A big Swedish working axe in excellent condition. No rescue mission required—just a little workshop attention and a properly finished edge.
Not every axe that lands on the Forgotten Steel workbench needs saving from fifty years of rust and neglect. Some arrive with mushroomed polls, broken handles and edges that look as though they’ve been sharpened on the nearest concrete step. Others simply need a little attention.
This 4.5lb Hults Bruk is firmly in the second category.
The Swedish-made head is already well seated on its hickory handle, the maker’s stamp is deep and clear, and the poll shows no significant damage. There is no reason to pull the axe apart or start aggressively cleaning the steel. In fact, doing so would simply create work where none is needed.
This one is getting a workshop refresh rather than a full restoration.
THE FIND
This Hults Bruk came to me already in remarkably sound condition. What caught my attention was its size and weight. At 4.5lb, it is a substantial axe and feels like the big brother to my much smaller Hults Bruk Åby Forest Axe.
I have been considering keeping this one for exactly that reason. The little Åby is a beautiful axe for lighter work, while this old Hults Bruk sits at the other end of the family. Bigger, heavier and considerably less interested in negotiating with whatever piece of timber happens to be in front of it.
Whether it stays in my own collection remains to be seen.
I have been known to become attached to axes after working on them. It’s a terrible business model.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
The head is in excellent overall condition. The poll remains undamaged, with none of the heavy mushrooming commonly found on older working axes, and the Hults Bruk stamp is particularly deep and well preserved.
Just as importantly, the head is well seated on the existing hickory handle. There is no obvious movement and nothing in the initial inspection gives me a reason to remove it. A perfectly sound hang should not be disturbed simply because the axe has found its way onto a restoration bench.
The handle itself needs some attention but is otherwise serviceable. I’ll sand the timber back carefully to clean the surface and prepare it for several applications of Forgotten Steel Workshop Oil. Once the timber has taken up the oil and had sufficient time to settle, it will be finished with Forgotten Steel Workshop Wax.
The edge is usable, but it isn’t finished to my standard. I’ll refine the cutting edge before taking it through to a mirror polish. There is no significant damage to correct, so the goal will be to improve the existing geometry and finish without unnecessarily removing good Swedish steel.
And that’s really the extent of the work planned.
Sometimes the smartest thing you can do to an old axe is recognise that it doesn’t need restoring.
It just needs looking after.
HANDLE & EDGE WORK
Workshop update coming soon.
The next stage will be sanding and treating the original hickory handle before turning my attention to the cutting edge. Once sharpened and polished, this big Swedish axe should be ready to return to work.
The bigger question may be whether I can convince myself to let it leave the workshop.
This article will be updated as the work progresses.
Restore it. Use it. Pass it on.
