Homemade ice axe

Got bored and decided to make an ice axe, i do not intend to use it for ice climbing, just mountaineering, still, I tested it pretty hard hitting rocks, concrete, wood and steel, it can hold my weight plus my brother on top of me ( about 150kg), as you can see it held up and didnt brake. ( I still need to put teeth on the blade).

Any experienced climber out there, what do you think? Do I give it a shot and bring it to my next climb?

I'd think the 'tooth' on the bottom of the handle would impede plunging the axe. Additionally, not sure the head would be the most comfortable for walking with. That said, it's a cool project, and a neat re-use of hardware (that's a derailleur hanger, right?).

Greg Miller wrote:

I'd think the 'tooth' on the bottom of the handle would impede plunging the axe. Additionally, not sure the head would be the most comfortable for walking with. That said, it's a cool project, and a neat re-use of hardware (that's a derailleur hanger, right?).

It is. XD

In fact i wanted to put a vertical spike on the bottom, an wrap the top with duct tape for comfort

Not an experienced alpine climber, but I do have experience of weld inspection and engineering. Those welds look very 'agricultural'. I would expect that after some use they will crack. I would also be wary of using two M5 bolts to hold the blade on. They are not very strong in shear. 

Realistically, the loads you will subject it to will be quite low in most cases. I would be more than happy burying that to make an anchor (assuming it's not a paper thin walled tube) or using it to walk with, but self arresting would be a major concern. 

Do you know what each of the steels is that you have used? 

That’s awesome!  But I’m with Charlie, I wouldn’t want to trust it in a serious situation like self-arrest. We take it for granted that our $200 axes have gone through rigorous quality control, testing, and inspection.
Looks great though, maybe use it for home defense or mixed drinks;) 

If you really want to know how you stack up, you can look up the actual standards by which commerical ice axes are rated... IIRC, it's mainly about:

• How well the shaft resists bending/breaking when a load is applied across it.
• How well the pick resists deflection, when a force is applied laterally to the pick face while the handle is clamped.

I would def heed what the other fellow said about weld quality. I don't know how to weld, but I've heard that it's difficult to do consistently correctly, without a lot of experience.

Go test it someplace with a safe runout.  Can you reliably catch a tumbling partner on an ice-axe belay?  Can you reliably self-arrest?  Is it reasonably comfortable in use as a "cane"?  It's likely as functional as the trekking poles I use for most "non-technical" snow/ice.   If you can satisfy yourself that your tool is consistently reliable for self-arrest and ice-axe belay, I see no reason not to use it.  I've broken several ice-axes from reputable manufacturers over my 50+ year mountaineering career, and in each case the failure proved more an inconvenience than a real hazard (threat of injury/death).  You're actually joining a long and respectable tradition of homemade gear.  Yvonne Chouinard (pitons, hexes, ice-axes), Bill Forrest (seat harnesses, the most durable ice axes ever),  Jeff & Greg Lowe (Lowe-balls, tri-cams), Ray Jardine ("friends")  Larry Penberthy (MSR) all started out working out of home workshops.  In 1981 I designed and fabricated a tiny dome tent for use on the Cassin Ridge.  These days, similar domes are ubiquitous - by Bibler, Mountain Hardwear, etc, but there was a time when if you wanted it, you had to make it yourself.   Just take the time to test it in "real-life" use/conditions before taking it someplace that it truly matters.

The UIAA standards are published and they have great requirements summaries. I think the Ice tool one is UIAA 152

https://www.theuiaa.org/safety/safety-standards/