Axe Identification

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in but red paint and eye ridges usually point towards the Kelly Woodslasher line. They had a foil type label and minimal if any stamping, if stamping is present it is usually a letter and 2 numbers. Not sure on the diamonds, possibly a woodsman used the axe as a mini anvil in years past, I have several axes that attest to their use as an anvil. Hope this helps a little and I apologize if my answers aren’t too helpful. Btw, I think the head pattern is a Michigan.
 
Peck Price said:
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will chime in but red paint and eye ridges usually point towards the Kelly Woodslasher line. They had a foil type label and minimal if any stamping, if stamping is present it is usually a letter and 2 numbers. Not sure on the diamonds, possibly a woodsman used the axe as a mini anvil in years past, I have several axes that attest to their use as an anvil. Hope this helps a little and I apologize if my answers aren’t too helpful. Btw, I think the head pattern is a Michigan.
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Thanks for the tip. I took some P400 metal sandpaper to the head, and was able to uncover the markings much better. I’ve also noticed that not all the pictures are included in my post, so I’ll fix that and add in the pic of the axe after sandpaper.
 
yes, probably a kelly woodslasher - though I think Vaughan also used eye ridges at some point.
and yes, michigan pattern. if its a kelly woodslasher the eye ridges indicate probably 1960's - 70s. time period.

I don't think those triangle/diamond impressions are part of a factory stamp - I think P Peck Price is right - either someone used that axe as an anvil or used it to pound on something that made those impressions.
 
I thin
FLINT77 said:
yes, probably a kelly woodslasher - though I think Vaughan also used eye ridges at some point.
and yes, michigan pattern. if its a kelly woodslasher the eye ridges indicate probably 1960's - 70s. time period.

I don't think those triangle/diamond impressions are part of a factory stamp - I think P Peck Price is right - either someone used that axe as an anvil or used it to pound on something that made those impressions.
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After some further searching, I’m almost sure it’s a Kelly Woodslasher due to the placement of the grooves in the eye. They aren’t directly across the eye from each other.
 
Kelly woodslasher is definitely my guess.
I think the markings are likely from someone having held it in a vise at some point.
 
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C3C said:
Could someone help identify this axe? The remnants of red paint and the four grooves in the eye makes me think it’s a Kelly, but I can’t find the exact one. If you look closely, there’s pretty irregular diamond shapes embedded into the head a bit near near the butt.

photos:
https://ibb.co/MBVVSJ4
https://ibb.co/9ZKwvTw
https://ibb.co/dMNLhGb
https://ibb.co/87rsD9t
https://ibb.co/fHJDDmC
Click to expand...

Ridges could be Kelly, TrueTemper, Collins, Vaughan, Plumb, Barco or Mann (to name a few):
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/axes-with-eye-ridges.1332341/
 
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Hickory n steel said:
The letter and number stamp as well as the size number and positioning of the eye ridges point almost exclusively towards a TT woodslasher axe.
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Letter and number stamps? Maybe I'm not able to see all the pictures, but the ones I could see had front and back of faces and cheeks, but no letters or numbers. If you saw clear stamps, then you're in a better position to comment than I.

Not disagreeing with you, it's just that, like the OP, I was once seeking the same type of axe ID info, and was told similarly, that ridges mean woodslasher. So, from there on I was operating from the understanding that all ridged axes were woodslashers.

Which was great until I found and read the exhaustive thread here https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/axes-with-eye-ridges.1332341/. After having read that, now I'm less confident on the hard and fast rule that ridges=woodslasher. I would very much like to be though, since I have several ridged axes with no marks.
 
Axcentric said:
Letter and number stamps? Maybe I'm not able to see all the pictures, but the ones I could see had front and back of faces and cheeks, but no letters or numbers. If you saw clear stamps, then you're in a better position to comment than I.

Not disagreeing with you, it's just that, like the OP, I was once seeking the same type of axe ID info, and was told similarly, that ridges mean woodslasher. So, from there on I was operating from the understanding that all ridged axes were woodslashers.

Which was great until I found and read the exhaustive thread here https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/axes-with-eye-ridges.1332341/. After having read that, now I'm less confident on the hard and fast rule that ridges=woodslasher. I would very much like to be though, since I have several ridged axes with no marks.
Click to expand...
I guess I was mistaken, I thought it was said there was a C followed by a number like is often found on woodslashers.
 
Sometimes with the limited information you can ascertain from the axe itself, you have to be satisfied with the probably maybe factor.
I say it's a probably maybe woodslasher Michigan pattern used thoroughly in its life.

Happy Axe Hunting
 
COT3pKp.jpeg
 
Miller '72 said:
Looking good!
Vaughan Value Brand at 3½lbs
With eye ridges!
Great find!
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I wish it were mine. I do have an unmarked DB with 4 offset ridges and I do wonder which maker it is; Kelly, Vaughan, Collins, Plumb, Barco or Mann. Although, its size and shape with that slightly upturned toe(vs the Vaughan above) does make me want to lean towards Kelly.
PhUJXeW.jpg
 
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