First post, is this anything good?

AdamFuzzyballs · Jan 21, 2016

I found this hatchet at a flea market, the handle was cracked but complete. I removed the handle but still have it if you think pics of it would help.
It looks to me like it was forge welded because of the way the head is to one side of the eye (I believe those are the correct terms). I really just want to know if it is anything neat or if it is Chinese or just cheap junk. I haven't found any markings at all but if you can give me a specific area to look at I'll do that. Thanks!

Operator1975 · Jan 21, 2016

1. Clean it up see if it has any markings.
2. The question "is it any good" isn't up to me or anyone else on here really, its up to you and your intentions/needs.

DarthTaco123 · Jan 21, 2016

Looks like a single bevel hewer to me, are there any visible marks on it?

AdamFuzzyballs · Jan 21, 2016

By any good I mean is it at least american made, actually forged, something that it would be wise to rehandle, etc. I gave 5 dollars for it so yeah lol. It is single bevel, I'll try to clean it up some tonight

DarthTaco123 · Jan 21, 2016

Hard to say if it's american-made or not with no makers stamp.

Square_peg · Jan 21, 2016

More than likely American - various companies sold millions of those broad hatchets here in the US.

jblyttle · Jan 21, 2016

You got a nice deal, it looks to be in decent shape too. Focus just under the poll, the old marks tend to be fairly small fixed font not unlike old type writer type letters. There may be a single digit weight stamp closer to the center on one side. You want to look on the curved side, not the flat side.

AdamFuzzyballs · Jan 22, 2016

Thanks for the advice! i will work on this and hopefully have an update tomorrow or saturday!

gben · Jan 22, 2016

The only thing that makes an old axe or hatchet unusable is if it is so pitted by rust that you can no longer make an edge on it.

Heavy rust pits will fill the edge with "serrations" so that parts of it are thin and sharp and other parts were the pits are will be blunt, so it will not cut or chop as well as a tool that is not pitted.

Since it is a "hewing" hatchet, with one side that is supposed to be flat, that flat side is the most important and needs to be free of pits, the other side that has the bevel is not nearly as important. If the pitting is slight you may be able to grind the entire flat side down a very small amount to diminish the pitting in it.

Good luck.