2 Great Flea Market Finds. Need help Identifying! *Pics*

Musicmanstngry

Musicmanstngry

Joined
Oct 11, 2012
Messages
196
Hey everybody! I was in Mena Arkansas over Thanksgiving holiday and went into a flea market and found a ton of hand axes and hatchets. I found these particular 2 marked for $14 & $12. These were marked down more so than the others because of there condition. I then asked if they could take some more off and was giving an extra 15% off a few days early for black friday. So I made it out of there for $24 and some change :) . I am still new to axes so any help in identifying these would be very much appreciated! I have looked them over but of course haven't seen anything due to rust. I have been looking at some past forum topics on restorations so if any of you could point me in the right direction to take with these it would be awesome!








 
The curved handle hatchet looks to be a carpenters hatchet of the sorts, the straight handle looks like a half hatchet to me. I'll be curious as to what you may find for marks!
 
These are hatchets for construction and industry that nearly every major manufacturer or hardware-store chain sold, commonly known as Broad and Half hatchets, and usually bought and used by construction workers or warehouse workers. The poll shaped like a hammer and the notch for pulling nails etc. speaks of their intended purpose.

Unless they have uncommon markings or are in excellent original condition with their original handles, then they have little value other than what use someone can get out of them.

In my part of the USA they are usually found for two-dollars each if they have handles, I will pay a little more if one has it's original handle looks exceptionally old, or has very interesting markings. Loose heads are usually a quarter to fifty cents.

Here are pages from a 1967 true-temper catalog with similar tools in it:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1323153-1967-True-Temper-catalog-page-scans
 
I have an old craftsmen carpenters axe and I love it. The hardened hammer poll is very useful. They might be "common" but they are dang useful and likely good quality--worth more than 24$ of use! Your full hatchet with the curved handle looks like it would make a fine carving hatchet. Is the handle solid? If not you could make a new one. Anyway, thats what I would do with it. Congratulations on the excellent finds!
 
JonathanCharles said:
The hardened hammer poll is very useful. They might be "common" but they are dang useful and likely good quality--worth more than 24$ of use!
Click to expand...

I agree that these old hammer/hatchets with the nail-pulling slots are some of the most universally useful hatchets ever made. If you only wanted one hatchet to use for years for practical purposes they are great choices and worth any reasonable investment, even $12.

In collecting patience is the greatest virtue, by this time next year everyone here will have picked up six or twelve more hatchets and axes for between a quarter and five-dollars each at local second-hand venues.
 
I bet that half hatchet is a Plumb under the rust. The head shape, bevels, and handle shape all look very similar to my Plumb, except mine has Permabond instead of a regular wedge.
 
There are a lot of miles on both of them. Re-profiling the blades is going to require a fair bit of file work. I would view these more as 'users' than 'collectors' but for your sake it would be a nice touch if a maker's stamp appeared while the heads were being cleaned up. Someone here will be able to advise what the handle on the full hatchet should look like; the one on it doesn't look to be correct.
 
Awesome. Thank you for all the replies. I will keep you guys updated with the results after I soak these in vinegar and get the rust off.
 
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