Hey all. I thought it was about time I shared my refinished Cold Steel pole axe. It was an early xmas gift from my girlfriend this past year (I love you baby!). So anyway, first I cut down the 72" haft to about 36" to make it smaller and handier while still having reach and power. Then I stained it very dark (I can't remember what kind stain I used) then wiped it with a rag to lighten it a little and bring out the grain. Next I sandblasted off all the black paint and cut off the 4" socket that was just just some welded on tubing. Then I took a ball peen hammer to it to give it some snazzy hammer marks. I antiqued the head with a salt and vinegar solution. Then I buffed and repeated until I got a rugged, campaign-worn finish. I mounted it with a 1/4" steel pin, and then flanked that with two small brass pins to keep the head for extra security. I finished it off with a quick suede cord wrap (which was kind of an afterthought) at the end of the haft. You may have noticed the hammer prongs are missing. I wanted to test how securely the head was mounted to the shaft, so i had the oh so brilliant idea of taking the hammer end to a large block of steel. After about 3 low power blows (just letting the weight of the axe carry it through) one of the prongs snapped off in a hail of sparks. After beating myself up over it for a while I decided to just use the same process and snap the rest of the prongs off. Don't ask me why. The result is what you see in the photos. It's kind of ugly, but for some reason, I decided to leave it as is instead of screwing with it more. To me, it looks more menacing; like it's seen it's share of battles. Besides... it still hasn't lost any of it's combat effectiveness AND the pins securing it to the shaft held up great and are still as tight as ever!

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0694.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0709.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0710.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0711.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0713.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0714.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0706.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0705.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0708.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb128/spyke2000/IMGP0695.jpg

I may yet do more to it if I get bored; studs, carvings, fur, etc. I'd love to hear your comments and feedback. Cheers.

-JM

Good day Josh

I have to say I really like how you made this piece! The combination of the subtle details and geometry with that finish makes for a splendid piece. What strikes a chord with me about it is that it reminds me a lot of a group of weapons from a video game made by Bethesda several years back, Morrowind i think it was. And while they were obviously outrageously detailed fantasy pieces i feel your axe is like a realistic, no-nonsense reincarnation of those weapons. Pretty cool.

rather random of me there but its a nice axe, well done!

Nicholas

I like the look of what you have done.

Vast improvement to the modern looking original.

I remember handling this cold steel piece and thought it was on the heavy side. What did your modified version end up in the weight and balance/handling dept?

Oh, I forgot to mention that it doesn't look bad without the prongs. It looks like they're is still enough material to do something with the fragmented remains of the prongs. You could reshape the sharp edges to make it look like a smaller meat tenderizer style hammer head, or if you feel up to it, you could reshape it into a short beaked back spike. I've seen several original poleaxes with that shape and it looks pretty good to me. here's a couple pics to show you what i mean.

Good luck with it!

Nicholas

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Nice job Josh, that looks really cool. I for one am a fan of the redacted spikes- I always thought they looked a bit odd on this particular model.

I really like what you did with that Josh! I have one of those laying around here someplace still in the box and tube that I intend on doing something similar with when I have the time. :( I have to remember to not hit any blocks with it. Though I have to say the I kind of like how that looks. What did you use to cut off the tubing? A Dremel with cutting wheel?

Scott

Josh - I don't think its ugly at all. I had considered & decided not to mess with a CS axe project because I disliked the back side prongs. Looks much better without, & nice job on the antiquing too. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for all the positive feedback so far guys.

Terry - I haven't weighed it as I don't have a scale. But I'd guess it to be somewhere around the 4 lb mark. With the haft at 36" it handles pretty well. It's packs some serious authority, but it's certainly not unwieldy. A good anti-zombie weapon. ;)

Scott - I would have used my dremel if it hadn't crapped out on me. :\ I was stuck using a sawzall. But I would say using a dremel or chop saw would be the better way to go.