DON'T THROW AWAY Your Estwing Leather Handled Hatchet - Restore your AXE Using Real Leather
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- 0:30 - File off Peened Ends
0:46 - Remove Leather
1:12 - Forging Die #
1:37 - Punch New Leather
2:11 - Install Leather
2:40 - Trim Flush
2:53 - Shellac
3:18 - Re-file Edges
3:56 - Oil/Beeswax Finish
4:20 - Test
I was given this hatchet to repair by the father of a friend. It was found on the road some time ago. This hatchet had a major problem with the grip on the handle, so as a temporary solution, copper wire was wrapped around it to prevent the leather from constantly moving. These are nice hatchets and there are lots of them, this one has very little rust on it, and seems to be fairly old.
If you know the age of the hatchet by the numbers in the video, let me know, my guess is around 40 years, but it could be older. They still make this hatchet to this day, it is a very popular model.
The steel on the hatchet work-hardens very quickly so peening over the end was not as easy as it would seem.
I hope you enjoy the video, and as always please Subscribe to see more and comment, I will make sure to respond to you.
#Axe
#Restore
#Leather
I appreciate the way you don't take the "character" out of the hatchet by super polishing and finishing every dent out
Great repair! Estwing's are worth saving!
Absolutely, this hatchet is for the father of a friend, so he'll be happy to get it back. I have plans on forging my own hatchet in the future, a lot of learning to do before I get to that stage. Thanks for the comment.
You'll get there, Just keep at it!@@NeedItMakeIt
I love that you sped up the video to show all the tedious work without being boring. Nice restoration.
Thanks, my next videos will show more of the good stuff, and less of the repetitive steps, I've not mastered the art of video making, but I'm working on it. Thank you for the nice note.
I have an Estwing 16 oz curved claw hammer I have used for 46 years. I also have my dad's Estwing 10 oz curved claw that he got from my Grandpa. Both need the leather replaced. I wish Estwing offered kits, but ASTM "rules" don't let them (I bet it has a lot more to do with the hassle factor) I appreciate the work involved, and will be doing much the same as I restore each of these.
Why would anyone do drugs when you could just watch tool restoration videos all day?
I'm not sure, is it possible that these videos could prevent people from doing drugs?
Why not do both...... together with a few micro brewery beers......
Exactly...
Chuck in Michigan
Hack Prine fuck that was what I was gonna say
Just do drugs THEN watch videos all day! That's what I would do, IF i was into that sort of thing (obviously not doing that now, that would be embarrassing)
You could have at least removed the rust under the handle ^^. That aside, great video, very satisfying to watch!
Yeah, I didn’t show it but I used a vinegar bath, it didn‘t work well. I should have used Evaporust. Glad you enjoyed it!
@@NeedItMakeIt Ahh, that makes sense ^^. Maybe try with electrolysis next time instead. It's cool to watch and works quite well for rust that is hard to get off with other means, especially when the material isn't smooth and the rust is stuck in nooks and crannies that are hard to reach without removing a lot of good material at the same time.
Another option. Leave the pommel cap intact. Cut off old shrunken leather. Wrap/weave para cord’ around handle- tie off last remaining cord length as a Lanyard!!!!
That's a cool idea, another use for Paracord.
Great! But why you didnt remove the rust on the handle?
Valid point, I did a 2 hour vinegar bath on the entire hatchet, but with poor results. It didn't bother me too much because my thought at the time was that It is good to have rough-ness on the 'tang' so that it would prevent the leather from shifting around. Over the life of the hatchet, the original leather pieces stretched and they had a sloppy fit. I like to try to keep close to the original manufacturing process so I did not want to glue the leather to the handle, but that may have been a good option.
I had been using vinegar in the past, but I'm thinking that cold weather hampers the rust removal process, from what I have seen on videos, Evaporust seems to come out on top for the best rust remover. I had purchased a small container from Lee-valley tools a few months back and used it on my lathe chuck and it did work very well, unfortunately I spilled the container and since it's kind of pricey, so I haven't re-bought.
I will do much better on the next project (which I am working on right now).
Thoughts?
@@NeedItMakeIt : yes , Many thanks :)
Naval jelly would have removed that rust on the handle...disappointing seeing it reassembled without doing that...the right oil would have swelled that leather a bit..
@@NeedItMakeIt not a problem. the best rust inhibitor is rusts. A little oil can and should be put in the handle now ( and then) , especially after wetting.
