Old Mustad coming in Mail

M3mphis

M3mphis

Joined
Jan 13, 2011
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A few days ago I bought an old axe head off a large online auction site. It is an old Mustad.

Here are two pics from the auction:
Mustad1.JPG


Mustad2.jpg


Here is some of the description:
7-1/4" FROM THE POLL TO THE 4-5/8" WIDE BLADE EDGE----MARKED MUSTAD OKS WITH A SLASH THRU THE O----MUSTAD MADE AXES IN NORWAY---POLL HAS BEEN MUSHROOMED---ALSO MARKED B-12---

I'll definitely post some more pics after it arrives. I thought it was really interesting. Although I can't find as much info on these Mustad's as I would like. It is the same company that we know today mostly for making fishing hooks. There is a little info out there about the history of the company Mustad. As far as info specifically about their axe making days, that has been sparse. I did find this site that shows a similar looking mustad axe manufactured circa 1930. (7th axe from top.)

http://www.leif2.com/search.php?advanced=1&type=Tools&subtype=Axes

So...what do you think? Any other sources of info you can point me to?

I was going to wait to post it up until I had it in my hands, but I got a little anxious.

Thanks all,

Matt
 
I've been trying to figure to figure out what "øks" means...I think it might be Norwegian for axe. Unfortunately, all the info about the word is in Norwegian. Which is not one of the many, many (1) languages that I speak...

EDIT: Looks like that must be true...according to a couple of translation sites.
 
Hi M3mphis, really neat old axe.
You have likely seen this but I'll post it anyway for others.
Best regards

Robin

Hans Mustad (1837 – 1918) was a Norwegian businessperson. He was instrumental in shaping the company O. Mustad & Søn.

He was born in Vardal as the son of Ole Hovelsen Mustad.[1] He was a brother of Kristian Mauritz Mustad and uncle of Sigbjørn Mustad;[2] both were jurists and politicians. Ole Hovelsen Mustad was a politician and businessperson who ran the company O. Mustad, inherited from Hans Mustad's grandfather Hans Schikkelstad in 1843.[3] Hans Mustad married Marie Heyerdahl in 1865.[4] She was a granddaughter of Hieronymus Heyerdahl,[5]

Hans Mustad started his working career in 1857, when hired in his father's company.[1] They specialized in production of steel wire and nails, and also ran a foundry and a sawmill.[6] In 1874 Hans Mustad became co-owner, and the company name was changed to O. Mustad & Søn, reflecting the new ownership structure. Under the involvement of Hans Mustad, the production was diversified. First, new products such as horse shoes, axe heads and fish hooks were introduced. In addition, the company expanded to other cities. In 1875 the company bought property at Lilleaker in Kristiania, adjacent to the Lysaker river. With a nearby waterfall at Fåbrofossen, this location had a history of industry stretching back to the nail works owned by poet Christian Braunmann Tullin, which existed from 1749 to 1830. From 1874 the lot was vacant, due to the explosion and subsequent move of the local nitroglycerine factory. In 1876 the production of nails and some other iron- and steelware was moved from Vardal to Lilleaker.[7] In 1886 a factory was established in Finland.[6] In 1889 the foundry was moved to Lilleaker, and the same year a margarine factory was established, entering a new branch of business.[7] In addition, the factory at Vardal started production of fishing flies.[6]

In the meantime, Ole Hovelsen Mustad had died (1884), leaving Hans Mustad as the single owner. His five sons became co-owners in 1905. These were Ole Mustad, Jr. (1870–1954), Hans Clarin Hovind Mustad (1871–1948), Halfdan Magnus Mustad (1874–1967), Wilhelm Martin Christie Mustad (1877–1961) and Nicolai Christian Mustad (1878–1970).[2] They subsequently inherited the company upon Hans Mustad's death in 1918.[3] By that time, O. Mustad & Søn was the largest industrial company in Norway, with 2,000 domestic employees as well as several factories abroad. The company eventually became the world's largest producer of fish hooks.[3] Despite the ownership change, the name O. Mustad & Søn was kept. However, not long after its 1970 conversion to a limited company, it was split into different branches. 1977 saw the split into Mustad Industrier AS and Mustad International Group BV, whereas the former was split into Mustad AS, Mustad Industrier AS and Mustad Eiendom AS in 1997.[7]
 
I'll definitely re-haft it. I don't think it will ship with the haft in the pics. My first instinct is to clean it up, file down the mushrooms from the abused poll, sharpen it, and re-haft it. Any part of that you think is a bad idea? I figure as long as I don't remove maker's marks (or damage it somehow) I probably won't reduce any potential value, if there is any. What do you think?

Thanks for the compliments, Gents. I think it's pretty neat too. I can't wait to actually try it out.
 
