe be an every 6 month kind of job
How about a buying guide? I see a range of $20-$500. I camp enough to know the low end are a waste money. Is there a good axe in the $50-$100 price range or should I suck it up and spend the money? I’m pretty much a monthly camper with the BSA.
Clean first, then sharpen.
I don't won't anything to damage my cheap ax lol...
You are one of the few that says high carbon steel instead of just carbon steel. Carbon is what makes steel steel and not just iron
Exposed???? Man, you really need to fire whoevers making your thumbnails. Max cringe.