Today, I found a SOLID BRONZE HEWING HATCHET

Perhaps someone enrolled in a tool and die maker apprenticeship was tasked to produce something and came up with this. Student project bench vises made via sand cast iron are more common.
 
No solid idea, but I know that back in the day before metallic cartridges, people working with and around gunpowder used non-sparking tools. That may have nothing to do with what you have, but is the only thing that comes to mind.

Very interesting find.
 
Storm Crow said:
No solid idea, but I know that back in the day before metallic cartridges, people working with and around gunpowder used non-sparking tools. That may have nothing to do with what you have, but is the only thing that comes to mind.

Very interesting find.
Click to expand...

Non sparking tools are still being produced and I think its a pretty good explanation for its construction. Hard to know exactly the environment it was intended to be used in.
 
I can't see a bronze edge staying sharp long enough to do anything useful. It is true the Brit navy used brass and bronze anywhere near cannons and powder but a steel implement designed solely for truing wood wouldn't generate sparks regardless. Any chance this is a manufacturers decorative sample or maybe a ceremonial prop?
 
300Six said:
I can't see a bronze edge staying sharp long enough to do anything useful.
Click to expand...


During the Bronze Age all edge tools were made of bronze. Not as good as steel but still better than anything else at the time.

Like the other guys I think this was made to be non-sparking. That's the best explanation.
 
Bronze edged tools had the edges work-hardened through hammering. It didn't significantly increase wear resistance but did increase edge retention because of improved resistance to rolling/dinging. They work way better than one would expect--don't discount it without gaining a little experience with them.

A non-sparking environment is definitely where I would see something like this being used. It's curious to think of what environment that might be though--perhaps fitting support beams in coal mines?

It's entirely possible for a steel tool in an environment with other steel items and rocks to cause a spark, and in many of those situations only the tiniest spark is needed. Grain scoops continued to be made out of wood for a VERY long time because of the tendency of steel to cause explosions from grain dust in the air and just a little spark setting it off. See "dust explosions" for more info.
 
I have seen test cutting videos with bronze sword blades, and the edge retention is surprising. The blade does tend to bend a lot easier than steel, but then it bends back fairly easily. But the cutting edge itself held up fine. And they used bronze razors for centuries, so you know they can get plenty sharp.

42Blades - You're entirely right about the dust explosions. The ax was not necessarily for use around gunpowder, but anything that could catch spark. My dad very nearly got killed in a grain elevator explosion in the Texas panhandle in the '60s. He was going to interview for a job there, and was actually sitting in the parking lot when he decided against it for some reason. He ended up working for a farmer instead. About two weeks later, the elevator exploded, and the young man about Daddy's age who had ended up filling the position was trapped at the top and received fatal burns. :(
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
A non-sparking environment is definitely where I would see something like this being used. It's curious to think of what environment that might be though--perhaps fitting support beams in coal mines?
Click to expand...
Good thinking! I'll buy into that theory, but brass head mallets for pounding steel chisels would be easier! Mine timbers would have been mud and rock dust dirty, not much of a user-friendly environment for bronze blades.
 
I'm going to go out on a limb, and have no problem being wrong, but I don't think that this is real. Even with the most limited production run, if this was a factory release someone here at some point would have at least heard of such a thing. Also, when was the bronze age? Also, this is a hewing hatchet, not a hammer. My gut tells me that this is either some strange discoloration or a troll job. I would be very pleased to be wrong, but I have a feeling that this isn't what it seems.
 
It's a modern creation made for a non-sparking application. 42 has the best answer. The original poster is from an area in Washington State that has a history of coal mining.

And regardless of how and why it was made it's definitely cool as heck.
 
sure its not beryllium?

non-sparking striking tools are commonly made of beryllium copper. very toxic, never grind the stuff. i have found a number of beryllium wedges and such. they are for the exact reasons mentioned above, spark sensitive fields, where there is risk of explosion, saw dust, flour, gaseous, etc...

we just had a grain elevator explode near here a couple months ago from a dust explosion. very powerful explosions
 
It is certainly not discoloration. It is certainly bronze or another copper alloy. It has obvious casting marks. My theory is that a coal miner made or had it made for himself.
 
If it is indeed bronze, it was most likely a gift/ceremonial/prototype. I wouldn't worry a whole lot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top