It followed me home (Part 2)

Steve Tall · Mar 11, 2015

garry3 said:
...

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CARL BLOMBACH
GERMANY

From what I can tell from this source, the company was founded in 1878, and the factory closed in 1990, while a successor company (from 1962) closed in 2004.

Deutschland
Wuppertal-Ronsdorf
Geranienstr. 22
gegründet: 1878

Adresse:

Firma Carl Blombach
Burger Str. 26a
42859 Remscheid
Firma gelöscht: 1990 [D1]

ab 1962:
Carl Blombach, Nachfolger Willi Wasser
Remscheider Str. 125
42899 Remscheid
Firma gelöscht: 2004 [D1]

http://www.alte-beitel.de/blombach_carl.html

garry3 · Mar 11, 2015

Thank you Steve!

cityofthesouth · Mar 12, 2015

garry3 said:
I am sure we are not looking at stain. I have several older hafted axes. It seems that the ones that are well preserved will turn dark with age. Some of these older hafts I am reasonably certain are oiled(linseed would not be a bad guess). Some have recent scratches revealing it is primarily the surface that has darkened. I was very suspicious of the first one I came across.

Interesting. I have a really old one as well that is damn near red like that. I guess hickory really is red, hence the color of the heart wood .... maybe it just takes time for the sap wood to return to that color when cared for? Or maybe heart wood handles weren't uncommon in days past.

garry3 · Mar 12, 2015

cityofthesouth said:
Interesting. I have a really old one as well that is damn near red like that. I guess hickory really is red, hence the color of the heart wood .... maybe it just takes time for the sap wood to return to that color when cared for? Or maybe heart wood handles weren't uncommon in days past.

I think it is just age and a natural patina. These are old enough that we would not be looking at any heart wood. The oil seems to be what really darkens. I am not at all sure what causes it. I have an old octagon hafted axe that is darker were it had tape wrapped around it. So I guess its not sun light or air.

Maybe another member will pitch in and tell us what causes the darkening. I am sure there is some one here that has the answers.

cityofthesouth · Mar 12, 2015

garry3 said:
I think it is just age and a natural patina. These are old enough that we would not be looking at any heart wood. The oil seems to be what really darkens. I am not at all sure what causes it. I have an old octagon hafted axe that is darker were it had tape wrapped around it. So I guess its not sun light or air.

Maybe another member will pitch in and tell us what causes the darkening. I am sure there is some one here that has the answers.

Even after only a couple winters of use handles get much darker, so I suppose you give em a decade or five, and they just keep at it.

quinton · Mar 13, 2015

In my experience, Shagbark is the "whitest" of the Hickory's. Mockernut , Pignut, or any of the smoother barked species have more of a cream to tan color of the sap wood that will age to a more red color.

quinton · Mar 13, 2015

Forgot to add that the smoother barked Hickory's seem to have more tiny pin knots in the wood. Those tiny knots never bothered me at all, but it always seemed one or two would reveal themselves as a haft was shaped!

cityofthesouth · Mar 13, 2015

quinton said:
Forgot to add that the smoother barked Hickory's seem to have more tiny pin knots in the wood. Those tiny knots never bothered me at all, but it always seemed one or two would reveal themselves as a haft was shaped!

Since you're talking about other varieties of hickory, do you know, is it common for handles to be made from all of them?

quinton · Mar 13, 2015

cityofthesouth said:
Since you're talking about other varieties of hickory, do you know, is it common for handles to be made from all of them?

I "think" I read somewhere that all species of Hickory were used by the handle companies ..

I don't differentiate in any specie of Hickory. When I go to the woods to cut a tree for handles, the first I come up on that is straight is the one I cut.

lmalterna · Mar 13, 2015

"the first I come up on that is straight is the one I cut. "-

Grandpa used to always say, "No sense cutting a tree you can get your arms around unless it is a fence post or just in the way."

I have a nice straight Hickory laying on the ridge since last Spring- barely get my arms around it and sectioned in in 40-46" logs. Once the weather dries some, I will travel back to Rural Retreat,Va, split them into smaller chunks and carry them out. I have never carved a handle from a stave but want to try. Might be able to share some staves if people want to pay shipping.

