Unmarked. Help id?

Agent_H

Agent_H

Joined
Aug 21, 2013
Messages
3,898
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The "collared" lug is throwing me off. Is it old, import, a grind-job, or something homemade? No markings that I can tell. It is hung on a larger hammer handle, if that helps.

I figured this might be the place to ask.
 
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Here is the eye from the top.

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Here is a shot of the eye from the bottom.

Strange looking. If it was a grind job, you would think something that size would sit on a bigger handle?
 
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Yeah. I retract the grind-job statement. I think you have a one-off smith-made axe there. Looks like the drift didn't get used from the top as it should have. Cool axe definitely worth hanging on to.

The bottom of the eye and the lugs are so well formed that it was obviously made with great skill. I can't figure out why the top of the eye wasn't drifted wider.
 
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I knew I came to the right place! My granddad was a millwright as well as a garage blacksmith. My father told me it looked like something "Old Jim" would have made. Come to think of it, there was a whole host of turn of the century smith tools and old-school wood working implements offered as well. Made me think of the stuff we had to parse through when he passed away.

I'm really impressed with the responses - especially Square_Peg's.

Figure I am going to clean it up a "bit" but don't think I will remove any material other than on the cutting edge.

I'll weigh it when I pull it out today but I was wondering if anyone would be interested in seeing it cleaned up?

Also, what would be some recommendations as far as a new handle/haft? With an eye that small, 1 1/2" x 9/16", I assume it would either be something hammer-ish or something that I could reshape to fit?

I've lurked around here for much longer than I've had an account and I appreciate the willingness to respond to a "new" guy's weird request. Says a lot about this forum's community.
 
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Very interesting piece! Maybe a larger haft/rigging/carpenters hatchet handle could work? It would be straight, but the eye might fit better. Or you could check some of the gransfors/wetterlings handles as they tend to have a bit of an odd size for the eye as well. If nothing else, I am sure a scout axe handle could be rasped and shaped down to fit, but it would be a lot of work.
 
So, I cleaned it up some and hung it. I went to every location around here that carried handles in search of something that would make a good handle on it. The head weighs 2lbs, 3oz. I bought two styles of hammer handles to try out - framing straight and swept back. I wasn't paying attention and realized the swept back is unsafe with the weight of the head - at least I thought it felt like it wanted out of my hand.

I got about an inch on the straight handle and really didn't like how much material there was there to work with. The eye was drifted backwards as well as being small. Finally decided to open the eye up some up top so that the wedge would have some room to do its work.

The handle I used was in the garage all along - Collins Homestead boys axe size handle. *Imalterna - thanks for the tip on filling spaces with old axe handles.

It was such an ugly duckling when I got it. I split some 7-8' maple rounds and it did ALL of the work. There is a slight bend in the haft that works with my swing. It's wedge shaped and I have not sharpened it beyond sanding the edge with the rest of it when I was cleaning it up. The handle feels right for the weight and is actually in good shape - there is some spring in it but seems solid.

Maybe someone here will share their BLO head soak strategies to waste as little as possible, duration of soak, etc. Also, when you look at the wedge job there - you think a candidate for medal wedge inserts?

Here are some pictures:

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Wow that came out nice. Cool axe and good job. If that was mine it would go on my next camping trip. As far as blo I just wipe a thin layer every day until it doesn't take up anymore usually 5 or 6.
 
Yeah, that turned out awesome. It's definitely not something you see everyday, and it has a very nice appeal to it. I'd snag it if I saw it in a shop! Haha! Very nice work on the re-haft too...such a cool piece.
 
Fantastic job! You brought a piece of history back to life and back to use. Tools were made to be used, no more tragic situation than neglect and rust. Now you have an axe like no one else's and sense of pride everytime you take it out.

I am working on a "soak tank" but have not finished. I will try to take some pics once done. We used to keep an old rectagular metal can of raw linseed sitting in the grainery- just sat open and we dropped an axe head first to soak in on occassion. Fumes were not an issue there, trying to get this idea tuned to soak the entire axe and have little to no fumes in the basement.

Bill
 
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