An interesting sighting, GSA axe and hatchet- must be very rare

jblyttle

jblyttle

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Sep 3, 2014
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Never have either, that's pretty cool.
It appears that nowadays all they do is sell cookies and lots of girlie stuff ( could be totally wrong ) , it's cool to see that they used to actually learn some real outdoor skills.
I hear nowadays that many boy scout troops don't allow knives of any kind so I can't imagine that any girl scout troop would at all.
 
A lot of surviving GS hatchets can be found online, so it seems odd that no examples of the "Camp Ax" (24") with a GS logo stamp can be readily found. Perhaps the actual "Camp Axes" weren't stamped with the GS logo?

By the way, there's no mention of the "Camp Ax" head or handle being green.

Edited to add: A photo of a surviving example of a green "Camp Ax" (with GS logo stamp) was added to post 9 of this thread.
 
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Hickory n steel said:
It appears that nowadays all they do is sell cookies and lots of girlie stuff ( could be totally wrong ) , it's cool to see that they used to actually learn some real outdoor skills.
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I think it depends on the troop - same as Boy Scouts. I have a friend who was a Girl Scout troop leader for 20 years (plus she was born and raised in the Alaskan bush). Even at age 60 that woman is a tough smart all weather camper. No whining about nuthin'! She has better backwoods skills than 999 out of a 1000 men.

I was looking at that 'Aluminum Reflector Baker' on the next page. My friend can make anything in an aluminum foil box oven that I can make in a dutch oven. Leantos, tarp shelters, general bushcraft skills, she does it all.
 
Square_peg said:
I think it depends on the troop - same as Boy Scouts. I have a friend who was a Girl Scout troop leader for 20 years (plus she was born and raised in the Alaskan bush). Even at age 60 that woman is a tough smart all weather camper. No whining about nuthin'! She has better backwoods skills than 999 out of a 1000 men.

I was looking at that 'Aluminum Reflector Baker' on the next page. My friend can make anything in an aluminum foil box oven that I can make in a dutch oven. Leantos, tarp shelters, general bushcraft skills, she does it all.
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I wouldn't doubt that one bit.
 
This is my very small GSA hatchet. Same size as the Plumb BSA Voyageur axe. (One-pound head with a 2.5-inch cutting edge on an 11" handle.)
A


This beauty is not mine, unfortunately, but it is a GSA-stamped Plumb National pattern that I photographed at an Axe Junkies gathering this summer. Pretty sure the green paint on head and handle is original. I am on the hunt for one. Want! :)
A


I hope that the images show up. I don't think that I've ever posted an image here. In case they don't, here are the URLs for them in my SmugMug gallery:
https://land.smugmug.com/Plumb-GSA-axes/i-XBMVhR2/A

https://land.smugmug.com/Plumb-GSA-axes/i-hWkHrtd/A

Edit to add: In years of chasing axes, these are the only two GSA axes that I have ever encountered in person.

Chris
 
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Thanks for this. Both of my sisters were in Girl Guides plus mom was a 'Brown Owl' during the 1960s (in Ottawa, Ontario) but I don't recall camping trips ever featuring on their agendas. Us Scout troop members on the other hand found all manner of excuses to partake in outdoor activities.
 
_Land_ said:
Thanks for the assist, Agent_H!

I need to look into how to post pics on this site.

Chris
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My pleasure. If you use that host you can bring your pictures up, right click, copy address, then click the little picture icon above the text window here (next to the smiley face), and paste it.

Hadn’t seen those green GSA’s before :thumbsup:
 
My dad picked up one of these girl scout camp axes at an auction last week. We didn't realize that's what it was until I wire wheeled off some of the rust and found the faint remains of the Girl Scout emblem. It makes sense, because we both thought it was "dainty"- truly how I'd imagine a "girl's axe"; just a bit lighter and shorter than a "boy's axe".

This one has a 22" handle, and the hang was loose, so I'm pretty sure it has an old replacement haft. It has lovely shape and is quite thin, so it was added during its working life. I'm going to tighten it back up and put it in serviceable order.

These suckers must be quite rare. I spent a while googling and got almost no info about them. I've seen several of the smaller hatchets for sale online, but never one of these camp axes.
 
the possum said:
My dad picked up one of these girl scout camp axes at an auction last week. We didn't realize that's what it was until I wire wheeled off some of the rust and found the faint remains of the Girl Scout emblem. It makes sense, because we both thought it was "dainty"- truly how I'd imagine a "girl's axe"; just a bit lighter and shorter than a "boy's axe".

This one has a 22" handle, and the hang was loose, so I'm pretty sure it has an old replacement haft. It has lovely shape and is quite thin, so it was added during its working life. I'm going to tighten it back up and put it in serviceable order.

These suckers must be quite rare. I spent a while googling and got almost no info about them. I've seen several of the smaller hatchets for sale online, but never one of these camp axes.
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If you can post up a picture or two that would be great to see your girl scout camp axe.
 
I haven't posted a photo online since Photobucket melted down. Have we arrived at some sort of consensus on which site is best for hosting forum photos?

I smoothed off some more rust with a piece of soft sandstone (which seems better at preserving some patina), and found more of the stamp intact. I went ahead and honed the edge while I was at it, since it had already been sharpened by the previous owner. This head weighs 26.8 oz, but the edge doesn't have much wear, so I guess it was made on the lighter side of the nominal weight.

The wedge came right out. Thankfully they didn't use any metal bits. I wet sanded the old haft with teak oil since it was pretty dry and starting to check/crack. Couple more coats and I'll put it back together.
 
Flint, you don't happen to have a link to that auction you mentioned, do you? Or do you remember the auction title?
 
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