Two-steel forge welded vs. Single steel

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PhilipWimberly

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I've been assuming that all of my axe heads that are clearly made from two pieces of steel with the higher grade steel in the bit forge-welded into the poll, are probably pre-1930's and almost certainly pre-1940's.
I've based this on the premise that Plumb began the single steel production in the 1930's and by the 50's, all major axe makers were producing this way. I've run across some info recently that makes me think this might not be as safe an assumption as first thought.
Second, did Sager stick with forge welding 2 steels all the way to the Collins acquisition?
 
Some manufacturers, like Emerson & Stevens, continued to produce bimetallic axes all the way up into the 1970's. Tooling style and knowledge of the company and their production styling over the years matters as much the construction method when it comes to identifying the approximate date range of manufacture.
 
PhilipWimberly said:
I've been assuming that all of my axe heads that are clearly made from two pieces of steel with the higher grade steel in the bit forge-welded into the poll, are probably pre-1930's and almost certainly pre-1940's.
I've based this on the premise that Plumb began the single steel production in the 1930's and by the 50's, all major axe makers were producing this way. I've run across some info recently that makes me think this might not be as safe an assumption as first thought.
Second, did Sager stick with forge welding 2 steels all the way to the Collins acquisition?
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Around 1910 Fayette Plumb built new axe factory in St. Louis. I haven't found any reason to believe that it ever produced inlaid bit tools. Even before 1910 in Philadelphia Plumb made monosteel hammers and hatchets (1896 catalog uses "Solid Cast Steel" to describe its hammers)
1912 Scout's Handbook uses "Solid Steel of Special Analysis" wording.
https://books.google.com/books?id=a...NK1kFHa3WAtEQ4KgFegQIBhAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
 
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From Council's site:
"In the 1930’s, axe makers began to form one-piece axes from C1078 steel. Today, all axes are one-piece, the technique pioneered by Plumb Axe, in St. Louis (later, Philadelphia), probably about the 1930’s. At the time, Plumb was much ridiculed, but persisted to see its process become the standard. Plumb drop-forged the axe in a 3000-pound Ceco hammer, trimmed it, and punched the eye with a 4” up setter. By the late1950’s, Council Tool also made the one-piece axe."
 
Square_peg said:
One piece steel gives the option of hardening the poll. Sometimes the eye can become hardened. This can be a disadvantage as a hardened eye can split if wedged too aggressively. I've done this.
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Hence why in hardened poll axes prior to whole steel ones they welded on a piece of steel to make it hardenable, of course.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Hence why in hardened poll axes prior to whole steel ones they welded on a piece of steel to make it hardenable, of course.
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Right. Most often that's why it was done.

But it was also done in part to reinforce the forge weld behind the eye in axes made with mild steel bodies. This is for axes with a forge welded rather than wrapped eyes. The dissimilar metals made a stronger forge weld.

Here's an example. You can see that the forge weld behind the eye has been capped to bind it together better.


Joined eye with cap.jpg
 
PhilipWimberly said:
From Council's site:
"In the 1930’s, axe makers began to form one-piece axes from C1078 steel. Today, all axes are one-piece, the technique pioneered by Plumb Axe, in St. Louis (later, Philadelphia), probably about the 1930’s. At the time, Plumb was much ridiculed, but persisted to see its process become the standard. Plumb drop-forged the axe in a 3000-pound Ceco hammer, trimmed it, and punched the eye with a 4” up setter. By the late1950’s, Council Tool also made the one-piece axe."
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I do not know if you remember but I managed to test Plumb Boy Scout Voyageur Axe (made between 1933-38)
Carbon 0.6 Chromium 0.15 Copper 0.28
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/chemical-composition-of-older-axe-alloys-test-results.1993178/
 
PhilipWimberly said:
From Council's site:
"In the 1930’s, axe makers began to form one-piece axes from C1078 steel. Today, all axes are one-piece, the technique pioneered by Plumb Axe, in St. Louis (later, Philadelphia), probably about the 1930’s. At the time, Plumb was much ridiculed, but persisted to see its process become the standard. Plumb drop-forged the axe in a 3000-pound Ceco hammer, trimmed it, and punched the eye with a 4” up setter. By the late1950’s, Council Tool also made the one-piece axe."
Click to expand...
A page from 1915 HSB catalog.
https://archive.org/details/HibbardSpencerBartlettCatNo601915/page/n47/mode/2up
BookReaderImages.php
 
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