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Fulton Merit Mark axe
- Thread starter Section10
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the info that i can find from 'axe makers of north america' says that fulton was made by sears...
i cant find any info on fulton being made by kelly or welland vale (true temper of canada)...
there is a list of the kelly TT labels and fulton is not listed, but it is listed under sears and roebuck... fulton tool co. sears 1869...
hope this helps...
i cant find any info on fulton being made by kelly or welland vale (true temper of canada)...
there is a list of the kelly TT labels and fulton is not listed, but it is listed under sears and roebuck... fulton tool co. sears 1869...
hope this helps...
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Fulton was one of the pre Sears institutions - I believe it was in the midwest somewhere - been around a long time - can find that name on many different products - not just axes.
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fulton tool co. (sears)... (m,r) ... chicago, IL (1869)
sears, roebuck & co., Inc... (m,r) ... chicago, IL (1887) (FULTON, DUNLOP, CRAFTSMAN brands)
from 'axe makers of north america'...
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This is my first post. I have an axe head with MERIT name on it. under the name it says FORGED STEEL between those words is a line with a (blacksmith tool?) circle on one and a upward curve on the other. Is it worth re-hanging?? The other side has a 3 and under that either a smaller 56 0r 66.
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Almost any vintage stamped axehead is worth re-hanging, in my opinion.
Square_peg
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Yep. Sears. Made them until they bought the Craftsman name in 1927.
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They are nice ones. Here's one I restored.
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Sorry to bring up a old topic... But I just acquired a 2 pound 8 ounce Fulton boys axe head marked F8 on the opposite side in a group lot of other axes including a Plumb double (4), true temper 3 1/2 double, craftsman 3/2 (3 1/2) double, a Keen Kutter Connecticut single, two green Craftsman singles 3 1/2 and a Estwing boys axe w/ sheath for an absolute steal at a flee market style tag sale... The man said that nobody had even glanced at them in the two days they'd been there so far, so I got them for super cheap... It worked out to like a buck a piece! (The plumb is the only one on a handle, 28", well aside of the Estwing of course)
From what I can find in the little research I've done, is that Fulton was in fact made by Kelly, for, and to be sold at Sears under they're name. From the yesteryears tools site on the Kelly page it mentioned it near the bottom. Apparent they did this a lot for many stores (not just Kelly), they'd make unmarked tools and the buyers mark would be put on it opposed to the Kelly logo. Much like, for instance how a Marlin Model 60 is marked Glennfield model 60 for models to be sold in chain stores.
Here's a quote from that site-
"There is some conjecture that the FULTON brand name was used to honor Robert Fulton and his steam boat, a subject W. J. Kelly was quite interested in."
And from another site (can't remember where... I didn't save it)-
"A Single Bit Axe Head that is marked FULTON and F8 on the bottom in front of the eye, this was one of the markings used by the Kelly Axe & Tool Co."
I could be wrong, that's just what I found in my quick searches.. Honestly, I really don't care who made it, lol, it's a great little axe head that seems to be great quality. I'm eagerly looking to restore! Too bad someone hammered the hell out of the poll and it's a bit bent over... But nothing some filing won't fix.
From what I can find in the little research I've done, is that Fulton was in fact made by Kelly, for, and to be sold at Sears under they're name. From the yesteryears tools site on the Kelly page it mentioned it near the bottom. Apparent they did this a lot for many stores (not just Kelly), they'd make unmarked tools and the buyers mark would be put on it opposed to the Kelly logo. Much like, for instance how a Marlin Model 60 is marked Glennfield model 60 for models to be sold in chain stores.
Here's a quote from that site-
"There is some conjecture that the FULTON brand name was used to honor Robert Fulton and his steam boat, a subject W. J. Kelly was quite interested in."
And from another site (can't remember where... I didn't save it)-
"A Single Bit Axe Head that is marked FULTON and F8 on the bottom in front of the eye, this was one of the markings used by the Kelly Axe & Tool Co."
I could be wrong, that's just what I found in my quick searches.. Honestly, I really don't care who made it, lol, it's a great little axe head that seems to be great quality. I'm eagerly looking to restore! Too bad someone hammered the hell out of the poll and it's a bit bent over... But nothing some filing won't fix.
Square_peg
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Good stuff. Thanks for bringing this to us. Sears has always subcontracted much or most of their tool production.
I have a Merit hatchet without any reference to Fulton, but it also has a small letter/number stamp (S7 I think). My (admittedly light) internet research led to many of the same lines, so it appears that my hatchet has the possibility of being a Kelly, but possibly also actually manufactured by Sears. I'd still love to know the age of my hatchet, as the guy at the flea market said 1937, but I have no idea how he came up with that. It's apparently from the 20s or 30s, so maybe he's right.
There's a website I found that noted Merit was a brand name used in Sears for tools like wrenches that appeared to be made by the same people who made Craftsman in the 20s and 30s. Maybe the had a factory (i.e. made by Sears), or maybe they just subbed it out to Kelly.
There's a website I found that noted Merit was a brand name used in Sears for tools like wrenches that appeared to be made by the same people who made Craftsman in the 20s and 30s. Maybe the had a factory (i.e. made by Sears), or maybe they just subbed it out to Kelly.