Bill

cityofthesouth · Mar 13, 2015

lmalterna said:
"the first I come up on that is straight is the one I cut. "- Grandpa used to always say, "No sense cutting a tree you can get your arms around unless it is a fence post or just in the way."

I have a nice straight Hickory laying on the ridge since last Spring- barely get my arms around it and sectioned in in 40-46" logs. Once the weather dries some, I will travel back to Rural Retreat,Va, split them into smaller chunks and carry them out. I have never carved a handle from a stave but want to try. Might be able to share some staves if people want to pay shipping.

Bill

You have my attention.

Joe L. Bachs · Mar 13, 2015

I'd be interested too.

Remzy · Mar 13, 2015

yeah me too, but im in canada so shipping would be insanely high :/

garry3 · Mar 13, 2015

I came by this old WW2 hatchet. Someone had painted the handle white. Maybe they didn't want to loose it.
Any way I tried turpentine and steel wool, it did nothing. Next was turpatine. I was expecting the same result, its just a synthetic substitute for turpentine.
It took about a half an hour with that stuff and it removed most of that ugly white paint without hurting the olive drab original paint. I really didn't think I could do it with out removing all the paint. There is still white paint here and there in groves ect but it is a vast improvement. Maybe the white was a water base?

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I did not know that these had hardened polls. Kind of cool.

garry3 · Mar 13, 2015

Any body know if this is a married pair? The head really looks like a POS. I just picked it up because I liked the handle. Come to find out it has a funny shaped eye that the Plumb scout axes don't fit. Some one familiar with these scout axes?

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flexo · Mar 14, 2015

garry3 said:
I came by this old WW2 hatchet. Someone had painted the handle white. Maybe they didn't want to loose it.
Any way I tried turpentine and steel wool, it did nothing. Next was turpatine. I was expecting the same result, its just a synthetic substitute for turpentine.
It took about a half an hour with that stuff and it removed most of that ugly white paint without hurting the olive drab original paint. I really didn't think I could do it with out removing all the paint. There is still white paint here and there in groves ect but it is a vast improvement. Maybe the white was a water base?

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I did not know that these had hardened polls. Kind of cool.

haft shape reminds me of my 1944 american force(s) & hoe co hatchet.

Hacked · Mar 14, 2015

garry3 said:
Any body know if this is a married pair? The head really looks like a POS. I just picked it up because I liked the handle. Come to find out it has a funny shaped eye that the Plumb scout axes don't fit. Some one familiar with these scout axes?

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Possible it's an older Barco Camp Axe.

garry3 · Mar 14, 2015

flexo said:
haft shape reminds me of my 1944 american force(s) & hoe co hatchet.

That is exactly what it is, right down to the date. Did you notice a hardened poll on yours? But its "American ,Fork & Hoe co." Maybe you where kidding?

I have a weakness for hatchets, these have a real nice head geometry. The hardened poll was a surprise to me. Its the first one of these I have owned. I like every thing I see.
I think it might have more collector value than user value? Going to keep my eyes open for a loose head.

garry3 · Mar 14, 2015

Hacked said:
Possible it's an older Barco Camp Axe.

The haft says "Official Boyscout Axe". Funny eye shape that is different than the Plumb Boyscout axes I have and the replacement scout handles. The head is un-marked and fits a the shorter, rounder eye. There is paint on the haft inside the eye, so it wasn't shaved down for this head. The head just has kind of a china vibe to it. It is an un-stamped head.

Did Barko make a Boyscout axe?

Hacked · Mar 14, 2015

garry3 said:
The haft says "Official Boyscout Axe". Funny eye shape that is different than the Plumb Boyscout axes I have and the replacement scout handles. The head is un-marked and fits a the shorter, rounder eye. There is paint on the haft inside the eye, so it wasn't shaved down for this head. The head just has kind of a china vibe to it. It is an un-stamped head.

Did Barko make a Boyscout axe?

I'm not sure if they did. Its possible that the handle is a replacement. I have an unmarked head that has a handle stamped "14" Boy Scout Handle" hard to tell if it was really a BSA axe or not. I believe a lot of different companies made scout or scout style axes, and handles. To be honest the head just made me think of the Barco military hatchets because of the rough finish and nail puller.