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Kelly Hand Made Flea Market find

It's just strange. The upturn of the bit doesn't look right for a Kelly. But the way the top of the head turned from being hammered on tells me it's steel not cast iron. So is it a cast steel fake or is it real? I just don't know. If it filed with difficulty then it's likely real. If it filed easily then it probably fake.

And old patina'd axe can be difficult to file with all but a fresh top quality file. As G-pig said, the file will answer all questions in the hands of an experienced filer.
 
I'm definitely not an experienced filer but is there anything else I can do to help determine authenticity?? Also, I really appreciate the information and advice.
 
A vinegar soak. 48 hours in vinegar will reveal a quench line if the bit has been hardened. If there's a quench line, it's real.
 
I would say that it is almost certainly a knock off. That's not to say that it can't be high carbon steel. That's not to say that it can't be decent either. But is it a genuine Kelly Hand Made? In my opinion, no way.
 
Square_peg said:
A vinegar soak. 48 hours in vinegar will reveal a quench line if the bit has been hardened. If there's a quench line, it's real.
Click to expand...

I'll try to pick up some vinegar today before work. My question is, if someone went to the trouble of making this fake, why not fake a Perfect or a Black Raven instead? Something that is highly sought after.
 
WVHILLS said:
I'll try to pick up some vinegar today before work. My question is, if someone went to the trouble of making this fake, why not fake a Perfect or a Black Raven instead? Something that is highly sought after.
Click to expand...

Well, a Black Raven is a much more complicated embossing which would be more difficult to fake especially compared to the Kelly Hand Made which is very simple. It would also be likely more highly scrutinized. Also, I think there are more knock-offs than you may think. It may be fairly old. There are lots of examples of axe manufacturers battling counterfeiters back in the heyday. You can get a sense of Collins' efforts in the manufacturer threads by Operator: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/966510-Collins-and-Co-Manufacturing-Thread?highlight=collins+manufacturer+thread and http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/987671-Collins-and-Co-Manufacturing-Thread-Part-II?highlight=collins+manufacturer+thread

Also, there are black raven knockoffs out there. So I've heard anyway.
 
Square_peg said:
A vinegar soak. 48 hours in vinegar will reveal a quench line if the bit has been hardened. If there's a quench line, it's real.
Click to expand...
Wire brush on a power drill has always exposed this line for me. True though that a good axe has two entirely different types of steel in it.
 
Not sure if these next pics are necessary but I thought I would add them for any of you who might be interested in what I'm doing here. I don't know what the hell the black coating was on the blade but it did NOT want to come off there. I eventually got the majority of it off though.

















 
I'm going on the record to say that it's real. Just a guess.

Pegs, I think the head was hung upside down, by the way. Which is why it has an "upturned bit". Just a guess, again.
 
G-pig said:
I'm going on the record to say that it's real. Just a guess.

Pegs, I think the head was hung upside down, by the way. Which is why it has an "upturned bit". Just a guess, again.
Click to expand...

It never occurred to me that it could've been hung upside down but looking at it now, I think you are absolutely correct.
 
What ever it is you did good. Clean it up and hang it on the wall. forging or forgery ? We may never know.
 
martemper said:
What ever it is you did good. Clean it up and hang it on the wall. forging or forgery ? We may never know.
Click to expand...

Thanks, and I'm pleased with it, even more so if it turns out to be legit. I think it has a lot of character and I like that. I'd like to rehang it eventually.
 
I say real or at least vintage fake! I do see a temper line, I think, and cast steel could/can be almost equivalent to forged, just a little different process. Even with slave labor I can't see modern foreign counterfeiters going to the trouble to supply flea markets with such a convincing fake! Maybe Kelly experimented with remelting trimmings and casting them or had a hammer/stamp that did raised letters.

The one thing that is ironic if cast is the hand made moniker!
 
The lady I bought this from had several other old axes and mattocks and several nice vintage looking meat cleavers including a giant one that I wanted but didn't have enough $$ for it and the Kelly Axe.
 
As Matt pointed out it could easily be a vintage fake. It's been a known problem for 100+ years.
 
If you search kelly axe under images and scroll down until you see a rusty jersey in a black pan. It looks like this one has the raised lettering. It was found by a metal detectorist. This one has the cross cut logo. Treasure net website. Interesting? I guess they faked all the patterns.
 
martemper said:
If you search kelly axe under images and scroll down until you see a rusty jersey in a black pan. It looks like this one has the raised lettering. It was found by a metal detectorist. This one has the cross cut logo. Treasure net website. Interesting? I guess they faked all the patterns.
Click to expand...

I was able to find two other examples of axes bearing the Kelly logo with raised lettering doing a google image search, there wasn't much information provided though.
 
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