Found a Sager Chemical fire axe? Does such a thing exist?

[furith]

I decided to try to restore this old fire axe my grandfather was going to throw away. After I cleaned it up a bit I find there is half destroyed markings saying,
CHEMI....
193....

So as far as I know this is a Sager from the 30's, yet I've never heard of, nor can I find anything online saying anything about them ever making a fire axe. I tried to get a picture of the markings but no luck. This is by far the most abused axe I've ever seen, it looks like somebody tested an angle grinder on the back which is how the markings got messed up. Could it have been a double bit and heavily modified into this? I'm really not sure to be honest. Pictures if they help.

Before
http://s1286.beta.photobucket.com/user/furith/media/HPIM0792_zps603ba659.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

After some work
http://s1286.beta.photobucket.com/user/furith/media/HPIM0794_zps63eb3462.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

I really hope somebody knows something about this. I could be completely wrong about what the markings mean.

 

[Square_peg]

It wouldn't surprise me if Sager Chemical axes were made in a fire axe pattern. Just the same, I think your hunch is right, that this is a modified double bit. The 'poll' area below the pick point has the markings of some home brew work. And rather than a fire axe I think it was modded to work as a pickaroon.

 

[furith]

It wouldn't surprise me if Sager Chemical axes were made in a fire axe pattern. Just the same, I think your hunch is right, that this is a modified double bit. The 'poll' area below the pick point has the markings of some home brew work. And rather than a fire axe I think it was modded to work as a pickaroon.

Thank you.

Well, my guess was closer than I thought it would be. I know little about axes. Pickaroon? Hadn't heard that word today, but definitely explains why it's more of a beak than a spike. Hadn't occurred to me that it might have supposed to have been bent since the whole rest of it was a mess too. I knew I posted this in a place where somebody would know. Though this brings me to a problem though. I had thought it possible that it could have been modified, but it seemed too thick and too long to have simply been cut out. http://s1286.beta.photobucket.com/user/furith/media/HPIM0798.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
So I think it was cut, heated, and then bent into place. If it was actually heated, which I have no doubt that it was. Could it have destroyed the temper and pretty much made this axe worthless? I mean would somebody who would have left gouges like this, have been careful enough to not ruin the temper?
http://s1286.beta.photobucket.com/user/furith/media/HPIM0799.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
Concerned because the toe seems incredibly worn down but the heel only really seems to need to be touched up a bit to make a good edge. Since the toe is up top where the heat would have been I wonder about it. I'd hate to spend all this time on an axe that won't be good for anything but a story about how not to treat a tool.

 

[Square_peg]

Lots of axes have worn toes. It's not necessarily a sign of a ruined heat treat. And any smith worth his salt would have wrapped the bit in a wet rag while heating the pickaroon end.

The length of the pick isn't far off of the length of a new double bit. In fact it's shorter than a typical Puget Sound pattern. That toe is worn to the point where the axe is probably better off left as a conversation piece.

 

[Double Ott]

I'm betting that it was a double bit, modded to be also used as a pickaroon or sometimes called a hooksroon with the hooked bill end on it.

I have one in my collection, a single bit modified to be a pickaroon. It's the one on the upper left side.



A few other pickaroons

 

[Square_peg]

You've got an axaroon!

 

[furith]

Lots of axes have worn toes. It's not necessarily a sign of a ruined heat treat. And any smith worth his salt would have wrapped the bit in a wet rag while heating the pickaroon end.

The length of the pick isn't far off of the length of a new double bit. In fact it's shorter than a typical Puget Sound pattern. That toe is worn to the point where the axe is probably better off left as a conversation piece.

It's a shame really. Maybe I'll finish it, just to see how it turns out. If all else fails I can hang it on the wall. For sure I no longer feel bad about the piece I cut off because of the huge chip in the heel. Either way I think I've found a new hobby. Thanks for your help.