Can someone please help identify this axe head?

M

Minrelica

Joined
Apr 17, 2016
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I dug up this axe head a few hours ago in the middle of the woods while metal detecting. It was approximately 10" down. I've searched photos for similar heads but I'm coming up short. I figured if anyone would know, it would be someone on here.

Larger blade is approx 4", smaller is 3" - end to end is 13-1/2" - weight 3 lbs

I know it's not that old but I'd still like to know as much as I can about it. I'm sure it will clean up real good with electrolysis and I can get it back onto a handle where it belongs.

Thanks in advance!

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First created by an American forestry warden by the name of Ed Pulaski just before WWI. These have been a widely used forestry tool (which goes by the term "Pulaski tool or axe") ever since the 1920s and these are still manufactured by 2-3 American companies and increasingly more so by China and India.
Once you get this head cleaned up if there is an FSS (federal supply service) stamp on it you'll know it's top of the line.
 
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Well you've already been informed that it's a pulaski so there's nothing more I can tell you other than I like it and it's a great find.
 
Lieblad said:
Just wonder if there was a wildfire in the woods where it was found...
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More likely a disinterested public servant that wasn't looking forward to telling the foreman he broke another handle, knowing he'd be told to fix it. Toss the remains off into the woods and then run off to help load a pump or some other distraction, and grab another axe. I too have one of these Pulaski heads (a Walters version found 100 feet from an abandoned Ranger cabin in central BC 35 years ago) but luckily that one wasn't orphaned for anywhere near as long as the one you have.
 
300Six said:
First created by an American forestry warden by the name of Ed Pulaski just before WWI. These have been a widely used forestry tool (which goes by the term "Pulaski tool or axe") ever since the 1920s and these are still manufactured by 2-3 American companies and increasingly more so by China and India.
Once you get this head cleaned up if there is an FSS (federal supply service) stamp on it you'll know it's top of the line.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply! Great post, exactly the info I was hoping for. I'll be sure to look for the FSS
 
300Six said:
More likely a disinterested public servant that wasn't looking forward to telling the foreman he broke another handle, knowing he'd be told to fix it. Toss the remains off into the woods and then run off to help load a pump or some other distraction, and grab another axe. I too have one of these Pulaski heads (a Walters version found 100 feet from an abandoned Ranger cabin in central BC 35 years ago) but luckily that one wasn't orphaned for anywhere near as long as the one you have.
Click to expand...

I've been trying to figure out why someone would leave a perfectly good axe head lay in the woods but I guess the scenarios are endless. When I read your first post I thought that maybe it was left because it was one of the cheaper models you mentioned. My best guess (and only a guess) is that it's been in the ground for possibly 25-30 years so I'm interested in getting it cleaned up to see what I have.
 
Many are lost in the woods. Our trails group paints bright colors on the hafts so they're more visible. We lose less this way but we still lose some. And if a fire fighter got in a pinch he wouldn't hesitate to leave his pulaksi behind to save his arse and I hope he does every time.
 
Square_peg said:
Many are lost in the woods. Our trails group paints bright colors on the hafts so they're more visible. We lose less this way but we still lose some. And if a fire fighter got in a pinch he wouldn't hesitate to leave his pulaksi behind to save his arse and I hope he does every time.
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Good comment. If the handle is missing due to having burned the blade and hoe temper may also have been lost. Were there any charred stumps in the vicinity and/or is the current tree cover new growth?
 
Minrelica said:
I've been trying to figure out why someone would leave a perfectly good axe head lay in the woods but I guess the scenarios are endless.
Click to expand...

I have known more than a few smokejumpers in my day who had burned the handle off of their tool and buried the head rather than pack it a long distance back to a pick-up location. Depending on the remoteness of the fire (especially in and around wilderness areas) they could be facing a 10+mile hike with around 80lbs of gear. I have even heard stories from some old-timers of removing chainsaw bars, burying them, and only packing out the powerhead. It could that your old Pulaski was the hapless orphan of a long pack-out!
 
This last weekend I took a long hike to the foundation of my great great grandfathers first house which he was forced to abandoned in 1879 when the RR came through. I wanted to metal detect the area for some time now but it just now worked out that I could. Anyway, among other items that I found in my 3hr hunt, I managed to find 2 axe heads. That's 3 for the year so far and 3 total in all my years of detecting. It's the year of the axe I guess..

I'm guessing there's no real way to date these? Maybe not a great pic but you get the gist. Considering the area I was in, I'm confident in saying they have been under ground for quite a long time.

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Not difficult to see why the upper one wound up as a derelict; would have been a real chore to hand file that one back to life.
 
Guys.. what's the best way for me to clean the pair of heads just above? They are very important to me due to where I found them. I want to clean them but not ruin them.. They are still in the state you see in the photo. If there's a section for cleaning/restoring I haven't seen it yet.

Wire brushes? Finish with Tung Oil or Minwax?

Any help would be appreciated. THX!
 
Soft wire cup brush on an angle grinder (or whatever you have).
I use bees wax linseed oil mix on steel hand tools but there's lots of options.

You might learn more about them after they are cleaned up.
 
Wire wheel on a corded or cordless drill (there are coarse and fine grades and even brass wired ones available) is standard fare but a knotted wire cup brush on an angle grinder really cleans things up.
 
I figured I'd update this since I've cleaned them up. I spent more time on the first two and I think they came out pretty good! I soaked them both in vinegar for several hours then hit them with wire cup brushes on a handheld drill. I finished off with some boiled linseed oil. No torch so I used a hair dryer which seemed to do O.K.

The Pulaski was soaked in acid/water mixture I used on beer cans when I was a kid.. I stopped where I did simply because I really don't need to go further since it's just a conversation piece that I pulled out of the ground. (also at a point where I may start losing some paint and the remaining rust was stubborn. I'm happy with the results on all of them.

Thanks for everyone's input!

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The cleanup of the Pulaski head turned out rather well. Proves that paint coatings actually serve a purpose. Are there any markings on it? Seeing as it isn't worn very much you might consider putting a handle on it so it serves a dual role: conversation piece and handy root grubber and noxious shrub destroyer. The Pulaski that I have gets way more use than any of my other axes. They're OK for cutting and splitting wood if you're a car or boat camper and they sure are handy for grubbing stones when preparing tent pads.
 
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