I did pick up a new hobby I'll share with the group. While in Montana in early Sep, I found two vintage axes at an junk antiques shop. They were a bargain so I picked them up with the intent of restoring them...because you can never have enough toys.
I cut the heads off the old helves and since they were very rusty and dirty, so I let them soak in a vinegar bath for 36 hours. After 24 hours, I scrubbed them with sandpaper before letting them soak for another 12 hours. After the second rinse, I scrubbed them again with sandpaper, which removed all the rust and grime.
Next I filed the heads down where they had mushroomed out (somebody used them as a sledge). I then started with 80 grit sandpaper and began to remove the pitting on the axe heads. After 80, I did another pass with 100, 120, 150, 220, 320, 400. Each pass smoothed out the head more and more until non-pitted again.
Using a file and then wetstone, I reset and shaped the edge, gradually sharpening it. Bought a couple of new hickory helves at Ace and hung the heads on each. Then, in the spirit of my California roots, painted the handles blue & gold. About 5 coats of linseed oil later, they began to take on a nice luster and are ready for splitting wood.
It was my first time restoring an axe and found it very therapeutic. I highly suggest you give it a try and for under $30 you can have an incredibly well built tool with a story and history to it that should last a lifetime.