M3mphis
I had an axe with a similar mushroom and a mark right under it. I took an old cold chisel and banged the mushroom back towards the poll then took it off without getting near the old mark. May work on yours.

Best regards

Robin
 
That sounds like a good plan. The first thing I do is put a head in a container of vinegar. I remove it periodically, scrub it with a brush or steel wool then wipe it clean with dry paper towels then put it back in the vinegar bath. This vinegar bath stage can last a day or two, or up to a week or more depending on the condition of the head. I find this method to be really effective for most heads, and you're not removing any metal or damaging makers marks. I usually grind down any mushrooming after the vinegar bath.
 
Pipeman said:
M3mphis
I had an axe with a similar mushroom and a mark right under it. I took an old cold chisel and banged the mushroom back towards the poll then took it off without getting near the old mark. May work on yours.

Best regards

Robin
Click to expand...

That's great advice. Thanks, Robin!

trailmaker said:
That sounds like a good plan. The first thing I do is put a head in a container of vinegar. I remove it periodically, scrub it with a brush or steel wool then wipe it clean with dry paper towels then put it back in the vinegar bath. This vinegar bath stage can last a day or two, or up to a week or more depending on the condition of the head. I find this method to be really effective for most heads, and you're not removing any metal or damaging makers marks. I usually grind down any mushrooming after the vinegar bath.
Click to expand...

I've used vinegar in the same fashion, works well. Smells...weird, but works great.

Does anyone own a Mustad head?
 
Crazy timing. I didn't expect to see this thing until Wednesday or later. BUT it was sitting on my porch! I'll get some pics up.

First impression: Holy sh*t, the poll is WAY more mushroomed than I thought! The bit is in great shape, though.
 
As bad as the poll is, you would think the bit would be abused. Someone must have thought this thing was simply a hammer.
P1050834.JPG


P1050833.JPG


In this one, it looks like someone pounded on the top too.
P1050830.JPG


P1050829.JPG


The eye tapers significantly. In the opposite direction you want! It is much narrower on top than bottom.
P1050828.JPG


The mushroom on the poll goes so far that part of the makers mark is pushed outward slightly. So, I don't think I'll be grinding every last bit of the mushroom out.

The bit is pretty thin, it ought to be a pretty good cutter. It's off to the vinegar bath!
 
nice old Carpenter's axe. if ya get tired of it I would take it, Shroom and all.

I got Mustad hatchet off of e*bey last year and I love it it is mini size and sweetness on a stick. .

They made some good tools.
 
Well it will depend on what you want to do with this axe, as far as intientions.

If you are going to keep it, say as a wall hanger or conversation piece, then you could clean up the head a little, but other than that, dont touch it. Dont grind the poll, don't rehaft it. To most collectors, that takes away the unique qualities of that piece. If the handle is old and probably not usable, thats ok, if you aren't going to use it. if you intend to use it, then you know what to do.

Vinegar as stated is a good cheap way to remove rust, drawback is that it does take a couple days, depending on rust factor. Some guys can't wait that long to get cooking on their new piece :) I have a little experience using it, :) and it seems to work well for the money, again if time is an option. In those older pieces though it will usually show the bit and the tempering, and some guys don't like that, so just think about that before using it, if you do.

Nice piece, best of luck with whatever you do with it.
 
Thanks for all the kind words and helpful advice.

I've got the head cleaned up. It has a forge welded bit. Here are a few pics. It is interesting to see where the two metal come together on the top and bottom of the bit.

P1050836.JPG


P1050838.JPG


P1050845.JPG


A couple questions-

I believe that carpenters axes usually have fairly short handles...how short should I go?

The bit is pretty thin and seems pretty hard. Is an axe like this intended to be used only for carpentry uses? I'm just wondering if taking it out in the woods and using it will run a high risk of damaging the bit.

Thanks, again.

Matt
 
looked up another Scandinavian brand carpenter's axe and it said it came with an 18 inch handle. the little bit longer handle give you more control and balance if you choke up on the handle for some finer work.

Like the forge weld on the axe, Viking Hamon.
 
looked up another Scandinavian brand carpenter's axe and it said it came with an 18 inch handle. the little bit longer handle give you more control and balance if you choke up on the handle for some finer work.

Like the forge weld on the axe, Viking Hamon.
 
Great looking head. Looks like its cleaning up very nice. Thanks for showing !
 
Hey Matt, the more I look at your axe the more I like it. Every line in the profile is a curve, very neat piece. The cleanup is looking great. Sent you a message.

Best regards

Robin
 
Here's some pics. This one was a ton of work. It took hours of filing to remove the mushroomed areas from past abuse. The handle also took a lot of work and reshaping to get it where I wanted it. I'm mostly happy with how it turned out. On to the pics!

P1060049.JPG


P1060050.JPG


P1060051.JPG


Thanks for looking!

Matt
 
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