1930s Hatchet Knife Repair | Restoration
Have you ever wondered how to repair and restore a rare vintage rusty corroded knife? Are you interested in learning how to create knife scales from scratch? In this week's repair and restoration video, I rebuild and restore a 90 year old vintage unique mini hatchet knife axe combination tool manufactured by the Imperial Knife Company.
There were a lot of steps to the restoration of this unusual tool. Because the handle was missing, there was significant build-up of corrosion on the exposed brass liners which needed to be scraped off and cleaned before degreasing and rust removal. Due to the amount of pitting on both the brass and steel parts, the entire knife was disassembled in order to repair each part separately.
The hatchet axe blade was straightened, sanded, polished and sharpened by hand. The knife blade was pitted from rust so much that the pits could not be sanded out so I spot welded them carefully using a 1/16 inch rod and a low amp setting on the welder. I was able to fill most of the pits without ruining the blade but I did have to build a small forge with which I heat treated the knife.
After all of that, the steel parts were nickel plated and further polished. The brass bolsters were damaged during removal so I fabricated new ones from brass plate. The brass liners were cracked and corroded so I silver soldered the cracks and pits. The scales were missing so I fabricated new scales from the wood of an old oak tree that had beautiful spalting throughout the wood. I finished the handle with boiled linseed oil.
Timecodes:
00:00 Intro and initial scraping of loose corrosion
00:53 Cleaning rust and corrosion
01:49 Disassembly
02:36 Exploded view of knife
02:43 Rust removal and degreasing
03:26 Straightening, sanding, polishing the hatchet blade
04:14 Welding and sanding the knife blade
05:43 Building a forge
06:42 Heat treating the knife blade
07:14 Sanding and polishing the knife blade
07:36 Nickel plating the steel parts
08:08 Repairing the brass liners
08:22 Making new wood handles
10:10 Making new brass bolsters
10:51 Shaping the handle
11:59 Assembling the knife
12:46 Final shaping of the knife
13:25 Sharpening the knife blade
13:42 Final reveal
If you would like to try building a knife forge, here is a link to the fire bricks I used - amzn.to/3n1w7jY
If you purchase from this link, the channel will receive a small commission from the sale.
If you would like to watch another knife repair and restoration video, click here -- • 1970's Old Timer Knife...
If you enjoy this video, please hit the Like button so others may enjoy it also. If you would like to see future projects, please consider subscribing. Thank you for watching!
Cheers!
A nice second life for the knife and the tree. And I'm happy to see that someone here also knows that a blade always has to be re-hardened or stress-relieved after welding. Nice work. 👍
Thank you! I actually heat treated it twice, once to normalize and then to harden but I do not believe I showed both steps. The video might show the normalizing stage if I remember correctly. It's been a while since I watched it. Another knife repair is dropping this weekend so stay tuned! 🤙 🍻
@@Restorology In any case, I think it's good that there are still craftsmen on KZhead who really show it, even if it's just a phase. I had seen a knife restoration somewhere, the blade was also leveled with hardfacing, but he just threw the blade in the water and just kept working. If he had shown a test slicing a carrot with it, I bet the carrot would have won if the knife steel was high carbon because then the blade is so hard it breaks. I find it a shame when someone tries at home and then fails because they strictly follow what is shown in the video. That's why accurate videos like yours are a real blessing, please keep it up. 👍
@@Lupin3rd1980 i mean considering most of these are entertainment purposes and not educational or step by step instruction videos if you follow whats shown in the video instead of learning the actual process its no ones fault but your own. Dont blame the craftsmen for making videos that arent meant to be followed step by step 😂
@@Lupin3rd1980 these videos are supposed to be entertainment not educational
@@moh19931000 I do my best to try and make my videos both educational as well as entertaining. I am no expert but I research each step before trying it in the hope that it helps someone else trying to do the same thing. My execution sucks a lot of the time so I don't know if I would follow me step by step but maybe it gives an idea of how to do something while being entertained by just watching the process.
13:00 - I see a cool dog, I instantly click thumbs up. It's like a reflex action or something...
Thanks! It is nice to know that she is good for something other than eating and pooping. Just joking! She is a good shop buddy. Thanks for the comment! 🍻 🤙
@@Restorology Life wouldn't be half as much fun without poop to clean or food to serve ;) Dogs are awesome. Safe to say I'm a fan. Best company in the shop while we tinker...
