Axe - decorate or leave alone?

[Comrade Coffin]

Good evening gents, I have just fixed a handle on my self-made axe & I find myself in two minds. Should I leave it in it's back-woods looking state, or tart it up with some brass studs or whatever? Any ideas/suggestions?

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I think it looks fine the way it is. A well used axe looks better than a well used tart... :rotf:

 

[BigDogg]

My vote is for the plain look too. Nice job!

 

[hoochiepapa]

Looks good! Maybe wrap the handle with strap?

 

[Macon Due]

I think I'd give the wood a bit more pleasing shape and then stain it. Otherwise leave it plain.
Macon

 

[omarick1948]

You might taper that handle down a bit and soak it in fuel oil or diesel fuel to temper that wood!

Tacks can weaken that handle to some extent and a bunch of tacks and wrapping makes it look to much like Hollywood!

JMHO
Rick

 

[Woods Dweller]

It looks good as is. But! Some carvings at the base of the handle gives a better grip on the Ax.

What I carved into my handle were two snakes, Starting at the bottom of the handle I started carving [a “V” cut] the tail of one snake and spiraling up like a candy-cane strip. Then doing the same thing going in the opposite way. This give me a good grip on my Ax when chopping wood. And it looked good.
That's my 2cent.

 

[cchipmunk]

Very nice... I like the plain look myself with perhaps a few curved lines carved into the handle to aid in the grip. Nothing fancy though.

 

[MJMarkey]

depends on wheather you are going to use it or use it as a decoration. If you plan to use it for a tool or throw it in contests, then keep it plain because you will likely be replacing it at some time. They will get broken and chipped, which will mess with your mind if you spend a lot of time decorating it.

if it's just an ornamant or part of a persona have at it.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I like yer 'hawk and congrats on the self-made bit.
A basic rule of life is: the fanicer yer 'hawk handle the sooner someone else will break it. Never fails.
I would stain darken but otherwise leave alone.
Enjoy.

 

[crockett]

You didn't mention what type persona you have but the brass tacks- I think that is mostly native American. I'm not sure if brass tacks on hawks are Pre-1840. You see some Tomahawk handles (that is- Hawks with fancy heads) where the decoration was made by heating up a file and then wood burning the file pattern into the handle- rolling the file around the handle on a diagnal- BUT once again I'm not sure if that is an 1880 thing or pre-1840. I think plaited quill wrapping around a handle is pre-1840 but once again such decoration was NDN.
Your "hawk" head looks more hatchet to me- something a mountain man or long hunter would carry. I am almost certain that these handles had no decoration, a few I believe had the handle slim down towards the butt and then a knob at the butt and I think Kit Carson had a hatchet (post 1840) with a leather thong through a hole at the butt. You have a thick handle on yours but if you look at Carson's- it too had a thick handle.
My opinion- looks PC exactly as is- I'd do nothing else- and nice job on the head. Putting in a bunch of tacks may turn it into a modern Rondy thing rather than the real McCoy.

 

[tg]

I have wrapped the handles of a couple of hatchets with tightly bound strips of linen 1" wide or so and soaked with marine spar varnish with a bit of BLO and turp in it, this gives a bit wider and more firm, slip proof grip I do use a small tack to hold the tie at the end of the wrapping. I also lean toward the more simple stuff which seems to be what shows up more in surviving pieces of white mans gear. Beloe is a small hatchet done thusly

 

[Comrade Coffin]

Good evening gentlemen and thank you all for the advice and information. I think I will follow the advice, and my own instincts and leave her fairly plain. I shall taper the handle a bit, and probably round of the end slightly, and maybe add a hole for a leather loop. What you see above is the rough cut with just the saw-cut edges rounded off at the end, about 5 minutes after I hammered the re-shaped ash-wood stave to fit the head.

As for impressions I am working on recrating my 7 Years War 'look'- Colonial militia & French milice. A plain look is right for both. A lot of the re-enactors here tned to over-decorate their kit and themselves, but I will not do that. I shall keep it plain & practical.

 

[rusty]

I like it just the way it is,good job.

 

[Troy Allen Christianson]

That is a fine looking axe Doc. I have never been a fan of decorating a tool. That being said, if you were to use it as a showpiece then some embellishment would not be out of place IMHO. How's that for some clever "fence-sitting!" In reality I would just finish the wood however you think and use it like it deserves.

 

[JamesG]

You might do some file branding.

 

[Comrade Coffin]

You might do some file branding.

Thank you for the suggestion James, could you show me some examples?

 

[JamesG]

This pipe hawk, I made the handle and the head. I took a rasp and heat the steel to a dull red and ran it around the the handle.

For this I used a mill file.

 

[david50]

yep! stain it and leave it be.

 

[Comrade Coffin]

Thank you for posting the pictures my friend. That file branding looks very good and I may indeed do some on my horn stopper, but I think I'll leave the hatched be.

Here is the finished article. I have also decided not to stain it; just let time and work and weather do the job for me. Why rush?

I have also included a picture of two knives that I have recently purchased.