I doubled my stock of Kellys

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I'm afraid this poor old beast has had it, but it was only a quarter. Fortunately, the stamp is reproduced on yesteryear tools, so I can fill in the blanks. [JP Kelly] Vulcan Axe/ [Charle]ston W VA USA/HAND (bent arm) FORGED. So it's between 1904 and 1930, and you can see it's a two-piece head with overcoat steel.

The one on the left is the new one, the one on the right is a Fulton I've had a couple of years. All the Kellys I've got, for now.
Sorry about the pic quality; it's another cloudy day.

 

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.....and you can see it's a two-piece head with overcoat steel.

I can't see that in the picture. All I see is a line showing how much steel was hardened. If I saw the top or bottom of the axe head then I might be able to see evidence of a two-piece head.

Edit: Wait a minute, now I see that second line just below the eye. That second line could be the over coat line and the darker line is the temper line. It would still be nice to see the top of the axe.

 

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I'll give it a try when the sun comes out, but you've spotted the line that looks like Kauffmann's picture of an overcoat axe in American Axes. I'll post a pic of that too. I've got two of these, both ground through to mushroomed iron at the edge. I think Collins was right about the superiority of the insert edge.

 

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Well, I put the Vulcan back in the vinegar bath with a dirtier head. Seems the rust comes off the dirtier one and attaches to the cleaner one.
Here's a picture of the Vulcan with a razor blade stuck in the seam where it's opened up a bit.
Below is a sunlit Peavey showing a slightly better view of the line, a little farther from the eye than on the Vulcan, which I believe is the same sort of seam.

 

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That line with the razor blade in it is left over from forging the eye. That eye wasn't slit and drifted, it was folded and forge welded. That's totally separate from anything that went on with the bit. On the second axe all I see is a quench line.

Again, if you have either an overlaid or inlaid bit it should be visible on the top of the axe. If the top of the axe is homogenous then the whole axe is made out of one piece of steel.

 

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Fine.