Get my boy to 10k this video was GOLD
Woo hoo! You win the comment of the day! 🍻✌
you deserve more recognition
Thank you. That is a very nice thing to say. Thanks for watching and I hope you will stay around to see more in the future. 🙏🏻🍻
That was an incredible transformation that resulted in a beautiful tool. I love that you used the spalted oak from your tree. This knife/hatchet will be a true keepsake!
Thank you very much! I saved a lot of wood from that tree so hopefully we will get to see more of it on future projects. Thanks for visiting the channel and for the comment.
I love the puppy!! ❤ incredible restoration !!!
Thank you so very much!
Круто сделал и дерево для ручек классное подобрал👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Спасибо за приятный комментарий!
Awesome video....beautiful restoration. Best part was when the pup came in and you stopped working to show him some love!
Not certain she would have let me do anything else before paying the puppy love toll. Either way, glad to oblige! She loves hanging around the shop and watching me work. 🐶 ❤️
I've never seen so much corrosion in my life before thank God this dude came to help
Thanks! I believe this corrosion came from it being stored in a cabinet full of farm chemicals. It was bad.
@@Restorology makes sense
13:09 always gotta give the doggo some love. true pogchamp
🤙 🐶
I was worried about the temper of the blade when you started welding. You then made a mini forge to re-harden the blade. 👏 bravo. Hats off to you. This looks fantastic. I look forward to watching more of your videos.
Thank you so very much and welcome to the channel. A new one should release in just a few hours. See you there! Cheers!
My father was a blacksmith and master welder. So I know how difficult it was to save that blade as you did. I wonder if the more casual viewers realize what a craftsman you are? Do you have formal training in metal working, or did you just study on your own?
@@robinblackmoor8732 This is an incredible compliment. Thank you! I have no training in metal working, formal or otherwise. I just picked up a welder for the first time last summer so I am very much a novice and I feel it shows with really ugly welds. Thank you again, you made my day!
@@Restorology Well ugly takes time and practice to fix, but not burning a hole through the blade is harder than I think most people might know. I had the best teacher you could have; my father, but never got good at welding. Before KZhead You had to watch my Dad actually do stuff in person. KZhead makes in much easier and more comfortable to do.
What an awesome way to preserve a piece of History
Thank you! 🍻
First Bonsai 🌳 hatchet I have ever seen 😮
NGL, I hate the "added corrosion" clickbait, But still enjoy your videos immensely! More please ASAP!
From a fellow swede to another; thank you. I love your videos. Keep up the good work.
I am so happy to know that you enjoy them. Thank you for the wonderful comment. Cheers!
Good to see your supervisor came in at the end to check on your work.
She is serious about quality control.
Where are the subscriber’s? he deserves way more than this look how hard he is working on it sub to him what are you waiting for?
I could not have said it better! Thanks for the support!! Cheers! 🤙 🍻
Великолепная работа. Приятно смотреть на работу профессионала. 👍
Большое спасибо!
This is def satisfying my How It's Made cravings.
Thank you! 🙏🤙🍻
Непревзойденная работа! Экстракласс. С заваркой каверен и хромированием деталей ножа - вообще космос. Ну и результат сам за себя говорит.
Большое спасибо за приятные слова. Я рад, что вам понравилось его смотреть. Прошу прощения, если мой перевод неверен. Ваше здоровье!
My left ear loved this
I know. It is so embarrassing. It won't happen again.
Incredible restoration, wouldn't have thought that possible, and beautiful scales. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you so very much! I appreciate the nice feedback. I gave the knife blade a low chance of surviving the welding but somehow it worked. I am still shocked. Thanks again for the comment. Cheers!
H iv
I've never seen something like this! Now I really want one!
You can find these vintage ones on eBay but they are not cheap. Others have mentioned in the comments that there are some modern versions available now too that look very similar. Thanks for the comment! 🍻
the spalted oak turned out terrific.. as did the whole restoration. loved it.
Thanks! Although the tree it came from is no longer standing, I hope to use the pieces I got from it in a lot of future projects. It was sad to see an old tree come down but the poor thing was beyond saving. We tried. Thanks for watching and for the comment. Cheers!
