It followed me home (Part 2)

[Laars]

Really happy with my flea market finds today! The first Norlund I've seen in person. The guy just bought it from another vendor and offered it to me for $20. He said, "I'll get that for it today". I said, " yes, you will"

 

[Square_peg]

To heck with the Norlund. I LOVE THAT BOX!!!!!!!

 

[garry3]

Larrs, nice scores!
That box is awesome.

 

[jblyttle]

To heck with the Norlund. I LOVE THAT BOX!!!!!!!

Seconded, that's where my eye went and that's where they stayed. That is super cool.

 

[zakkmann]

Picked up a few things today, a Walters, an unmarked Maine wedge and a
Stanley no. 60 spoke shave, sucks that it's missing the concave blade.

 

[Laars]

The box is super cool. I see a lot of ammo boxes priced sky high so I normally walk on by without much more than a glance. Lucky for me today, it caught my eye. The Norlund is cool due to the fact it is the first I have found but I totally get where you're coming from.

 

[smith357]

At 75 cents a pound I could not pass it up.

 

[rockman0]

Nice haul Laars, the box is a bit more attractive than the Norlund but how the heck can you pass it up for 20 bucks knowing it will bring at least 50 or more.

 

[rockman0]

At 75 cents a pound I could not pass it up.

What a deal! I'll go 1.50 per lb and let you double your money :thumbup:

 

[300Six]

At 75 cents a pound I could not pass it up.

I guess not! You can hang your others on the wall now and entirely go forth with this one. The characteristic bevels are there as is the starboard side Plumb stamp. Interesting that a 'hardened' poll does deform on these; I can only presume it took a beating for a long time.
You do know of course that this one would be a sucker for some rendition of a straight haft.

 

[jblyttle]

I guess not! You can hang your others on the wall now and entirely go forth with this one. The characteristic bevels are there as is the starboard side Plumb stamp. Interesting that a 'hardened' poll does deform on these; I can only presume it took a beating for a long time.
You do know of course that this one would be a sucker for some rendition of a straight haft.

It helps to remember that the hardened poll is essentially half of a sledgehammer head. MUCH harder and more durable than a standard poll, but if you have ever seen some hard used sledgehammers, even they will move or chip a little bit if repeatedly beaten to heck and back. I think that the key is to use but not abuse. Any hardened hammer that is damaged was probably stuck many times with another hardened hammer.

 

[Steve Tall]

For a while (in 1922, at least), Plumb would harden the polls on its "regular" axes to a "spring temper" (Rockwell Rc 45?), according to this ad:

"Head of Plumb Axe has a spring temper. Will not batter or mash."
"You get a head that will not batter when used for driving wedges or in rough work around the farm..."

https://books.google.com/books?id=eCskAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22saturday%20evening%20post%22%201922%20september&pg=RA10-PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false (page 104)

 

[DarthTaco123]

Speaking of Plumb axes! Here's what looks like a Plumb stamp on a wedge pattern double bit. Eye is 2 3/8", weight is somewhere between 3 and 4 lbs. A 14 dollar find that needed a little love.

 

[300Six]

It helps to remember that the hardened poll is essentially half of a sledgehammer head. MUCH harder and more durable than a standard poll, but if you have ever seen some hard used sledgehammers, even they will move or chip a little bit if repeatedly beaten to heck and back. I think that the key is to use but not abuse. Any hardened hammer that is damaged was probably stuck many times with another hardened hammer.

There's more to all this than meets the eye. I've seen lots of chipped sledge and hammer faces but no mushrooms (on quality implements). I know very little about the physics of temper processes but there must have been grades that ran from soft temper to glass-hard. With regard to axes, hardening a poll to HSS drill bit hardness would make it susceptible to shattering so I can see why manufacturers would want to back off.

 

[garry3]

At 75 cents a pound I could not pass it up.




That's the heaviest Plumb National axe I have ever seen. Really nice find.

 

[garry3]

Speaking of Plumb axes! Here's what looks like a Plumb stamp on a wedge pattern double bit. Eye is 2 3/8", weight is somewhere between 3 and 4 lbs. A 14 dollar find that needed a little love.
[]

That's a pattern we just don't see out here. The eye size is interesting.

 

[SC T100]

No new axes lately, but I found these that will be used for my axe work in a small Farm and Feed store. Judging by the packaging, some of them have been there a while, and all are USA made. I paid about $20 for all of them, so I thought that was a decent deal. If they had more of the flat files I would have picked them up too, but the only one they had multiples of were the round files, and I don't use them that much.

Now for the real question...can this 4-in-hand be used on hardened metal? I ask because most I've seen say for use on wood and plastic only.

 

[DarthTaco123]

Nice files! I thought it looked interesting as well Garry, Double's aren't really common here in Maine, seeing one in an unusual pattern by a Maker i didn't know that made them was irresistible.

 

[Square_peg]

Now for the real question...can this 4-in-hand be used on hardened metal?

No!


Good scores. The old US made Nicholsons are good files.

 

[300Six]

Speaking of Plumb axes! Here's what looks like a Plumb stamp on a wedge pattern double bit.

We (me, for sure) have all heard tell about the 'double duty' function of double bit axes but this is the very first example I've seen with manufacturing proof; one end has a narrow taper blade and the other is conventional. Smooth chopper at one end and competent splitter at the other. All the double bits I've inspected over the years are manufactured same at both ends but some of the folks kept one end very sharp and the other less so or with a much steeper angle.