marbles 'safety axe'

[sappyg]

i picked this up at a gun show a few years back for some rediculous price. normally i use a machette or a full size axe for most everything but for the price it was worth a shot. it's no heavy duty piece of work but i never figure on pushing it beyond it's limits. i liked the safety guard and thought it has a certain novelty to it. the head is getting a little loose so guess it's time to soak it in some water. what do you think?





the safety gaurd fits in a recess in the handle

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

That's a lovely looking hatchet alright

I'd soak it in linseed oil rather than water though mate, and probably put a new wedge in to

[sappyg]

I'd soak it in linseed oil rather than water though mate, and probably put a new wedge in to

hmmmm..... never heard of soaking in linseed oil. sounds like a better idea for sure. thanks for the advise.

[Gareth]

Agreed on the linseed oil, soaking in water is a very short term solution, it'll just dry out again putting you back to square one.  If it's more than a tiny bit of movement then, as Mike says, a new wedge might be in order.  It's a good looking hatchet mate and I like the safety feature, do you notice it under your fingers when you're chopping?

[sappyg]

Agreed on the linseed oil, soaking in water is a very short term solution, it'll just dry out again putting you back to square one.  If it's more than a tiny bit of movement then, as Mike says, a new wedge might be in order.  It's a good looking hatchet mate and I like the safety feature, do you notice it under your fingers when you're chopping?

definately gonna try the linseed oil. it makes way too much sense. the movement is very small actually and i have considered using J B weld but it's not that bad yet.

i haven't used it much at all but i don't notice the safety under my fingers during use. i like the way it drives through material better than my machete plus it does'nt get stuck the way the machete can. it will continue to see very limited use all the same. if something needs a whack around the yard i'll find something to do it good and proper.

 

 

[J-sews]

Marbles was a fine old maker in the Michigan north country. Their knives, compasses, match safes, etc were legendary. That safety ax is worth a pretty penny in the condition it's in.


(the new ones are crap BTW, imported from China)

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

(the new ones are crap BTW, imported from China)

Sadly I've heard that opinion quite a bit

[sappyg]

Marbles was a fine old maker in the Michigan north country. Their knives, compasses, match safes, etc were legendary. That safety ax is worth a pretty penny in the condition it's in.


(the new ones are crap BTW, imported from China)

though it does'nt say 'made in china' on it anywhere i suspect that it was. i bought it about 4 years ago NIB on an impulse. i'm guessing the name was lisenced or contracted for a production run.

what makes them crap? the steel in the bit too soft? i haven't used it enough to say for sure. if something needs chopping (like making kindling) i use my axe. you get more return for the effort.

here's a good question. does anyone use a hatchete anymore? would'nt a heavy long knife like a BK2 be more convenient and practical for average use?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I use a hatchet quite a bit now, and in preference to a knife now that I've used one a fair bit and got used to there idiosyncrasies

[Gareth]

Yup, I use a hatchet quite a bit when out and about.  I'd much rather have a hatchet and a small fixed blade than one big knife, it's a much more versatile combo in my experience.

BTW Mike, how are you getting on with that Husqvarna?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

It's been a good field tool so far mate I still reckon the head's made of iron judging by the weight

Certainly earned it's keep

[sappyg]

I use a hatchet quite a bit now, and in preference to a knife now that I've used one a fair bit and got used to there idiosyncrasies

i differ to your better judgement. i'm in the process of soaking the 'marbles' in linseed oil (as well as a  few other tools), on your recommendation. at this point the bit seems ok and compaired to my axe bit seems more secure. the axe has seen some heavy use though. to the point of being neglected.

this is worthy of a pass around IMO. i'm open to shiping to the 1st person. the last person should ship to me. all i need is a correct address. PM me with the particulars. the only stipulation is that the hachete needs to be used in a real world real invironment. pics would be helpful if not a requirement. send it to the next person in the condition you found it and use the hell out of it (as best you can), if you can. anyone up to this? personally i would get a gas out of it. better still to compare it to the origional but modern hachetes should not be excluded (seen some nice ones at lowes today).

[J-sews]

Marbles was a fine old maker in the Michigan north country. Their knives, compasses, match safes, etc were legendary. That safety ax is worth a pretty penny in the condition it's in.


(the new ones are crap BTW, imported from China)

though it does'nt say 'made in china' on it anywhere i suspect that it was. i bought it about 4 years ago NIB on an impulse. i'm guessing the name was lisenced or contracted for a production run.

what makes them crap? the steel in the bit too soft? i haven't used it enough to say for sure. if something needs chopping (like making kindling) i use my axe. you get more return for the effort.

here's a good question. does anyone use a hatchete anymore? would'nt a heavy long knife like a BK2 be more convenient and practical for average use?