My left ear loved the video.
I know. Sorry about that. There must have been a setting off on my new editing software but it's been corrected for future videos. It is embarrassing. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Nice to a restore with a hardened blade. Good work.
Thanks!
Beautiful restoration! Love the wooden handle.
Thank you so very much!
That sink also needs a restoration lol. Great video man!
Thanks! You are not wrong about the sink and not the first one to say so. I'll put it on the project list! Thanks for calling me out on it. Cheers! 🍻
Very interesting knife, first time I have seen a hatchet in a pocket knife. Nicely done sir very nicely done indeed. 👍😁😁🇺🇸
Thank you so very much!
Absolutely beautiful. Nice to see someone put the necessary hard work into it. Bravo.
Thank you!
I’m in utter disbelief that you have just under 2,000 subscribers. That’s insulting to me. As a person who has been watching restoration videos for years now, i can confidently say your craftsmanship, and video quality/content it top tier. I genuinely thought you were going to have at least 500k before I checked your entire channel. Your work is incredible and extremely fascinating with the touch of the old Oak tree and your adorable dog. I hope for the best in your youtube career and I am looking forward to watching you restore and create a whole lot more. Just don’t forget me when you become famous tho !
Thank you so very much for your incredibly kind comment! 500K subs may be a ways off but thanks to people like you who watch, take time to comment, and hopefully return to see more, we will get there!! I am so happy to see that you enjoy my work. It is feedback like this that drives me to improve with each project. Thanks again for the generous compliments and see you in the next one! Cheers!
Calm down tiger, he’s only been posting videos for a few months, from the quality of them yes I’m sure he will build a big fan base but that takes time, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
I love how you recreated the wood exterior! Really nice job!
Thanks. I've never made knife scales like this before but I'll definitely be doing it again soon. Stay tuned!
Such a masterpiece!!! You did all the work without any hightechtools!! Verry well done!!! That's real handcfaftmastership!
Vielen Dank für die netten Worte. Doing a project like this with simple tools brings so much satisfaction. Hopefully I will see you in the next one. Prost! 🍻
Nicely done. I haven't seen one of those in a couple decades. I am happy to have seen it restored correctly.
Thank you very much!
Wow, this was incredible! I love spalted wood.
Thank you! I really like the spalted wood also. At first I thought I would need a darker wood to offset the bright polished brass but I am so glad I used this. Thanks for the comment. See you in the next one I hope. Cheers! 🍻
I discovered your channel completely by accident, and stayed for the craftsmanship and care you take to both restore things, but also to film! Thanks for sharing another great video, and please give my love to the pup! Happy (belated) new year!
Hi. Thank you for the incredibly kind comment. It always makes my day to read how people enjoy the content I create. Thanks for stumbling upon the channel and choosing to stick around. I'll pass on your message to Maeve the pup and I'll see you in the next one! Cheers!
Fantastic work! Absolutely beautiful.
Thank you very much!
Epic video mate! Such a unique piece and done to an excellent standard. The wood choice was perfect too. Nice character. Keep up the good work!
Thank you very much! I look forward to your next project and I'll see you there!!
My left ear enjoyed it very much thank you 🙂
Turn the headset around and watch again. Your right ear is missing out! 🤙 🍻
...Mejor que Nuevo !!! GENIAL Saludos desde Barcelona Catalunya
¡Gracias! Este fue uno de mis proyectos favoritos hasta ahora. Estoy feliz de que te haya gustado. ¡Salud!
I am so amazed how you brought this piece of beauty back to life
Thank you so very much!
Fantastic work! Love that you used old oak from your yard.
Thank you very much. We did everything we could to save the tree but it was getting dangerous to keep it up. I saved a lot of wood so I can preserve it in future projects as well. Thanks for visiting the channel and for the nice comment. Cheers!
wow the dog so cute and adorable
Thank you! She is very curious and is always hanging around the shop. Thank you for the nice message and for visiting the channel.
@@Restorology no problem
i lways wanted to restore tools but i dont know how. where do you get the tools to restore them
@@ID_Playz I mostly get them from estate sales or junk sellers. Sometimes I go to auctions of properties with old barns or farms. I only make videos of the more interesting ones. Most of the time a tool only needs a good cleaning to be used again but I don't film it because it would not be very interesting. I also now have people sending me items to repair for them!
