Found my great-grandpa's old axe head in a barn corner, it was a total wreck

It was under a pile of old hay, covered in rust and the handle was long gone. I spent about two weekends cleaning it up with vinegar and a wire brush, then put a new hickory handle on it. The old stamp from 'J. Miller & Sons, 1912' is clear as day now. Has anyone else brought a tool back from looking like junk?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.uma1d ago

Bringing that stamp back is a win, no matter what. Vinegar's gentle enough for light rust if you don't soak it for days... the temper comes from heat, not the surface. Sometimes a tool needs to be usable again more than it needs to be a perfect museum piece. @dylan976, a chisel is meant to cut wood, right? If it works, you saved it. This axe is going to split wood again, and that's what really matters.

clairer201d ago

That stamp is probably worthless now from the vinegar bath. Acid can eat away at the original steel and ruin the temper. Sometimes a tool is just too far gone to save.

dylan9761d ago

Ugh, you're totally right @clairer20, I killed a good chisel the same way last year. Learned that lesson the hard way.