It followed me home

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She's ready, I will admit the edge isn't as smooth as it could be. However, it's a decent edge and will work fine for what I have in store for it. Ben Franklin didn't mind a speckled axe and neither do I. I wonder how many times that's been said on this thread?

 
Steve Tall said:
BLASDELL

from 1851 Bytown Canada Directory
Blasdell, N. S., axe factory, Wellington St., U. T. [Upper Town]
from http://www.accessgenealogy.com/canada/1851-bytown-canada-directory.htm

In 1835 or earlier, Nathaniel S. Blasdell opened and operated the Victoria Foundry and Machine Shops in what is now the Bytown part of Ottawa. The shop was powered by a wheel at the Chaudière Falls. They manufactured axes and mill machinery, including sawmills...
from http://vintagemachinery.org/MfgIndex/detail.aspx?id=1942
Click to expand...

Apparently Victoria Foundry completely outfitted Moss Kent Dickinson's new (1859) mill in what was to become Village of Manotick. I was a resident of Manotick for the past 30 years and the mill (renamed Watson's Mill) is a heritage building and the machinery still operating mostly as a tourist attraction but does still produce stone ground flour. Friends of the Mill are always looking for historical artifacts for their displays and certainly your Blasdell Bytown head manufactured by Victoria Foundry of Chaudiere might attract some attention (and money) if you approached them. I can check this out for you if you want or at least track down a contact address.
 
300Six said:
...Friends of the Mill are always looking for historical artifacts for their displays and certainly your Blasdell Bytown head manufactured by Victoria Foundry of Chaudiere might attract some attention...
Click to expand...

Evidently it could be a museum piece. A similar Blasdell axe head (full of rust) is on display here:

ega-05a-005fs.jpg


http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/expositions-exhibitions/esprits-spirits/English/Museum/artifact.php?artifact=ega-05a-005&coll=feature
 
@300six: Yes please! It seems to me that this piece is better off in a museum than in my basement; As much as I would enjoy showing it to and telling people about it (including the factoids you've been sharing with me), I really do not have that many house guests. It would make me happy if it were going somewhere where people would care about it. There is also a "Bytown Museum" I've noticed on google maps near Parliament hill, maybe they would be interested. I'm not really looking to make money on it, but would happily recoup my investment and maybe a few extra bucks to help fund my trip there. (I've been meaning to visit the Ottawa area this summer anyway, so maybe if this works out I could hand deliver the axe and check out its new home).

@Steve Tall (and 300Six): Do you think that the fact I've cleaned it up a bit and coated it with gun oil makes it less desirable as an artifact? Museums probably have strict rules about how to restore items.... In any case, again, thank you Steve Tall; you should offer courses on how to do online research.
 
I hope to get my hands on that book of axe makers of NA tomorrow... the history gets a little bit confusing because there were three Blasdell brothers who apparently were all blacksmiths, and it seems that in 1851 (according to the website http://www.accessgenealogy.com/canad...-directory.htm) two of them (N.S. and T.M.) are listed as owning axe factories on Wellington St (T.M. under "Alphabetical List Of Professions, Trades, &C" and N.S. under "Non Subscribers") ... You'd think that they were co-owners, but this site: http://vintagemachinery.org/MfgIndex/detail.aspx?id=1942 says N.S. opened the foundry in 1834, and this site says T.M. opened one in 1848 http://www.ottawagraphy.ca/bayfpeople/blasdell-thomas-m ... hmm. Anyway, my broad axe is definitely marked "TMBlasdell" as the similar one posted by Steve Tall. Not sure exactly how N.S. fits into this, if at all other than being T.M.'s brother.
 
wdmn said:
...@Steve Tall (and 300Six): Do you think that the fact I've cleaned it up a bit and coated it with gun oil makes it less desirable as an artifact? Museums probably have strict rules about how to restore items.... In any case, again, thank you Steve Tall; you should offer courses on how to do online research.
Click to expand...

I don't know where museums would draw the line. At least you didn't grind down the steel.

Online research is all in the search terms, as you must know since you are finding more info. I guessed wrongly that TM could have been the son of NS.
 
@Steve Tall: Well yes, I have some decent research skills, but I wouldn't have been able to come up with anything without the name Blasdell, and you routinely use incomplete words/names to find information, which is impressive.

@Square_peg: thanks for the link; it does seem that a vinegar bath is a bit "aggressive" (to quote the website), though the gun oil doesn't seem to be a problem. Maybe I should start looking into the brass wire cup method for future clean ups.

I found out a lot more info about the Blasdells and my particular axe today, but I think it's a bit much to keep posting in this thread so I'm going to start a new one later this evening or tomorrow when I get a chance. Thanks for all the help and interest.
 
IMG_3588_zpsa7210410.jpg


I know you guys are into stuff much older than this, but I couldn't resist. I found this at a yard sale and couldn't pass it up. It looked unusual, and it is very lightweight. It is only 28" long and 2 lbs 7 oz. I figured it would make a nice pack axe.
 
textool said:
IMG_3588_zpsa7210410.jpg
...
Click to expand...

There's a reference to the Plumb Utility Axe 1 1-720
in a Hardware Retailing magazine from 1979.

Hardware Retailing - Volume 136 - Page 120
books.google.com/books?id=n80TAQAAMAAJ
1979 - ‎Snippet view - ‎More editions
... built better for those who take their gardening seriously pegboard wall | AMES Plumb " || Utlllfy Axe #1 1-720 M (620) ond f ... three handy tools to make your camping chores a snap— a 21" bow saw, utility axe and 3-position camper shovel.



from the first page of results of a search on books.google.com using the search terms:
plumb "utility axe"
 
Thank you. I've never used the books search on google before. This opens up a whole new world of info.
 
It's heavy, old, and I'm baffled to its purpose. Any ideas. Sharpened edge on the axe, and an opposite facing edge on the 'scythe?' maybe?







In This photo it appears bent, but I don't think it is......
 
Today was an awesome day for tag sale hunting. Picked up a few......

Council homestead,Connecticut pattern
Mann Edge & tool michigan pattern
Tomahawk (don't know brand?)
Plumb Official Boy Scout hatchet with the sheath!!!!


 
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