The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
I don't recall them coming with the steel cap wedges either. Then again i never bought one new! The shelf is present. And the fact that the fawns foot has no damage at all tends toward it being a factory hang i think. It's a 31"haft. I've got time to figure it out as I'm drying the tongue out by leaving it in the rush of hot air from the wood stove.Never heard of Kelly useing a cap wedge.All the original handles I have had a shelf under the head where it was pressed on.Think I remember reading they cost the same as a flint edge,never saw options in the old catalogs for anything but handle length.
Got it guys. Love it!![]()
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I've since removed it from the haft. They really don't make handles like this anymore. Well evidently some folks are and i think that's awesome! View attachment 1080658
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The head weighs #3-9.4oz. It has a number 7 encircled under the poll. Still has some original black paint in the eye and some in other places too. Did ravens, or any Kellys for that matter, come from the factory with metal cap wedges? I thought this might be the original haft but it did have a cap wedge. Sucker was hard to get out! View attachment 1080667
Anyhow thanks for looking. I'm stoked!
I forgot to add that it is welded with an overcoat bit. Wish i know when AF&H switched to mono steel axes. That would at least place this one between 1930 and 19??
I'm going to file an 18°-20° radial grind on it and call it good.
I'm not sure i can help myself! I basically bought it to look at and if it's not ready to work it just doesn't look right! It's missing about 3/16" evenly across the bit already plus the chip off the heel. Maybe I'll just do a 35 or 40 degree. I feel like being properly sharpened should increase its value even though i know that's not the case. All that notwithstanding If I were a betting man I'd put money that it gets sharpened... it's not like a REAL relic you know?! Square Peg do you know when Kelly(AF&H) switched to mono steel axes?I'd leave it alone. Why risk reducing the value? They've become too valuable to ever swing.
Square Peg do you know when Kelly(AF&H) switched to mono steel axes?
I recall that Flint edge and black Raven were the same cost originally as well.
I'll get pics up tonight to tomorrow.