The Mini Hatchet

[I'mSoSharp]

Some lovely little hatchets in this thread

I've had this one a few years & all I know is it came from Germany & is a Helko. Stacked leather handle..

Just over 1lb total, 12" long.
Nice little thing, but can't find any info about it, I wonder how old it is.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I'll be having a could of itty-bitty 250g (8.82oz) Sicilia pattern hatchets landing Tuesday if all goes to plan. Will post some pics when they get here.

 

[Hacked]

About time I post some sort of update to my own thread ;-) I put the older of my two Vaughans to work this past holiday weekend. Nothing too serious but that's not what they were intended for. The Yurt we stayed at came with a complimentary supply of wood for the fire pit. All of it was quarter rounds however so I used the little hatchet for what it does best and prepped some kindling. I also did some light carving with it. While I will say it carves better than I expected the slightly thicker profile on this particular hatchet doesn't perform quite as well as my other two similar hatchets.

I also finally got around to making a suitable wedge for the Craftsman to replace the one it had spit out so expect more updates soon I hope.

Nice Helko @I'mSoSharp, that's first for me.

Looking forward to hearing more about those Sicilia pattern hatchets Benjamin.

 

[Hickory n steel]

About time I post some sort of update to my own thread ;-) I put the older of my two Vaughans to work this past holiday weekend. Nothing too serious but that's not what they were intended for. The Yurt we stayed at came with a complimentary supply of wood for the fire pit. All of it was quarter rounds however so I used the little hatchet for what it does best and prepped some kindling. I also did some light carving with it. While I will say it carves better than I expected the slightly thicker profile on this particular hatchet doesn't perform quite as well as my other two similar hatchets.

I also finally got around to making a suitable wedge for the Craftsman to replace the one it had spit out so expect more updates soon I hope.

Nice Helko @I'mSoSharp, that's first for me.

Looking forward to hearing more about those Sicilia pattern hatchets Benjamin.

Nice, I'm sure it worked well .
I'm also looking forward to seeing the hatchets mentioned .

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

The Sicilia hatchets came and went in the blink of an eye, but here are the photos I was able to snap while they were here. Basically the same as the 350g Calabria pattern but with a narrower bit.

Next to the new Italian racing axe, which is their largest.

 

[300Six]

Just over 1lb total, 12" long.
Nice little thing, but can't find any info about it, I wonder how old it is.

Germany was unified in 1991 meaning E Germany and W Germany stampings ceased to be. Consequently my guess would be early to mid 90s. Unlikely that Helko (if they even existed as an entity) was exporting hatchets before the second world war.

 

[rjdankert]

http://www.helkonorthamerica.com/

Bob

 

[Hacked]

The Sicilia hatchets came and went in the blink of an eye, but here are the photos I was able to snap while they were here. Basically the same as the 350g Calabria pattern but with a narrower bit.

Next to the new Italian racing axe, which is their largest.

Thanks for sharing, I hope that means you will be getting more in since they seem to sell. I've been wanting to pick up a tomahawk of some sort and this looks like a more practical design to me. Should do a decent job at chopping and splitting judging from the profile. Also I'd love to compare one to my other small hatchets

A couple of questions if you don't mind.
Is the handle comfortable? I'm guessing the edges are rounded below the head.
Is the weight really right at a pound? Seems high considering the larger 350g Calabria is stated to only be 2 oz heavier overall.
What are your thoughts on it having had the chance to put it to use (I assume)?

Thanks!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Thanks for sharing, I hope that means you will be getting more in since they seem to sell. I've been wanting to pick up a tomahawk of some sort and this looks like a more practical design to me. Should do a decent job at chopping and splitting judging from the profile. Also I'd love to compare one to my other small hatchets

A couple of questions if you don't mind.
Is the handle comfortable? I'm guessing the edges are rounded below the head.
Is the weight really right at a pound? Seems high considering the larger 350g Calabria is stated to only be 2 oz heavier overall.
What are your thoughts on it having had the chance to put it to use (I assume)?

Thanks!

The handle as it comes from the factory has fairly pointy corners, but it's easily rounded out for comfort. The weight of the head and handle in total is, indeed, right at a pound. It's a 250g nominal weight head vs. a 350g, so it's actually closer to a 3.5oz difference based on the nominal head weight. It's a very capable little tool for light work, and would be good both for the scouting purposes I use my personal Calabria for now as well as emergency/survival kit usage. Heck--it's lighter than the steel Klecker Klax, has a better head/handle connection that doesn't require any special tools to make a handle (heck--you can use just the head), and it's made in Italy instead of China.

Personally, I prefer the wider bit of the Calabria pattern, but if you really wanted to shave the ounces off, the little Sicilian is a good option. The head alone, when held with the poll in the palm of the hand, aligns with the index finger nicely for push-chisel work.

