Mysterious hatchet

C

crbnSteeladdict

Joined
Jul 31, 2017
Messages
1,470
Greetings,
For a while I have been thinking about creating semi- hudson bay/tomahawk hatchet from an old axe. This weekend I hit garage sale and have found rusted candidate. Once I removed rust I got a little bit curious. I tried to google the axe and failed miserably to identify it.
Mystery “Drop Forged” hatchet: seems like somebody has ground down the fat cheeks of the axe (its a little bit unbalanced). Looks like it has original good quality handle (almost vertical grain)

total weight 2lbs 15.1oz /1338g
head weight 2lbs 5.6 oz/ /1060g
bit size 3 3/4 inch
pole size 2 5/8 inch
the eye's length 2 inch
the eye's width 11/16 inch
factory wedge
f6H0dhs
http://imgur.com/f6H0dhs
zFEX5

http://imgur.com/a/zFEX5
36phqrM.jpg



Thanks for any help identifying that hatchet
p.s. I might be wrong, but it looks like it used to have square marker's mark in the middle in similar position like this axe http://www.ebay.com/itm/WYETH-HARDWARE-EMBOSSED-SINGLE-BIT-AXE-HEAD-ANTIQUE-TOOL-3-POUND-4-OZ-WEIGHT/142455535729?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIM.MBE&ao=2&asc=45726&meid=5ed796a29e2a483289a0e60c9cf7f688&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=142455890259
 
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I don't think Chinese. The high centerline and unclipped fawnsfoot haft suggest that it is older than almost all Chinese imports. I think German is most likely but possibly American.
 
garry3 said:
I think it is Chinese.
Click to expand...
It might be Chinese (if that is the case, at least, I would not feel guilty to bast.....ize it and reshape it into sami- Hudson Bay)

One of the reasons I got curious was that pure honest statement: "drop forged" (nowadays Gransfors Bruks markets their "drop forged" axes as forged by hand)
The handle feels high quality. All the tools on that estate sale were old school American that could last lifetime, so maybe that is the reason he felt ashamed of this Chinese hatchet and had to grind down the cheeks :-)
 
I am not positive but that sounds like you might have problems finding a over the counter replacement American handle that will fill the eye. Which I associate with European made axes.
If that is the case there was a tread here a while back about a handle maker that was supplying handles that would work.
 
I am sorry my computer was acting up.I would like to thank all of you for your replies; Thanks to you I have learnt a lot. It may seem many European axe manufacturers used the same "drop forged" stamp . I've just found identical "drop forged" mark on Swedish axe
pZHBV
http://imgur.com/a/pZHBV
It gives me hope it may actually be good quality European steel. Maybe there is somebody who has the same hatchet so I will wait a little bit longer with this "hudson bay" reshaping project.
In meantime I will just hang my little bit worn out Sid Axworthy carpenters hatchet. It has seen better days but for carving feather sticks should be good enough. Do you think it used to have overlaid steel bit, or it is just one solid chunk of steel. It is very thin so I might be able to heat it up with just propane torch
crBfUQQ
http://imgur.com/crBfUQQ
uU0BGtb
http://imgur.com/uU0BGtb
 
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garry3 said:
I am not positive but that sounds like you might have problems finding a over the counter replacement American handle that will fill the eye. Which I associate with European made axes.
If that is the case there was a tread here a while back about a handle maker that was supplying handles that would work.
Click to expand...
thanks Garry3 I will try to find that thread
 
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no weight indication Under the poll ? like 5 or 1000?

general look is german to me, but eye seems to be swedish for export. not usual d shaped eye of vintage (or not) german axe.
 
flexo said:
no weight indication Under the poll ? like 5 or 1000?

general look is german to me, but eye seems to be swedish for export. not usual d shaped eye of vintage (or not) german axe.
Click to expand...
sorry no indication of weight metric or imperial. Current head weight 2lbs 5.6 oz/ /1060g. Considering grinding marks on cheeks, under the poll and that it is a little unbalanced toward heavier bit I would assume the grinding took away 2.4 oz from original 2.5 lbs
 
I've just realized I might have one more piece of info ...I looked all over the web but could not find anything that resembles pattern on this wedge. Original, diagonal factory wedge on the right.. ... red devil 10 added later when the head got loose
f6H0dhs
http://imgur.com/f6H0dhs
 
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crbnSteeladdict said:
sorry no indication of weight metric or imperial. Current head weight 2lbs 5.6 oz/ /1060g. Considering grinding marks on cheeks, under the poll and that it is a little unbalanced toward heavier bit I would assume the grinding took away 2.4 oz from original 2.5 lbs
Click to expand...
No wonder the eye of this is a weird size, that's because it's a boy's axe head.
Them most common weight as 2-1/2lb which usually gets hung on a 28" haft.
This one weighing a bit less would work out well on a 24" handle which are available from online axe sellers.
 
Hickory n steel said:
No wonder the eye of this is a weird size, that's because it's a boy's axe head.
Them most common weight as 2-1/2lb which usually gets hung on a 28" haft.
This one weighing a bit less would work out well on a 24" handle which are available from online axe sellers.
Click to expand...
Considering Connecticut/New England head and shape and length of the handle my impression was it was just a house axe made by European company for US market. I hope somebody can recognize that weird wedge
f6H0dhs
http://imgur.com/f6H0dhs
 
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crbnSteeladdict said:
Considering Connecticut/New England head and shape and length of the handle my impression was it was just a house axe made by European company for US market. I hope somebody can recognize that weird diagonal wedge
f6H0dhs
http://imgur.com/f6H0dhs
Click to expand...
House axe is normally a full sized 3-1/2lb head on a 20" handle, but I guess there could be smaller ones.
Now for that " red devil " step wedge, they still make wedges and it was most likely a store bought replacement. ( companies normally don't use parts with other brands on them in axe or hammer assembly )
Was there a wooden wedge in a kerf or was this just in the head all by itself.
If it was just this then someone replaced the handle with one that did have a kerf cut in it, didn't cut one in themselves, and just used the steel wedge all by itself. If that's the case then whatever handle that was on it wouldn't tell you anything about the axe.
 
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