@@timothylongmore7325 Linseed oil I'd assume? Do most oxides protect the metal below? Aluminum oxide, or black/red iron oxide.
It's refreshing to see a video where it wasn't mirror finished and the handle made completely different, like out of wood slabs or cast metal. I mix turpentine with beeswax and linseed oil in equal parts, then melt it all together, and it cools to become an easy-to-apply paste, which can be applied to wood and metal. I have applied it to leather, but wouldn't use it on finely finished leather goods.
Since I use all of the tools I restore it makes sense to keep the antique look, and I prefer it that way of course too. The turpentine is a good tip, I had to pre-heat the mix before application, I'll be sure to try this method on a future project. Thank you for the comment.
That's a proper restoration.
Now a very usable tool, and not something that you'd not want to use, because you'd polished it to within an inch of its life.
Great job.
Keeping it old is a great break from the tradition of making old tools look brand new. Especially if you can still buy the exact tool new, the value is in its age.
I always see these in the Home Depot, I can't imagine they use the same quality of materials now as they would have ages ago, but they do have a good name, one of the 'go-to' brand names that won't let you down. Like you, I appreciate the antique looks of things, to me it has a much higher quality feel and look, not to mention the history and story behind them. Thanks for the comment.
I tried this, and my leather just crumbled to dust. It was pretty bad, but my handle is dated 9-1-1950! I had no idea it was that old!
My only suggestion is to grind up the leather and mix in some epoxy... everyone loves their epoxy these days. Really though making the little leather disks isn't tough, but you do need a supply, like Tandy Leather. The leather has to be thick and after working with it quite a bit, not every piece is suitable, some are stretchy and some are very hard.
That's a nice old one, worth keeping.
I hope it works out for you.
Take care.
Great video! Pick up an old 24a today that I plan on restoring this weekend. The leather handle is dried up and falling apart.
This is a nice restoration, but I would like to see you give it a whole new life by polishing the tang too, treating it with some layers of cellulose laquer and renew all the leather pieces instead of only replacing the missing ones. The old pieces look awful and like giving you blisters. I don't like varnish on my handles, it makes them slippery when hands are wet, so I would go with boiled linseed oil only.
My personal preference is to keep things looking as close to the original with the patina as possible. I did rush through this pretty quick if I am honest, if I were to do it again, I would have been more thorough. Cleaning and coating the tang even with some Tremclad would have worked well. If I find another to restore, I'll make sure to do the restoration taking everyone's comments into account.
I also love linseed oil BTW, have you ever had and rags ignite on you?
No, but I heard about it and was very careful to avoid it - put it in an aluminium can outside, so any heat instantly is sucked away. Most times covered it with a tin plate too. IMHO it's not a myth.
Restoration can be a tricky thing and personally I think you got the balance just right. It doesn’t look all shiny and new and it doesn’t look all ratty either it just looks like an old but looked after hatchet. I always find the hardest part of any restoration is to know how far to go and I think you made a good choice. I hope you ignore the idiots telling you how you did it wrong because with an item that is still easily available new then in a dollar per hour world it would be cheaper to toss it and buy a new one. Don’t forget the golden rule “ it’s your item so you can do whatever you want with it”. You are correct about the date, is was made in 1980. Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺
Thanks for the support. There are always 'haters' I do enjoy reading some of the negative comments though, they can be hilarious. People take these things too seriously, and I do get it, we love our tools, but it's just a well shaped piece of metal in the end.
I just picked up a really awesome full sized axe in desperate need of some TLC, from what I can tell, it is something special, so I had better get on it.
Take care!
NeedItMakeIt. That’s a great attitude to have. I agree it can be amusing how people can get so hot under the collar about stuff.
Thank you for this video. I restored my old Estwing leather hammer grip with all new leather. Then I did my father in law's nearly 100 year old Estwing leather hammer grip. Enjoyed it so much I have bought several Estwing hammers and axes on eBay to restore. I'm working on a very old (1920's) carpenters hatchet. Maybe I've found a new hobby! Thanks again.
I have this axe
Very good video and so helpful. I just done my hammer the same way and it was almost perfect. Almost because I could not sharpen it enought to cut things like you did, but I'm quite happy with the result
(actually only one ring was partly broken on one side so filled it with builder's glue for timber, some of the others are a little loose; I use a lot for many odd things. But yes this video is very good, thanx it'll be my next step if my glue does not work. :)
Your axe was made on my birthday lol
A great day to be born I'd say.