 

[Hickory n steel]

The Sicilia hatchets came and went in the blink of an eye, but here are the photos I was able to snap while they were here. Basically the same as the 350g Calabria pattern but with a narrower bit.

Next to the new Italian racing axe, which is their largest.

The heads aren't too bad liking, but I'd have to have it an axe style hang. ( I'm sure I could make it work with a really slimmed down fawns foot handle )

 

[Hacked]

Personally, I prefer the wider bit of the Calabria pattern, but if you really wanted to shave the ounces off, the little Sicilian is a good option. The head alone, when held with the poll in the palm of the hand, aligns with the index finger nicely for push-chisel work.

I'm a backpacker who loves axes, thus what started this whole ordeal with me collecting these little axes. I'm debating on whether the extra blade with is worth it. So if I understand correctly the Sicilia is right around 16oz and the Calabria 19.5oz and they both have identical handles and eyes? Sorry for the all the questions, these two have peaked my interest. And while the difference in weight might seem negligible 3.5oz is more than the weight of my Victorinox Farmer that I generally take with and far more than my lightest fixed blade. Once you start dealing with miles and elevation you start to scrutinize weight in your pack. An axe is a luxury item for sure, but I find I can swing it on short trips given its light enough.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

The heads aren't too bad liking, but I'd have to have it an axe style hang. ( I'm sure I could make it work with a really slimmed down fawns foot handle )

It's possible to hang slip-fit heads using a wedged handle. Just takes a little more care in fitting. I actually plan on rigging one up ciupaga-style at some point.

I'm a backpacker who loves axes, thus what started this whole ordeal with me collecting these little axes. I'm debating on whether the extra blade with is worth it. So if I understand correctly the Sicilia is right around 16oz and the Calabria 19.5oz and they both have identical handles and eyes? Sorry for the all the questions, these two have peaked my interest. And while the difference in weight might seem negligible 3.5oz is more than the weight of my Victorinox Farmer that I generally take with and far more than my lightest fixed blade. Once you start dealing with miles and elevation you start to scrutinize weight in your pack. An axe is a luxury item for sure, but I find I can swing it on short trips given its light enough.

Correct--same eye and handle, but different bits. The Sicilia pattern is narrower both overall and in terms of where the bottom line of the bit meets the eye.

 

[300Six]

http://www.helkonorthamerica.com/

Bob

Well done Bob! The current catalogue lists a 'smooth' camp axe with hammer poll but there is no picture or order number. Seeing as "Helko", as a stamp, dates back to the 1930s it is possible the hatchet is pre-war. Certainly the stacked leather handle is crude-looking compared to goods (Estwing, Craftsman etc) from the 50s and 60s.

 

[Hickory n steel]

It's possible to hang slip-fit heads using a wedged handle. Just takes a little more care in fitting. I actually plan on rigging one up ciupaga-style at some point.



Correct--same eye and handle, but different bits. The Sicilia pattern is narrower both overall and in terms of where the bottom line of the bit meets the eye.

I'd find a way to use a handle like I did for my Vaughan sub zero ( I just don't like anything other than a curved fawns foot or knob handle )

 

[Hacked]

I'd find a way to use a handle like I did for my Vaughan sub zero ( I just don't like anything other than a curved fawns foot or knob handle )

Being that the eye is still tapered you should definitely still be able to use a wedge to hang the head if you wanted. This would allow you to use a handle in any shape you wanted.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Being that the eye is still tapered you should definitely still be able to use a wedge to hang the head if you wanted. This would allow you to use a handle in any shape you wanted.

I think it'd look pretty nice too.

 

[Hacked]

Correct--same eye and handle, but different bits. The Sicilia pattern is narrower both overall and in terms of where the bottom line of the bit meets the eye.

Pretty well settled on the Calabria even though it's heavier I think it looks better and I would guess that it would chop substantially better. Any idea on when you will have these back in stock?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

About 1.5 months out. Takes a while for 'em to get here.

 

[I'mSoSharp]

Germany was unified in 1991 meaning E Germany and W Germany stampings ceased to be. Consequently my guess would be early to mid 90s. Unlikely that Helko (if they even existed as an entity) was exporting hatchets before the second world war.

First of all thank you Bob for the article on Helko, I was aware of the company I just can't find anything at all on this hatchet.

300six, thank you, I never thought about the fact it's simply marked Germany without east or west, after a bit of digging it seems it wasn't compulsory to mark east, west (or even GDR, which I have a vice marked with) until 1972.
So it could be pre 1972.

One source - http://www.porcelainmarksandmore.com/resources/history-notes.php


Sorry, bit off topic.

 

[Square_peg]

Thanks for the link.