Tool Talk
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: skipskip on March 18, 2013, 09:58:47 PM
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Many years ago, I worked at the family hardware business.
Once a year we went to the big hardware show and bought for the upcoming season, usually Christmas.
The salesmen had a few different ways to get you to spend more than you had planned.
Sometimes they would slip you a few bucks, sometimes there was a gift for the wife, sometimes they just plain gave you stuff.
One year, the Estwing hammer booth gave out personalized hatchets.
I still have mine, and tho it hasnt been well cared for, I still kinda like it.
Skip
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8226/8569903969_5ae2d503ff_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/8569903969/)
MAR 167 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/8569903969/) by skipskip (http://www.flickr.com/people/skipskip/), on Flickr
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8514/8570997638_1d87c29435_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/8570997638/)
MAR 164 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/8570997638/) by skipskip (http://www.flickr.com/people/skipskip/), on Flickr
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8087/8569902147_714591aa5c_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/8569902147/)
MAR 163 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipskip/8569902147/) by skipskip (http://www.flickr.com/people/skipskip/), on Flickr
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That's one to keep forever!
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Very nice!
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Nice! So about how old is it?
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Very nice hatchet, Expecially when your name is on it.
Estwing recently came out with a "black eagle" series of tomahawk things.
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Very nice, is that original leather work?
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When I was a kid I remember my dad had a hammer with the leather strips on the handle like that, but I believe it was stained black.
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keep it forever mabe your your great grandson can tell the story on a tool forum 30 years from now .
bob w.
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The first hatchet I ever used! It was my grandfather's, and the handle was almost black from use when he let me play with it around 1951. Good memories!
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Not cared for? Looks awful good to me. I'd consider that tool irreplaceable. Have a couple of Estwing hammers, very top quality.
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I have an Estwing hammer with steel shaft. It is great for front suspension work.
I used to tear up the wooden handles when doing ball joints etc.
It's the one I usually pull out of the drawer when I need to get serious.
great tool.
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It's a model 24A, I think from about 1980.
Original leather on the handle and on the sheath
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Dang fine hatchet.
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What a treasure!
yours Scott
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Nice piece Skip! Has anyone ever re-leathered an estwing? I have a hammer that has a very tired handle.
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Nice piece Skip! Has anyone ever re-leathered an estwing? I have a hammer that has a very tired handle.
I have never seen it done very well. I don't think you can do it very well at home.
When they make these, they leave the pins that go through the bottom plate extra long. Then stack up the leather well past where the handle really ends. The extra long pins make this possible.
They put the bottom plate on and mount it in a hydraulic press and press the leather very hard.
Last they trim off the extra pin and head then up over the bottom plate.
The only thing I have ever been able to successfully do, when the handle is only a little loose,
is cut a ring of hard fiber, open on one end (kind of like the letter C) , and pry open the leather rings where it is going to go, and drive it in with everything well slathered in glue (epoxy).
This tightens up the handle leather some (not like factory pressure) and then you have to try and cover the open end of the spacer with another little piece merely glued on.
It works, but only if the handle is a little loose. If several rings are gone there is no way.
Removing all the leather and starting over you would have to recreate the entire Estwing process, welding on new longer pins you can trim later. Then build the entire hydraulic clamp outfit. I never saw anyone go to this length.
yours Scott
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Thanks Scott, I think I will go another way or find a better hammer.
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I have. I'll post some photos when I get home. Estwings are among my favorites.