I have a old BSA hatchet with out any handle, pure metal, could I use this method to make an entire handle similar to an estwing axe
Gorilla tape solved my handle problems many times. Does good on upholstery too.
Hi is that a mousehole anvil
Trenton anvil, I love it, the top is quite hard, some chips around the edges though
It appears it's seen some years but nary a bit of work except your test near the end. Good job.
New ones are now junk. I used one on a tree and after about 10 swings, the wood dented in the edge, I couldn't believe it. Rockwell tested it and it's dead soft. I'm guessing I got a bad one. Heat treat wasn't correct.
I found a hatchet like this but the leather is way dried out is there any repair or is my only choice to replace?
Good video. I need to do the exact same thing with my late father's old Estwing hatchet. Mine has the additional problem of the handle being bent -- not sure how to straighten that without breaking it.
La reparación cumple su objetivo, solo eso.
I just restored a nearly identical handle. My leather was not savable. I used stacked birchbark. 125 layers! Similar to a pukko knife handle. Because of the curve they have to be put on and glue individually in stacks of 20 or so. Real pain in the ass but was well worth it. Looks beautifull. You should do a video on that. I never will. Don't have your skills. Also did a musturd finish on it. Looks antiqye slightly yellowish.
Now that is a really cool idea. I've heard of stacking wood piece on a handle before in the same manner as the leather.
I will definitely keep this in mind if I find another hatchet like this one. I've never heard of someone using birch bark, only thin pieces of plywood.
I have a River Birch in my yard, and it is one of my favorite trees to look at, but I find working with birch to me more difficult than maple.
Awesome comment, thanks for the support, I have another video coming out soon that might by of interest to you, so stay 'tuned'
👍....I make knife handles using the stacked leather rings...Using Epoxy Resin between the rings solves the problem of the rings coming loose!....
Do you have a source for cheaper epoxy, it seems to expensive these days.
@@NeedItMakeIt Amazon..!
...or just Google Epoxy resin trade best price etc!...👍
I have an Estwing hammer with a leather handle. Not sure it’s exact age but I know for sure it is at least a half a century old....😀🔨. This video is awesome and just what I was looking for. I have a couple of questions please from this amateur DIYer. After you removed the bottom plate, how did you reattach it securely? I saw the drilling and since I don’t know what I am doing yet 😂 it wasn’t clear to me how that helped. I very much like the idea of trying to keep the character of the axe and handle by only replacing the deteriorated pieces. Great job and thanks again. Ps. I won’t tinker with my new project until I hear back. As they say, “A little knowledge....”.
The bottom plate should be re-attached through peining it back into place. The reason I drilled the holes was because the steel was extremely tough and it just did not want to 'mushroom' over like I wanted it to without those holes. The holes basically allowed the steel to curve over away from the center more easily. I expect that the originals are done with large heavy-duty riveting machines, some them spin while applying force... I only have hammers of course.
Another way to do this is to temper the rivets ahead of time, so use a torch just on the ends where you'll pein them over before you put the leather pieces back into place. If I had known it would be so much trouble I would have done this step first.
Let me know if this is enough info for you.
Thanks for the comment too!
Very nice. Now I know how to repair my old Kabar. Good Luck, Rick
Thank you.
Estwings can last forever!!!
Sort of a a partial fix. The leather handle should have been completely replaced.
True, this was done for a friend, he wanted to keep it as original as possible, a full replacement would look good. I like to old look personally.
I grew up i Rockford. Estwing is a top notch small company. My father was a
plumber, he always had an Estwing hammer. He would use it to beat on things and the handles never broke. Many carpenters do not like Eswing hammers as the steel shank transmits the vibrations into your arm. My dad had a couple hatches, one was in his trunk so long all the leather had rotted off. Now, I wish I would have saved it. The older hatchets had a nail pulling notch in the head.
Would that be Rockford IL? Is that where the Estwing HQs are located? I figured they were a big company by the huge amount of their hammers and hatchets around.
If I find another one, I'd make another video showing more detailed steps, making sure to create a much more professional finished product, that is also functional of course.
This is beautiful!! I subscribe and look forward to more great videos from you.
Thanks, I checked out your channel, nice stuff. I have a few projects coming up which I think you'll like.
Why not clean up the old leather?
My preference is always to leave as much original as possible. Another option would have been to replace all of the leather pieces with new, but that is a more time consuming process and at that point it would look new and I like the patina on the original leather.