@@Restorology ok thanks for the info
This is fantastic! Learned a lot from this one. Beautiful work.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the feedback.
Beautiful work!
Thank you very much!
Nice transformation. Thanks for showing your skills. Enjoyed it.
Thank you! I appreciate the nice feedback and I am glad you enjoyed it. 🍻
I swear to God everytime my clock passes 12 I get these type of videos
We are here to calm and soothe you before bed so that you have sweet dreams. That's all. Promise. 🤙 🍻
I love that you preserved that wood. A knife with a hatchet? That is something I've never seen before. All around awesome restoration. Thank you for the videos you post.
You are very welcome. Thank you for watching and commenting! 🍻
Wow! That was fantastic. So much intricate detail work to restore this one. I can’t believe how well the wood turned out. It looks like marble. Great job as always!
Thanks! This one took a while to do but I love how it turned out in the end. It was my first time making knife scales like this and I'll definitely be doing more it in the future with different materials. Thanks for the feedback!
😃
Awesome restoration! Congrats to the incredible result
Thank you very much for the nice comment!
Brother, this was an amazing job….bravo. A true craftsman. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thank you for watching and for the kind words. I am truly happy you enjoyed it. Please stick around, there is more to come soon! Cheers!🍻
It is wonderful! From a rusty brass and iron something, you have made a pocket knife, which enchants the soul!
Thank you so very much for your kind words. Best wishes to you.
Wow great Job!!! I love to see someone bring value to something seemingly worthless!!
Thank you very much! 🤙 🍻
That was one of the bast restoration vids iv ever seen. Props to you excellent job . Thank you
Wow, thanks! I appreciate the nice words. Thank you for visiting the channel and for leaving a comment. See you in the next one and have a great day!
Love the video and the project. I have never seen one of those. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching! I am happy you enjoyed the project. I appreciate the nice comment and hopefully I'll see you in the next one!
Beautiful restoration. Nicely done.
Thank you very much!
The job you done on this is stunning, absolutely pristine and perfect!!! ❤️👍😎 I would love to own that knife. 😀
Thank you so very much!
Extreme precision and accuracy. Impressive work. The handle Is Amazing 👍
Thank you very much! I appreciate the nice feedback. It was my first time making this type of handle. Cheers!
Beautiful restoration!
Thank you very much!
Beautiful restoration of that knife
Thank you very much
Very nice transformation, 👌 and I appreciate incorporating the tree!
Thank you! We hated to see the tree go and we did everything we could to save it but it was just at the end of its life. Thanks for the nice comment and see you in the next one!
That is truly nicely done, especially considering how it looked
Thank you! I appreciate the nice feedback.
That is one beautiful restoration!
Thank you so very much! Cheers!
Looks brilliant 👍 love your work
Thank you! I appreciate the nice feedback. Cheers!
Absolutely Beautiful!
Thank you so much!
Beautiful job!
Thank you very much!
You did a hell of a job!!! Wow!!!!!
Hey thanks! 🤙 🍻
That was a fantastic job done!!! Beautiful work my friend...
Thank you so much 😀
Amazing work! Loved every minute of this! Thank you for sharing your talents!
Thanks for watching. I am happy you enjoyed it. ✌🏽
What an outstanding masterclass, superb craftsmanship, meticulously precise detail, and those gorgeous scales! The before and after shots are utterly remarkable, one image an order of magnitude opposite the other! None of this would have been possible without the help of your adorable canine buddy adding his approval. Subscribed.
Thank you so very much for the nice words. I am happy you enjoyed the video, and the pup! Thanks for subbing and welcome to the channel. Cheers!🍻
Fantastic work !
Thank you!!
Well done. Beautiful.
Thank you very much!
Beautiful Work!
Thank you very much!
Beautiful restoration well done.
Thank you very much! Looking forward to your next project.
Absolutely amazing the time and work you put into this thing wish you were my neighbor so I could learn some of these skills and knowledge you have sir
Thanks for the very kind comment! I am not sure my skills are that good but somehow this project turned out okay. I am very happy to know that you enjoyed the video and hopefully I'll see you in the next one! Cheers! 🍻
Beautiful love the results
Thank you! 😊
Beautiful restoration good job well done mister
Thank you very much!
