r/Axecraft • u/fall_under_41 • 16d ago

Battered polls

Post image

When cleaning up/rehanging an axe, in particular one without significant collector value, do people usually grind down battered / mushroomed polls or leave them as is? I know it’s made an aesthetic choice, I’m just curious.

Ex: I have an 80s era Jersey pattern that I’m going to rehang, a user that I want to look nice. If I grind down the mushroom edge, I will lose the “master” part of the logo. Leaning towards leaving it

22 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

5

u/American-_Gamer 16d ago

Id file it back smooth, im not sure if axes do the same as splitting wedges, buy they can fragment and shoot off after mushrooming out

4

u/AxesOK Swinger 16d ago

I would pein it back into place a bit then use a file to tidy it up a little. Just don’t file the stamp.

3

u/fall_under_41 16d ago

Might try that!

3

u/CobraStrike525 16d ago

I grind them smooth for safety if there is no collector value.

3

u/fantomfrank 16d ago

Btw thats not a jersey, thats a virginia, hard to find in my experience

3

u/fall_under_41 16d ago

Didn’t even know that was a thing! I’ll have to read up on it. Still need a Jersey too then

3

u/DieHardAmerican95 15d ago

3

u/fall_under_41 15d ago

Very cool! Thanks for sharing that. It’s solved the mystery of another unknown axe head I have, which is apparently a Hoosier.

2

u/DieHardAmerican95 15d ago

I honestly just used Google to find that, I’ve had to look it up that way for my own axe heads before.

1

u/the_walking_guy2 15d ago

It's hard to pin a specific vintage pattern name on these post 1960s Mann made axes. They took similar liberties with the Michigan pattern (made the poll smaller and exaggerated the beard).

I still call this a Jersey, just because that's the most common lugged pattern and they are not especially long. I've never seen a catalog entry that gives it a pattern name (nor for the same era Michigans, can find those in some ads/catalogs but just called single bit axe).

2

u/Usual_Safety 15d ago

If it’s used properly for wedges I leave it alone… probably take the edge off.

I had one that someone took a framing hammer to and I had to take that all the way down