the "viking axe" guys are at it again

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phantomknives

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Mar 31, 2016
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i cant tell if this is a maine wedge or a boys axe. first they butcher an old head calling it an "improvement" then they call it a viking axe because it has a few runes on it and a celtic knot.

this is gonna be like the mauser c96 and han solo all over again
 
I can't fault hobbyists or keeners for re-use and recycle of otherwise obsolete (let's be honest here) tools but I hope they didn't desecrate something of historical or collector value.
 
There are still a million old axes out there that are fine for modding. Yes, we hope they're not cutting up minty Kelly Perfects or Plumb rafting axes. But as far as I'm concerned they can cut up all the Collins Homestead and Kelly Woodslashers they want. For that matter anything they do that makes an old axe loved again ain't a bad thing.

Not my cup of tea but it's their axe. A buddy of mine bought one of these at a rennaissance fair. He likes it. Whatever.

And I admire their artistry. It's a nice etch.
 
If it's a no-name head in a common pattern like a Michigan or Dayton, have at it. But while we're still swimming in them for now, those old axes are nevertheless a finite resource made in an economic/labor market setting the likes of which we'll likely never see again.
 
I don't know what the rarity or historical value is of Viking age artifacts are in Europe, so no comment.
As far as these more modern run of the mill axes here I can't get excited over the guys modifying them. There are way more of them then users. There is a very nice Union Tool boys axe at the local antique store that has been there forever. No pounding on the poll, nice older haft, slight surface rust and a nice leather cover that would be just great with a little oil. At a very fair price of $25 and its not selling.
 
jake pogg said:
Wonder what you gents would then think of This:

http://rusknife.com/topic/16326-топорная-работа/

(these are real artefacts,+/- 1000 years old,some actually from the viking age and settlements...to give the guy credit he does NOT sell any of these,does it strictly for a hobby,a nice harmless middle-class joe amusing himself...)
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In that thread he says that he only cuts up and welds broken pieces, he doesn't modify complete axe heads other cleaning them up. I guess it's somewhat less blasphemous, heh.
 
I ain't saying they're a bad axe. But there's a billion of them out there. We wont miss a few.
 
Square_peg said:
I ain't saying they're a bad axe. But there's a billion of them out there. We wont miss a few.
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When you consider how many axes were manufactured during the first half of the 20th century and how much use axes get these days, and that the current generation of outdoorsy Millennials worship 'custom' foreign-made and/or 'newfangled' gear, tool collectors (nor recreational users) are not in much danger of running out of 'run-of-the-mill' heads.
 
No matter what I don't like someone stupidly modding a vintage axe head that's not damaged.
People scooping up vintage axe heads is what has raised prices up, I can't find much of this stuff if at all around me and here they are doing this :mad:
Go for harbor freight axes and leave the vintage heads to those who'll appreciate them as they were forged.
It's just not something I can get behind, even though it's better than it rusting away in a scrapyard.
 
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Hickory n steel said:
No matter what I don't like someone stupidly modding a vintage axe head that's not damaged.
People scooping up vintage axe heads is what has raised prices up, I can't find much of this stuff if at all around me and here they are doing this :mad:
Go for harbor freight axes and leave the vintage heads to those who'll appreciate them as they were forged.
It's just not something I can get behind, even though it's better than it rusting away in a scrapyard.
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whats worse is when i commented he told me he was just gonna toss it in the trash
 
phantomknives said:
whats worse is when i commented he told me he was just gonna toss it in the trash
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He was going to throw it in the trash and didn't see any value in it as a tool until he decided to butcher it into a much less useful tool that's pretty much just a wall hanger now ?
Reminds me of a form of tool guys I belong to where a hammer is only a chunk of metal you bang on stuff with and they love taking old axe heads to the scrapyard.
 
Hickory n steel said:
He was going to throw it in the trash and didn't see any value in it as a tool until he decided to butcher it into a much less useful tool that's pretty much just a wall hanger now ?
Reminds me of a form of tool guys I belong to where a hammer is only a chunk of metal you bang on stuff with and they love taking old axe heads to the scrapyard.
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Hickory and Steel - Full-Circle. I see what you are getting at but I often read that forum (after your first posts here I decided it would get a favorite in my browser) and what this guy did for amusement and the off-site cited attitude towards tools kind of seem like two different things?
 
Agent_H said:
Hickory and Steel - Full-Circle. I see what you are getting at but I often read that forum (after your first posts here I decided it would get a favorite in my browser) and what this guy did for amusement and the off-site cited attitude towards tools kind of seem like two different things?
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Yeah they are 2 different things, this just reminded me of that.
Their lack of interest in swinging tools seems to fit the trend of most of the world today.
This guy shows at least a little interest, but I still feel that he didn't see any value in it as a tool only seeing it as something to turn into a wall hanger.
I'm glad he didn't actually throw it away, but really wish he had just properly put it back into service instead.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Yeah they are 2 different things, this just reminded me of that.
Their lack of interest in swinging tools seems to fit the trend of most of the world today.
This guy shows at least a little interest, but I still feel that he didn't see any value in it as a tool only seeing it as something to turn into a wall hanger.
I'm glad he didn't actually throw it away, but really wish he had just properly put it back into service instead.
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I feel that, H&S.
 
If I understand this correctly, and I might not, those heads are history, beautiful history that tell a story.
And that ain't right. Leave the history for their kids and grandkids and........
 
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