How did this happen (cracked axe head)

[Grass Blade]

"Blacksmith Johan Johansen from Fagernes in Norway is forging a new carpenters axe from an old axe head. He is giving a second life to this old axe. It was a common practice in the old days to restore worn out axes by replacing the steel inlay so the blade is like new again."


Bob

Thanks for the neat video bob!

 

[Ernest DuBois]

Some of the working axes I've had re-steeled with material of my choosing in the traditional way at the blacksmith over the years:
Before/After

Before/After

During

 

[Grass Blade]

Some of the working axes I've had re-steeled with material of my choosing in the traditional way at the blacksmith over the years:
Before/After

Before/After

During

Nice! Did you enjoy blacksmithing?

 

[Ernest DuBois]

I do. You notice in the process picture the separate stages: recouping lost material and inserting high carbon content edge steel. It's to show that the renewal may not be so straightforward as it seems since the closure weld and the addition of the edge material are distinct processes .

 

[Grass Blade]

I do. You notice in the process picture the separate stages: recouping lost material and inserting high carbon content edge steel. It's to show that the renewal may not be so straightforward as it seems since the closure weld and the addition of the edge material are distinct processes .

Your talking about a heat treat, cleaning, the borax process to clean and hammering to get it welded?

 

[Grass Blade]

In the process of cleaning it up. I havent found any makers mark but you can see that it had a CAST STEEL stamp.

 

[Grass Blade]

 

[FLINT77]

That's very cool you found the cast steel stamp. I think 'cast steel' was advertised on axes in the late 1800s to very early 1900s to indicate a high quality steel (not that the axe was formed through a casting process).

Here is a similar looking axe with a cast steel stamp. You can look and see if you think the style of the stamps looks similar or not

Vintage~ Wm. Mann~ Superior Cast Steel~ Lewistown, PA~ Kentucky Style~ Axe Head | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage~ Wm. Mann~ Superior Cast Steel~ Lewistown, PA~ Kentucky Style~ Axe Head at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

though there were many manufacturers who advertised cast steel on their axes. I think the older collins axes said cast steel, and I know Beatty cleavers said cast steel, they made some axes like hatchets and fire axes but I've never seen a beatty jersey/kentucky axe.

If you are interested in trying to narrow down the manufacturer, you can do google searches for cast steel axes and look at a bunch of pictures of different axe stamps and see if any match up to your stylistically. I'm sure you have a row of text above that cast steel stamp that indicates the manufacturer, and the poll isn't "TOO" damaged so you might be able to tease it out with the right amount of cleaning and light angles. I wouldn't wire it much more, but you could dunk the poll of the axe in evaporust for a day or so, periodically scrubbing with a toothbrush until the rust is all out of the pits, and that may reveal something. I've had good luck revealing very faint stamps with evaporust.

even if you don't figure it out or care to, you at least know that your axe head is over 100 years old.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Correct -- "Cast Steel" marked on a head indicated the quality of the steel in the bit, as it was steel made using the crucible puddling process and was top-quality material. It does not indicate that the head itself was made by casting.

 

[Grass Blade]

That's very cool you found the cast steel stamp. I think 'cast steel' was advertised on axes in the late 1800s to very early 1900s to indicate a high quality steel (not that the axe was formed through a casting process).

Here is a similar looking axe with a cast steel stamp. You can look and see if you think the style of the stamps looks similar or not

Vintage~ Wm. Mann~ Superior Cast Steel~ Lewistown, PA~ Kentucky Style~ Axe Head | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage~ Wm. Mann~ Superior Cast Steel~ Lewistown, PA~ Kentucky Style~ Axe Head at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

though there were many manufacturers who advertised cast steel on their axes. I think the older collins axes said cast steel, and I know Beatty cleavers said cast steel, they made some axes like hatchets and fire axes but I've never seen a beatty jersey/kentucky axe.

If you are interested in trying to narrow down the manufacturer, you can do google searches for cast steel axes and look at a bunch of pictures of different axe stamps and see if any match up to your stylistically. I'm sure you have a row of text above that cast steel stamp that indicates the manufacturer, and the poll isn't "TOO" damaged so you might be able to tease it out with the right amount of cleaning and light angles. I wouldn't wire it much more, but you could dunk the poll of the axe in evaporust for a day or so, periodically scrubbing with a toothbrush until the rust is all out of the pits, and that may reveal something. I've had good luck revealing very faint stamps with evaporust.

even if you don't figure it out or care to, you at least know that your axe head is over 100 years old.

Thank you for the info. Thats funny that you posted that ebay site. I see the one nearly everyday because i found a superior cast steel axe head 10 years ago. I got it back, in feb and have been trying to identify it with font style and shape. So i go on ebay almost daily and look through the superior cast steels. So far i havent found much of a match.

 

[FLINT77]

hmmm, on the axe you just posted - you can see some letters on the top line. I can definitely see a W and maybe two O's, and in front of the W is either a W. or a V. and a little ways past the woo.... is an & Co

again, if you soak that it evaporust, all those dark stains (the black is just rust) will go away and more letters may appear.

also, the shape of that axe head should help identify it. I've seen that shape before but don't remember what it was. I bet that head can be identified.

 

[garry3]

In a dark room with a flash light shined at an angle so it casts a shadow you might be able to make out a little more of the stamp.

"Superior Cast Steel Warranted" was a pretty common stamp. Meaning the axe was of top quality.

 

[Grass Blade]

In a dark room with a flash light shined at an angle so it casts a shadow you might be able to make out a lit

tle more of the stamp.

"Superior Cast Steel Warranted" was a pretty common stamp. Meaning the axe was of top quality.

Thats about as far as i am able to clean that one. Its just too far gone. Ive over lapped many axe brands and names on top of the lettering to try to get an idea of who i could be made by. Im thinking it may be a william mann axe. From 1890s. I just cant pinppint the font on another one for exact comparison. Ive tried the flashlight trick, baby powder trick, i ever use a microscope to identify lettering you cant see with the naked eye. Weird thing is, not many companies use the & CO at the end. Disston does, but i havent seen an axe like that from them.

But here are a few others similar shape.