Nice job. Thanks for the video.
Have you ever tried too put the handle in water for the leather to swell after you have replaced the missing leather washers?
I didn't, do you think the swelling is a good thing, I'd think it would just be temporary, similar to replacing a wooden axe handle.
What I should have done is apply PL to the shaft prior to slipping the leather back on, it would be waterproof and it also swells when curing to fill any void.
Very nice big man , well done .
Great video.. But i had a eswing hatchet giving to cause it was going to throwed away... The leather handle was so bad it crumble when touched.. So its gone...any ideals for a different type of handle?
Leather will deteriorate if exposed to moisture for long enough, just like wood or most natural materials, that'd be my assumption in your case. If protected properly it should last, but I did find that the leather pieces had become loose on the tang with use, so leather won't really last as long as the blade.
People had mentioned a stacked wood handle, that would work, except you'd want to glue up the handle alternating the grain back and forth to create a type of plywood. I think polyurethane glue would be the best as it is waterproof and provide a very good bond to wood (even better than carpenter's glue) If you don't glue up alternating the grain, you'd see the handle cracking in no time. Might be a good idea for a future video if I can track down another Estwing needing a new handle.
Thoughts?
Awesome informational educational video experience Y'alls
Great video!
Nice, I never liked the leather personally. Estwing is known for the rubber handle. I took the leather off of my Black hawk estwing.
I would tend to agree, I have a 20 year old Estwing hammer and the blue rubber handle is still in excellent condition. The leather handles wear out and shift around, not to mention being affected by moisture. They could easily produce a rubber product which duplicates the look of leather, but that's more costly, so forget that idea. For me, I much prefer a traditional wood handle, we'd use Ash where I am and it works very well for my old hammers and hatchets.
Thanks for the comment.
Well thanks a lot, now I have to go to Home Depot and spend money on another axe :)
As far as the linseed oil on leather, you're right about it softening, I do use it sometimes for my leather work to make it more supple. In this case I sealed the leather with 3 coats of shellac (the same as the original finish) prior to using the beeswax linseed oil mix. The linseed oil I use is boiled so it does harden up over time (or gummy up). Another factor that plays into the videos I make is to use what I have on-hand whenever possible.
You make some good points, so thank you for taking the time.
Good for you. My time is worth more than this. I just bought a new one. Go, Rockford, Il, go estwing.
To each their own. Thanks for the comment.
But you seemingly have plenty of time to sit around watching videos.
a rat ate every leather washer i need a kit i guess
Find that rat, it would make an interesting handle...
Great video and I think you got a good balance but I've done a few of these and I always strip off all the leather and install new leather and these Estwings look very good when complete and I've gotten a lot of complements on them and have sold one and given one away to a good friend who helped me out a lot before he passed, not sure what happened to the hammer I gave him, but hope someone is using it and enjoying it! good video
The butcher shop where I buy meat called Joworskis Meats.... they have several restored antique meat cleavers hanging on the wall.. very interesting curios....
I'd love to find a nice old cleaver to restore, I'd like to use it too, but those things look so dangerous to just have around the house. Sadly all I can picture is chopping a few fingers off.
Maybe a future project to forge one from scratch.
@@NeedItMakeIt Fingers... !? A couple of them were so large it looked like you can slice a cow clean in half....
@@hackprine5691 That'd be a sight to see then, I've never heard of ones so large. I recently inherited a large knife used to butcher cattle back in the day, it was large (21" long), but it sounds small compared to those.
@@NeedItMakeIt I wish I could send you a pic. of them.... down right scary.....
Well, my hopes of forging one are still there, but I'll stick to the normal sized one.. you know, one that could only chop a small animal in half...
Thanks
Definitely an Awesome job...
Chuck in Michigan
Thank you kindly.
Great video. Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Do you know what kind of anvil you have in this video? I have one that looks just like that on but i don't know the make of it! If you could let me know it would be greatly appreciated!! Love this hatchet! Would love to find one of those myself!!
I have something that will hopefully help you, but you'll have to give me a few days to get it together.
@@NeedItMakeIt hey that's awesome!! I will wait!! Thank you my friend! Keep on ⚒️ ing!!
Okay, I posted a video th-cam.com/video/z0qej-sdHfI/w-d-xo.html hopefully this helps. I had taken video back when I first purchased the anvil, I was never too confident with the manufacturer, but after doing more research and seeing lots of others, I'm fairly sure. Let me know what you think.
