Need ID of Maker on a nice little half hatchet!

B

Brian Rust

Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
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Alright guy I need to pick some of your brain and pluck out some of the vast knowledge that is on this forum! I just purchased this little hatchet while on a business trip. It has a makers mark but I can not make it out. Looks like ther is an H and a couple Bs maybe a C? The previous owner looks to have soaked the whole head in BOL because it is slicker than snot. I’m sure the pictures won’t show the little bit of the stamp that can still be seen but if anyone could just tell me some of the companies that made this style of axe I would appreciate it. Thank you to everyone that comments!
 
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I don't have any good guesses about the top line, but I agree about the HAND FORGED part. It was evidently a selling point for some hatchets back in 1907.

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Steve, thank you for your input! Do you just type in what u are looking for on that book website in the search or is that from a google search?

Lunchbucket, that is a great guess!! If they use all capital letters in their stamp then I bet that’s it! When I get home I will clean it up and find out for sure hopefully!
 
Brian Rust said:
Steve, thank you for your input! Do you just type in what u are looking for on that book website in the search or is that from a google search?
Click to expand...

Here's a good example:

If I do a google search for
"hand forged" hatchet
then on the top of the results page, it will say
All Shopping Images Video News More
If I then click on "More", it will give a drop-down menu showing
Maps
Books
Flights.
If I click on "Books", it gives search results only from google books.
The first result on the first page is:

Commercial America - Volume 12 - Page 32
https://books.google.com/books?id=iMw7AQAAMAAJ
1915 - ‎Read - ‎More editions
J. (/W HAMMERS'HATCHETS SLEDGES AND AXES PLUMB products include complete lines of Hammers, Hatchets, Axes and Sledges; full ... PLUMB ” BALL PEIN MACHINISTS' HAMMER Octagon pattern; hand forged: non-rusting. Made in ...


And when I go to that page, I find this, a shingling hatchet from Plumb that is advertised as "hand forged":

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Steve, thank you for sharing this information! This will help me in my research tremendously!! I really appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me!!!
 
Often 'hand forged' meant only that it was hand held in the forging dies of a large forging press. It doesn't mean 'hand hammered'.
 
Yes I agree completely. Earlier when hand forged was said I didn’t realize they meant it was what the stamp said. I was in my own world I guess lol
 


I think this has to be a HSB & Co shingling hatchet. I have not found this exact hatchet but I found this one and I am 90% sure that’s what it is. I will know for sure when I get a chance to clean it up though.
 
My hatchets are about the right size for oyster work, but that does not explain the notch for nail pulling.
 
From the shape of the notches I’m thinking they may have served a purpose for oyster shucking. What that would be I’m not sure but they are very rectangular and not the traditional wedge pattern. Even though I know some of the lesser quality manufacturers of shingle hatchets cut knotches like this, I’m sure they served a purpose in the oyster trade.
 
Maybe they were for pulling square nails out of oysters. I do not shuck many oysters, but there are a lot of tools out there. My daughter, the chef, says it’s all in the wrist. She worked in a sea food restaurant and shucked many bivalves.
 
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