True Temper hoe - Papagayo?

[Agent_H]

I know this isn’t an axe, tomahawk, or hatchet but being marked TT I thought I would ask opinions here.
This caught my eye. I’ve been needing a decent hoe for weeding/moving some debris from a section of property. Most likely I need something larger but this one looked interesting and is marked True Temper – papagayo.
Looks like it was painted but I can’t find any info so can’t say for sure. I can see rust/patina in recessed pits on it that makes me think it was done by hand.
It works like a charm. I picked up a 60” eye hoe handle at a hardware store on Friday. My wife was excited to use it so she stripped the lacquer off the handle for me with an old hacksaw blade. Pretty wild Friday night lol. The handle is a Link handle and I am not impressed.
Any ideas? Not much in investment for it but, like I said, it caught my eye… being and eye hoe and all.
Anyone here familiar with this offshoot of True Temper? Papagayo is a bird native to South America. I wonder if it was made in Latin America for consumers there or maybe made here in the US for overseas markets?

EDIT - The handle I currently have for it has a bend to it. All my implements with the exception of one of my axes have straight handles. Do you think it's better to run the bend arcing up or down from user to the head?

 

[Steve Tall]

Could have been made by the company now known as Truper in Mexico.

From Truper's history:
1967 - A strategic alliance begins with True Temper, an American company. New technology is bought as well as machinery and designs to manufacture hammers, rakes, pitchforks, pickaxes, chisels, and crowbars. These tools are marketed with the "Papagayo" brand.
Quoted from https://www.truper.com/history.php

Note that hoes weren't mentioned by Truper, so perhaps True Temper still made those in the USA. Also notable is that their alliance with True Temper ended in 1975, and the name "Truper" was introduced then as a substitute for the True Temper brand.

Truper's history also shows that they bought Collins Axe (USA) in 2004.

 

[Agent_H]

Nice. That is pretty interesting Steve. My search wasn't as successful. What I thought was pitting beneath the "2" (weight maybe? its 1lb 10oz) looks to say "American Made". It could also say "Mexico Macho"... I figure 2kg would be over 4lbs.

 

[Steve Tall]

A photo from a previous auction result shows these markings:

On left side --
PAPAGAYO
TRUE TEMPER

On right side-
CL 3
THE AMERICAN
FORK & HOE CO.
MADE IN U.S.A.

Your hoe looks like the sides were cut off to make it narrower, losing some of the stampings.
The left side is the same, and what remains on the right side looks like
CL 2
AMERICAN
& HOE
U.S.

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-iron-true-temper-papagayo-hoe-204118382

Based on all this, I would conclude that yours was made in the USA, not Mexico.

 

[Steve Tall]

On the topic of True Temper owning Kelly Axe until the brand rights were sold to Barco, here's a later link between Barco and the Papagayo brand of hand tools:

"On Thursday, October 07, 1993, a U.S. federal trademark registration was filed for PAPAGAYO by BARCO INDUSTRIES, INC., Reading, PA 196124567. The USPTO has given the PAPAGAYO trademark serial number of 74444904. The current federal status of this trademark filing is CANCELLED... The PAPAGAYO trademark is filed in the category of Hand Tool Products . The description provided to the USPTO for PAPAGAYO is hand tools; namely, hammers, hatchets, and axes."
Quoted from trademarkia.com

 

[Agent_H]

Ok Steve, that is some impressive detective work. I was wondering if it had been altered. Your pic doesn't show for me but I assume that is because I owe you a "research fee" before I get access

 

[Steve Tall]

...Your pic doesn't show for me...

You can try going to this link and clicking on the thumbnail photo:
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-iron-true-temper-papagayo-hoe-204118382

 

[Agent_H]

This is taken from a seminar at the National Polytechnic Institute Higher School of Business and Administration in 2007. The topic was internal control of registered trademarks.

Here is a link to the resource that lists the transfers of trademarks to Mexico- only helpful if you read Spanish though.
http://itzamna.bnct.ipn.mx/dspace/bitstream/123456789/275/1/Binder14.pdf

I have included what I thought was pertinent to this discussion - the translations are my interpretation.

En 1962 con tan solo 10 empleados nació Herramientas Nacionales, S.A. de C.V. en un taller en el barrio de Tepito, en la Ciudad de México, donde se produjeron herramientas esenciales para el ramo de la construcción como martillos fundidos, cinceles, cucharas de albañil y plomadas para la marca Herna.
“In 1962 with only 10 employees, National Tools was born in… a shop in the barrio of Tepito, in the the city of Mexico City, where they produced essential tolos for the contruction field such as forged hammers, chisels, trowels, and plumb bobs with the brand “Herna”

En 1967 una empresa Estadounidense se asoció con Herramientas Nacionales y se ampliaron las instalaciones a 3,300 m2, dando lugar a la fabricación de nuevos productos como martillos forjados, tijeras, bieldos, rastrillos y zapapicos.
“In 1967 an American Company associated with National Tools helped develop the Factory to 3,300 square meters, allowing space for the fabrication of new products suchas forged hammers, scissors, rakes, files, and picks.”

En 1968 los productos fabricados por Herramientas Nacionales se comercializaron con las marcas Papagayo y True Temper.
“In 1968 the products made by National Tools were marketed under the name of Papagayo and True Temper.”

En 1973 Herramientas Nacionales compra las acciones de la compañía estadounidense True Temper. Ese año, se compra el primer terreno en Jilotepec, Estado de México, donde se construye la primera planta y se adquiere la maquinaria para la fabricación de mangos de madera.
“In 1973, National Tools bought the rights to the American company True Temper. This year, the first plant in Jilotepec, State of Mexico was the first plant to acquire the machinery for the making of wooden handles.”

En 1975 surge formalmente la marca TRUPER sustituyendo las marcas Papagayo y True Temper.
“In 1975 the branding of TRUPER was oficially substituted for the names of Papagayo and True Temper.”

The entire Truper/True Temper buy up story is there if you want it. I stopped reading after "China" was mentioned in order to achieve "clean factory" certification.

It is mentioned that an American company assisted National Tools in their site preparation. I wonder if it was the American Fork & Hoe Co. that assisted in production to get the name going and apply some capital before transferring to True Temper production in Mexico?

There must have been a very small window for this hoe to have been made in the US before the name rights being transferred to the Mexican plants.

Steve – I followed that link and I think you got a winner! The humps near the eye are identical. Didn't see hoe or "azada" being listed in the seminar program. Used to be a pretty good-sized hoe, shame. That was fun.