Head pattern I.D. help

V

vcbvcbvcb

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I just bought this, but don't have it yet. It's 6 3/4" x 4 1/4" and 2 3/4 pounds. Anybody know what pattern it is? Thanks

 
Dayton with phantom bevels. Very heavily worn. The bevels almost reach the bit. It was at least an inch longer at one time.
 
I thought it looked unusual but I couldn't put my finger on it. I was preoccupied with the fact that it was exactly the weight I wanted. Do you think there's enough tempered area left to make it useful? My 1st shot at phantom bevels didn't go so well, live and I learned.
 
Looks like it might be a hair on the worn out side, but there might be some life left. On most axes you can find out where the hardened areas are with a vinegar soak.
 
The seller advertised that it was in good condition. I think he probably thought it was as the rest of the head looked pretty good. I have 14 days to return it as long as I pay shipping. What's the consensus is?
 
Keep it. Hang it. Use it. Probably got about an inch of hardened steel left. Here's several examples of Kelly perfects with bevels after vinegar showing how far they hardened their axes.
OSZPlVk.jpg

ewA66Ic.jpg

Bsx6QZf.jpg
 
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Interesting, Rockman. Neither of those show hardending of the poll which many Perfects are reported to have. The top one even shows some chipping on the poll. Have you file tested either of those?
 
Square_peg said:
Interesting, Rockman. Neither of those show hardending of the poll which many Perfects are reported to have. The top one even shows some chipping on the poll. Have you file tested either of those?
Click to expand...

UIihf04.jpg

pHWQDeo.jpg

Jersey has a hardened poll. The Dayton doesn't as I filed mushrooming off it.
 
rockman0 said:
Jersey has a hardened poll. The Dayton doesn't as I filed mushrooming off it.
UIihf04.jpg

pHWQDeo.jpg
Click to expand...

rockman0 said:
OSZPlVk.jpg
Click to expand...

This is a significant piece of data. The vinegar bath didn't show hardening but the poll is hardened and the chips confirm it. That suggests differential hardening of the bit and poll of a Kelly Perfect. And it leaves the file test as the surest way to tell if a poll is hardened.
 
Square_peg said:
This is a significant piece of data. The vinegar bath didn't show hardening but the poll is hardened and the chips confirm it. That suggests differential hardening of the bit and poll of a Kelly Perfect. And it leaves the file test as the surest way to tell if a poll is hardened.
Click to expand...

I'll put a file on it this weekend. Interesting that you can see the bit is darker half way in.
 
Is this the opposite of what I should look for? The tempered area near the edge should be darker, right? On this pic it's lighter.

 
vcbvcbvcb said:
Is this the opposite of what I should look for? The tempered area near the edge should be darker, right? On this pic it's lighter.

Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that. It's lighter because it's been cleaned. A vinegar bath would change that. But the vinegar would also remove the lovely patina on that old axe. Better to clean it up with a wire wheel and just trust that the bit is hardened as it should be. And you'll know for sure when you take the file to it.
 
Soaking in vinegar is certainly not the best thing to do all of the time, I'm just pointing out that highlighting the hardened parts in regards to color, requires an etch usually. An education on how each head should look goes a long way in regards to reading an unetched head. I think that a good patina can be an important thing to preserve
 
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