Amazing how you did all the work without a lot of the power tools and specialised equipment a lot of restorers have. Well done!
Thank you! I appreciate you noticing that. It makes the work a little harder but so much more satisfying. If you have time, check out my machete video, no power tools at all. Not going to lie, the sanding, polishing, and drilling with no power tools was brutal. Thanks for the comment and hopefully I'll see you in the next one. Cheers!
Exactly, very talented and precise
I will be watching most if not all of your videos today. So far, this has been the most impressive. The transformation and paying homage to a piece of natural history is amazing.
Hey thanks! I enjoyed learning about pocket knives while working on this and will definitely be doing more on the channel, especially with different types of handles. I've got one in the queue now for which I will trying to make a mother of pearl handle from scratch. That should be a hot mess so stay tuned. If you are watching my earliest videos, don't judge me too harshly. I cringe a little when I see them now.
@@Restorology Had a question when you have time. What power source do you use for electroplating? I have heard you CAN use a battery charger and I have also heard you CANNOT use a battery charger. I believe I even saw someone use a wall socket. Just curious. Thanks.
@@g.l.swartz3157 I use an old mobile phone charger on which I've cut off the connector and added terminals to each wire. It puts out 5V DC and I believe 0.7A. I have an early video in which I restore an old bottle opener and I show the process how I made it. It took like five minutes to make. Thanks for asking!
@@Restorology Nice. Yeah I didn't get through all your videos yesterday. You know, life happens. Will watch that one today for sure. Anyway, thanks for the info.
@@g.l.swartz3157 You are welcome! I appreciate you watching my content but no need to rush. And remember, please be kind if you watch my earlier stuff, the style was a little different than it is now!! Thanks!
Who knows how he does it?😮That's amazing, isn't it?👍
Thank you very much for the nice comment!
What a treasure. I've never seen anything like this before. I love it. Have to subscribe for more. I truly wish I could give two 👍.
Thank you very much and welcome to the channel. Sorry it took a while to respond to this, it was held up for review for some reason.
@@Restorology, I fully understand.
Beautiful, thank you
Thank you very much! 🙏🏽🍻
Sweet looking restoration sir. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
WOW !!!! beautiful result im severely impressed
Thank you so very much!! I am a little impressed it actually turned out okay. I appreciate the comment and hopefully I'll see you in the next one. Cheers!
Excellent restoration, BRAVO 😄
Thank you so much 😀
Amazing. I love your vids. I love that you don't talk
Thank you very much! I do not like the sound of my voice on recordings so I am fairly certain that I won't go there unless I find I cannot explain something with simple captions. If that happens, I'll keep it short and to the point. Thanks for the continued support and see you in the next one!
Wow very impressive while tedious and time consuming I’m sure it made someone very happy!
It took a few minutes for sure! Thanks for the nice feedback. 🤙 🍻
Muy interesante restauración y muy bonito trabajo; muchas gracias.
Muchas gracias por el bonito comentario. ¡Qué tengas un lindo día! Lo siento si mi traducción no es correcta. ¡Salud!
BEAUTIFUL !!😁👍
Thank you! 🙏🙂
Sempre più bravo e innovativo. Non finisci mai di stupire! Complimenti sinceri!!! 👏👏👏
Grazie mille per le tue parole molto gentili. Sono felice che ti sia piaciuto guardare il progetto! Mi scuso se la mia traduzione non è corretta. Saluti!
I kept thinking there is no way this is going to come together but it did and looks incredible with the brass and spalted oak they compliment each other very well.
Thank you very much!! 🍻
Well that turned out great 👍
Thanks!! It was a lot of work but a lot of fun also (most of the time!). Thanks for the nice comment! Cheers!
Você é um verdadeiro artesão, parabéns
Obrigado pelas palavras amáveis. Espero você na próxima. Desculpe se minha tradução não estiver correta. Felicidades!
Wow! great job buddy!
Thanks! I appreciate the nice feedback. Cheers!
Beautiful!!!!
I think it turned out okay. Thank you very much for visiting the channel and for the nice feedback.
It looks beautiful!!
Thank you very much!
absolutely stunning
Thank you so very much!
Such a cool combo knife
Thanks!
Great work!
Thank you! 🍻
Very nice job!
Thank you very much!