Three recent broad hatchets

G

gben

Joined
Nov 26, 2014
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501
These are the three last broad-hatchets found at local garage-sales etc.. The names stamped in them surround my geographical area. A Bingham's Best Brand stamped in script on one means it is from South West of me in Cleveland, Ohio. Another marked BLOOD is from NorthEast of me in Ballston, New York, and one marked "C. Hammond, PHILA, Cast Steel is from the same distance away but to the SouthEast. Railroads, canals and main roads from all these old industrial points passed through my little town on the south-shore of Lake Erie.

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gben said:
These are the three last broad-hatchets found at local garage-sales etc.. The names stamped in them surround my geographical area. A Bingham's Best Brand stamped in script on one means it is from South West of me in Cleveland, Ohio. Another marked BLOOD is from NorthEast of me in Ballston, New York, and one marked "C. Hammond, PHILA, Cast Steel is from the same distance away but to the SouthEast. Railroads, canals and main roads from all these old industrial points passed through my little town on the south-shore of Lake Erie.

84011192_2751267741630755_4660926242223030272_o.jpg
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That C. Hammond hatchet is damn good quality. Has an inlaid bit and if it's anything like mine it'll be some of the hardest steel you've ever seen. I mean DAMN hard! Like holding a brand new file at 45° with tons of pressure right on the edge and barely making progress hard... Like a chisel... I'm sure the other are good quality too but I don't have examples of those. My hammond hatchet is one of my favorites. Well done man those are nice!
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I've got an AmericanAx that's almost as hard but not quite. I'll be very interested if yours is crazy hard too! Will you let me know? Thanks!
 
Josh, I will be sure to use a stone and not a file if I need to touch up the Hammond hatchet, but it was sharp as a razor when found so I will not have to touch it for a long time.
 
I got that one pretty early in my collecting before I knew better. I ended up destroying 1 brand new file and another partially worn out one on it. Diamond stones were the ticket in the end. It's just mind boggling how hard some steel can be!
 
gben said:
Carbon steel is file-hard if you quench it in water, or it can be very soft if it is annealed, they make everything from hand-files, to automobile springs to hammer-heads etc. out of it. It is very versatile stuff.
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Oh I'm familiar with carbon steel and all it's attributes... It's just normally axes are tempered harder than hatchets and chisels harder than axes. But that little hatchet of mine is unreal.
I often wonder if it wasn't a mistake which is why I'm so curious about how hard your hatchet is!
 
Yankee Josh said:
I often wonder if it wasn't a mistake which is why I'm so curious about how hard your hatchet is!
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I ran a file across these three this morning, a fine mill file. All three of them were pretty sharp though so there was not any reshaping or radical material removal I could do. The Hammond did seem hard and left some shiny streaks on the file teeth. We really all need to get some hardness testers.
 
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