Identify axe

A

AJW Bushcraft

Joined
Jan 29, 2020
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I have just acquired a new axe, it's in pretty bad shape, I plan to restore it. It's a kent pattern head, it does have some markings but cant read the full text, can anyone help identify it?
I do also have a photo but cant work out how to post it so if anyone can help with that too?

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Your first photo worked for me.
It looks like maybe your axe was manufactured by Brades;and you'd have to look them up for the rest of info,like what #3 means(British manufacturers often used their own designation systems of size/weight,which is what that number refers to).
 
jake pogg said:
Your first photo worked for me.
It looks like maybe your axe was manufactured by Brades;and you'd have to look them up for the rest of info,like what #3 means(British manufacturers often used their own designation systems of size/weight,which is what that number refers to).
Click to expand...
Thankyou
 
jake pogg said:
P.S.
Yep,probably Brades.And #3 means straight up 3 lbs.
https://www.adverts.ie/hand-tools/axe-by-brades/17677931
Click to expand...
From Jake Pogg pointing me in the right direction, and from some research it looks like it could be a No 3 blades 311 steel poll hatchet from their 1922 catalog. can anyone give any further information on this axe? what it was used for? when did they stop making them? any other interesting information
 
Well,from an illustration here https://archive.org/details/WilliamHuntAndSonsExportCatalogue1934/page/n19/mode/2up
it appears to be beveled on both sides.
As such it'd not be limited to hewing solely(many axes of similar shape are single-bevel tools,which would class them as Side-,or Bench-,or carpenter's hatchet type tools,purposed to hewing mostly,i.e.for work along the wood grain).
So as the catalog name "Household" also seems to indicate it's a universal tool for any number of chores in construction around the home or farm or a city construction site.
A builder's axe,we could probably class it.With the blade thin enough for comfortably hewing something to shape,yet also suited for cross-grain chopping as well.
The Brades was a huge operation and their output was exported to many(often exotic)parts of the British Empire in it's day,the models remaining domestically after,i'd imagine that they produced this model for decades,and it may not be easy to pin the manufacture date too exactly.
The nuts&bolts of it's metallurgical particulars would also likely be hard to trace;i imagine it's a forge-welded composite with an in-,or over-layed bit and poll plate;both the lesser and the higher-C alloys of excellent quality(the latter possibly crucible steel if produced long enough ago).
Sorry,only the very general info here.You may try to track down some collector group in UK that would know all sorts of particulars.
 
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