The ones I was checking out at the Marbles retail outlet store last year had very poorly made blade gaurds. The metal was sloppily cut. Some didn't even fold away properly. The store clerk was pretty embarrassed. He said the old ones were much better made.


That being said, from the photos it doesn't look like yours is that bad. Are you sure its a Chinese one?

[sappyg]

(the new ones are crap BTW, imported from China)

The ones I was checking out at the Marbles retail outlet store last year had very poorly made blade gaurds. The metal was sloppily cut. Some didn't even fold away properly. The store clerk was pretty embarrassed. He said the old ones were much better made.
That being said, from the photos it doesn't look like yours is that bad. Are you sure its a Chinese one?

i think mine is chino, actually i am 99% certain that it is . does'nt matter to me one way or other. tell me why it is so wanting.  after all it's just a hachete.

[J-sews]

What I'm wondering is if maybe yours is from a different batch than the cruddy ones I played with? Like you say though, it doesn't really matter as long as you're happy with the one you got. It does look nice

[jzmtl]

Pocket axe eh? You americans sure have some big pockets. 

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

That's a lovely looking hatchet alright

I'd soak it in linseed oil rather than water though mate, and probably put a new wedge in to

Wedging wouldn't have done any good on the No.5s I have...the eyes aren't even tapered. The head of the top one slid off before I even used it...they were only supposed to be "cosmetic" seconds when I bought them from SMKW. The other seemed to stay on, but to be on the safe side I drilled a hole through the head to put a steel pin through it.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

That's a lovely looking hatchet alright

I'd soak it in linseed oil rather than water though mate, and probably put a new wedge in to

Wedging wouldn't have done any good on the No.5s I have...the eyes aren't even tapered. The head of the top one slid off before I even used it...they were only supposed to be "cosmetic" seconds when I bought them from SMKW. The other seemed to stay on, but to be on the safe side I drilled a hole through the head to put a steel pin through it.

That must of taken a while

[sappyg]

Wedging wouldn't have done any good on the No.5s I have...the eyes aren't even tapered. The head of the top one slid off before I even used it...they were only supposed to be "cosmetic" seconds when I bought them from SMKW. The other seemed to stay on, but to be on the safe side I drilled a hole through the head to put a steel pin through it.

thanks for the pics spork 
your #5s have different handles than my #6. the 6 has fluting cut into the handle where it joins into the bit. also, the bit has reverse flutes cut into the axehole (i've always wanted to say that). the blade gaurd sits completely within the handle on mine and does not extend past the end of the handle.

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

That's a lovely looking hatchet alright

I'd soak it in linseed oil rather than water though mate, and probably put a new wedge in to

Wedging wouldn't have done any good on the No.5s I have...the eyes aren't even tapered. The head of the top one slid off before I even used it...they were only supposed to be "cosmetic" seconds when I bought them from SMKW. The other seemed to stay on, but to be on the safe side I drilled a hole through the head to put a steel pin through it.

That must of taken a while

It actually didn't 

I believe that many axe heads are hardened only on the cutting bit portion, leaving the eye softer for toughness. I know it was an acceptable practice to bury the edge in soil to burn out a broken handle in the past.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Funny thing is you pay a lot to get a differential temper these days

[Gareth]

It's been a good field tool so far mate I still reckon the head's made of iron judging by the weight

Certainly earned it's keep

Good to know Mike, I'll admit it was the weight that made me pass it on.  It's a big head on a short shaft IMO (oo-er), but a very nice hatchet none-the-less.

[sappyg]

after soaking in linseed oil i used the hachet on a piece of 4" oak. halfway through the bit had nearly slipped completely off the handle. what a POS.... i'm trying some j b weld on it to try and make it servicable. i see exactly why these things are crap now. theres nothing for the handle to grip to making it completely unreliable.

i checked out some hachets at lowes yesterday. looks like you can get a decent hatchet for less than $20 that look to be darn near indestructable.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Have you used a wedge?

[sappyg]

Have you used a wedge?

heck no.... what kind of a redkneck do you think i am  .... live and learn. the linseed oil worked great on my axe and maddox and they are much older.

i used the origional wedge which is the only thing that kept the bit from flying completely off the handle. that j b weld is wicked stuff. if that does'nt hold nothing will.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Best not use the axe near anyone you like till its fixed then

[sappyg]

 

[J-sews]

Might want to take it over to the in-laws and chop a few cord for them though

[sappyg]

sweet...... the j b weld worked!

i chopped through the remainder of the log and another full chop through again with absolutely no issues. the bit is rock solid now. the marbles in no longer a POS. now it is a POS that reliably works. edge retension looks good but i think i need to take out some of the acute angle cause you get just a bit of rollover. it literally shaved the hair on my arm before i started the chop
for what it is i'm ok with it but i think i would rather the handle be a little longer and the head a good bit heavier.

[J-sews]

JB Weld to the rescue again!