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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?
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smith.uma7mo 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.
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clairer207mo 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.
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dylan9767mo ago
Ugh, you're totally right @clairer20, I killed a good chisel the same way last year. Learned that lesson the hard way.
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