I've had a few comments on Reddit confirming that this is most likely a Trenton anvil made in the early 1900s, 1916 some were saying according to the serial #. I hope this video was helpful for you.
@@NeedItMakeIt I can't find any markings on my anvil! None! But thanks for getting back with me
Nicely done big guy. And educational. Thank you
Good stuff, enjoyed your video
Thank you kindly.
Great job on the resto. Nice outcome!,
I wonder why you didn't remove the rust from the handle and or rust treat it while you had the leather off?
A great little axe.
Truth be told, I did a vinegar bath, prior but I didn't show this on the video. The vinegar didn't seem to do too much. I use Evaporust now which works well... but not cheap of course.
Eastwing uses lacquer not shellac on hatchets
Sure we can go with that. I haven't done the research.
@@NeedItMakeIt TH-cam how eastwing hatchet are made in the factory
This one must be 50 years old, is there a video going back that far?
This is a great restoration video.. my only comment would be on the title.. Who is throwing away an old Estwing anything.. best tools I have ever owned
The funny part is that this hatchet was found on the road up north. We assume someone just lost it and didn't actually throw it away.
I will keep this rule in my mind if anymore come in to my possession.
Thank you for the comment, more videos to come very soon, and they are along the same lines (except better)
i guess I wont be busy for about another 100 years.
Thanks for the comment :)
Since when are the 80s vintage? Also way to smash the restoration into the anvil after
Evidently, you don't know what the word "vintage" means. You could have just googled it, instead of making an ignorant comment, but whatever floats your boat.
Vintage is just a loose term, I don't believe there is any particular date range required. The term these days for Antique used to be used for anything older than 100 years, however anything goes these days for that term as well.
What did you mean by smashing it into the anvil. There was a solid 1" thick piece of poplar under the piece being chopped, maybe this looked like it was the surface of an anvil?
At last a craftman repairing a handle.Thanks.
Thanks for the awesome comment, better videos to come!
good old rockford
I am about to attempt an entire leather ring handle on an old estwing
Good luck, are you going to replace the leather completely or use the originals?
@@NeedItMakeIt all new. No saving the leather on it
Damn shame estwing won't offer a repair on their hatchet handles.I contacted them and got a half ass answer about liability issue.
Why didn't you remove the rust from underneath the leather handle before you put it back on?
I didn't show it, and I probably should have, but I gave this a long vinegar bath, the problem with vinegar is that it will re-rust immediately. I suppose I should have taken the grinder to it, but the roughness works well to prevent the leather from slipping on the handle as the old leather has stretched a bit and is likely to move a bit. Another option that I didn't think of would be to dip it in linseed oil, it would seal the metal really well and preserve the rough texture.
There have been a few of the same comments, so I've pasted my response from previous, hope you don't mind.
I don't mind, thanks for answering. You did a great job. On this one. And good idea on the lin seed oil
A little more effort and patience would’ve resulted in way better results
Thanks, please check out my latest video and let me know if you think it does a better job on the final product and steps. I would honestly appreciate your feedback on it. Thanks for your opinion, I am always looking to do better.
Why didn't you restore the handle before you replaced the leather on the handle?
I didn't show it, and I probably should have, but I gave this a long vinegar bath, the problem with vinegar is that it will re-rust immediately. I suppose I should have taken the grinder to it, but the roughness works well to prevent the leather from slipping on the handle as the old leather has stretched a bit and is likely to move a bit. Another option that I didn't think of would be to dip it in linseed oil, it would seal the metal really well and preserve the rough texture.
Good point, in my next videos I am doing a much better job of showing all of the steps, whether they were a success or not.
Thanks for the comment.
Ok
I appreciate the comment, I'm always looking to do better on my next projects.
Dude you should have sanded down the rest of the handle!!!!!! It would have evened up the leather and removed the old shellacking. You also should have sanded down and polished the head. I'll give you an "E" for effort but I would NOT send you a restoration project!!!
Thanks for the comment, I understand your point of view, and it is typical of many people, that is just not my method. The tools I restore are intended to be used and I prefer them to look old, weathered and retain some character. Check out some of my other videos, they may not be glossy, but I make sure to have quality solutions.
@@NeedItMakeIt I have an Estwing hatchet that I am restoring now and I agree. Old tools need their patina they have earned over years. Polishing all that off erases the story of the tool.
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