Ax Head #2 - Another Apple Cider Vinegar Success

Valley Ranger

Valley Ranger

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I previously posted about restoring rusty ax heads using only apple cider vinegar. See: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,452329.0.html
On this one, I tried electrolysis first, but finished w/the apple cider vinegar. Either process would have worked. This one also required some heavy wire brushing and work with a Dremel to remove all the rust. I then treated this one with some 3 in 1 penetrating oil. The first one is, I believe quite a bit older than the one below and its hanging for display. But as soon as I put an edge on the one shown here, she's going back into service on my wood pile. :icon_salut: Both ax heads were recently dug on a farmstead dating to the mid 1700's. I have one more I found there that I'll eventually get to.
 

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civilman1

civilman1

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Paint an Ole' Rebel flag on it and give it a spin Stonewall :thumbsup: Nice Job!!!
 

Papa Bear

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What an interesting finish. It looks like lava rock!!
 

SkyPirate

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Nice axe! Thanks for the restoration idea, I found 3 axe heads in the past 30 days and they need some soaking. :icon_pirat:
 

OP
OP
Valley Ranger

Valley Ranger

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civilman1 said:
Paint an Ole' Rebel flag on it and give it a spin Stonewall :thumbsup: Nice Job!!!
Click to expand...

Hey, now there's an idea! :icon_thumleft:
 

OP
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Valley Ranger

Valley Ranger

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Papa Bear said:
What an interesting finish. It looks like lava rock!!
Click to expand...

Yes, very pitted. The soil here in the Valley, along with the fertilizer most farmers use really does a number on iron.
 

OP
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Valley Ranger

Valley Ranger

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SkyPirate said:
Nice axe! Thanks for the restoration idea, I found 3 axe heads in the past 30 days and they need some soaking. :icon_pirat:
Click to expand...

I rinse and knock off what I can, then let 'em soak for about 24 hours and steel brush them. Let 'em soak another 48 hours or so and repeat the process. Sometimes you may have to change out the vinegar. When you've got most of it off, use a wire brush and Dremel to finish the fine work. I also put 'em in the oven at about 200 degrees for an hour to remove any remaining moisture. Then treat/seal them w/something to prevent the rust from returning.
 

Papa Bear

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Wow! Now that is a labor of love... Great job on rescuing and preserving history....
 

OP
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Valley Ranger

Valley Ranger

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Papa Bear said:
Wow! Now that is a labor of love... Great job on rescuing and preserving history....
Click to expand...

Thank you. I get a lot of satisfaction out of "rescuing" these old artifacts/tools. I'm really beginning to fall in love with the ax heads. There's a lot of variety and history associated with them. Just think about how much American pioneers accomplished with these simple tools. Its quite amazing when you think about it.
 

OP
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Valley Ranger

Valley Ranger

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And don't forget - a good ax will cost you north of $50. So there's some monetary value as well. With the handle and the vinegar, I've got about 10 bucks in each one I've restored - plus my time of course.
 

VOL1266-X

VOL1266-X

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By jove Richard, i believe you are getting good at this iron restoration. I need to send you the iron cleaning jag I dug today-LOL. HH, Quindy.
 

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Valley Ranger

Valley Ranger

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VOL1266-X said:
By jove Richard, i believe you are getting good at this iron restoration. I need to send you the iron cleaning jag I dug today-LOL. HH, Quindy.
Click to expand...

Hey Quindy - yeah, I think I'm coming along. I enjoy seeing them brought back to life. My children all think I'm nuts, but they're glad it keeps me out of jail. :laughing7:
 

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Valley Ranger

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BuckleBoy

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Old Stonewall said:
Papa Bear said:
Wow! Now that is a labor of love... Great job on rescuing and preserving history....
Click to expand...

Thank you. I get a lot of satisfaction out of "rescuing" these old artifacts/tools. I'm really beginning to fall in love with the ax heads. There's a lot of variety and history associated with them. Just think about how much American pioneers accomplished with these simple tools. Its quite amazing when you think about it.
Click to expand...

I just started a post in "My Collections" for posting axe heads. I do hope you'll add yours to the post. It should be great once it gets rolling.


http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,453152.0.html


Cheers,

Buckles
 

highnam

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You've inspired me to try and clean up my double bits. That's for the tips, yours have turned out great. Would be awesome to restore the axe into working order.
 

OP
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Valley Ranger

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BuckleBoy said:
Old Stonewall said:
Papa Bear said:
Wow! Now that is a labor of love... Great job on rescuing and preserving history....
Click to expand...

Thank you. I get a lot of satisfaction out of "rescuing" these old artifacts/tools. I'm really beginning to fall in love with the ax heads. There's a lot of variety and history associated with them. Just think about how much American pioneers accomplished with these simple tools. Its quite amazing when you think about it.
Click to expand...

I just started a post in "My Collections" for posting axe heads. I do hope you'll add yours to the post. It should be great once it gets rolling.


http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,453152.0.html


Cheers,

Buckles
Click to expand...

Sure. Give me a day or so. I've actually done a video of this process. I hope to finish that up by Wednesday and I'll add the pics and the video to that forum.
 

OP
OP
Valley Ranger

Valley Ranger

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🏆 Honorable Mentions:
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highnam said:
You've inspired me to try and clean up my double bits. That's for the tips, yours have turned out great. Would be awesome to restore the axe into working order.
Click to expand...

Yep - I'll put an edge on it tomorrow and demonstrate what it can do on video! Let us know how yours turn out.
 

BuckleBoy

BuckleBoy

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Old Stonewall said:
BuckleBoy said:
Old Stonewall said:
Papa Bear said:
Wow! Now that is a labor of love... Great job on rescuing and preserving history....
Click to expand...

Thank you. I get a lot of satisfaction out of "rescuing" these old artifacts/tools. I'm really beginning to fall in love with the ax heads. There's a lot of variety and history associated with them. Just think about how much American pioneers accomplished with these simple tools. Its quite amazing when you think about it.
Click to expand...

I just started a post in "My Collections" for posting axe heads. I do hope you'll add yours to the post. It should be great once it gets rolling.


http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,453152.0.html


Cheers,

Buckles
Click to expand...

Sure. Give me a day or so. I've actually done a video of this process. I hope to finish that up by Wednesday and I'll add the pics and the video to that forum.
Click to expand...

Fantastic! Your results are impressive, and I would love to see the video. :thumbsup:
 

ModernMiner

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That came out great! :thumbsup:
I'll have to try that method. Thanks for the post & info.
Congrats,
MM
 

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