Vintage "Made in China"?

S

StLawrenceFowler

Joined
Nov 9, 2014
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As I started to clean up this head, an interesting stamp started to emerge. It appears to be an antelope or a deer set against a small circle. What I find really odd, however, is the "Made in China" script that surrounds it, together with a Mandarin character.

The degree of rust on the head--together with the aged splinters of wood inside the eye--suggest that this axe head wasn't exactly made yesterday. I generally associate "Made in China" with recent, lower-quality production...but perhaps that isn't the case here.

Has anyone here seen such an axe head before? Any ideas as to its origin or date of manufacture? I'm quite curious to know what I have here, and any assistance is greatly appreciated.



 
It doesn't look to have any sort of high centerline like most vintage american axes.... but certainly doesn't look new!
 
triggahappy said:
It doesn't look to have any sort of high centerline like most vintage american axes.... but certainly doesn't look new!
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That's your first clue that this is a newer axe. Rust and pitting can form quickly under the right conditions.
 
It's hugely fashionable to begrudge the Chinese these days for 'inexpensively making min-spec goods that consumers think they need/want' but in truth Asia (China, in the most part) is at the heart of civilization when it comes to innovation and manufacture. 2000 years ago they invented gunpowder and initiated a host of other useful technologies that ultimately led to European dominance of the world.
Might well be that you have a Mao Tse Tung-inspired n. American export implement in your hands (based on shape and profile) and might well be that this was crafted on a 'people's assembly line' by an impoverished and wizened old 'cat', that knew exactly what needed doing and had 50 years (and many generations) of experience behind him.
Samurai-type (multiple-laminated steel) swords of Japan were dismissed as frivolous junk world-wide until USA and a few other swell-headed world powers had the misfortune of having experienced them.
Get out your axe file to see if it 'skates', or not, and then get yourself prepared to got to bat on behalf of (or against) the inferiority of import axes.
 
pretzy said:
Hi guys, I know this is an old thread, but in the interest of information I shall post regardless.

I was searching for information on this makers mark because I have one of these 1+1/2 pound small axes and there is very little online about them.

This axe is much higher quality and finish than modern MIC ones. I bought mine new from Kmart Australia in the late '70s and it was a fairly cheap item as I recall. They looked pretty well made, and mine has a very nicely shaped head with a thin bit and shaped cheeks, reminiscent of the Swedish made axes, not just a splitting wedge like the new ones these days.

It came with a good American Hickory handle, and mine still has the original handle which is still tight even though it appears to be only glued in.

The head was painted with a light blue paint, and mine still has about half of it's original paint

It definitely is a bi-metal blade with a soft steel poll and hardened bit insert. The transition between the two grades of steel is visible and obvious.

The logo is a stylised deer in a partial circle with Made in China surrounding the circle. I cannot see any Chinese character on mine, the stamp is quite light and fades away on that side

The axe has seen light to moderate use as a general camping axe and tent stake hammer, and has stood up very well. The steel hardness seems just right for the job. It has never rolled or chipped in wood, although a couple of very tiny dings from hitting rocks in the ground when splitting kindling.

If I see another one of these anywhere, I will definitely buy it, as I rate mine as good as any general use axe out there. As you can imagine, it has quite some nostalgia attached to it, having been with me so long and accompanied me on quite a few camping trips with many happy memories attached.

I will never knock something just because it has Made in China stamped on it. The Chinese, until recently, relied very heavily on simple hand tools to get the job done and this one is totally up to the task

If anyone ever discovers more about these older quality Chinese tools, I would very much like to hear it.

Kind regards to all,

Ian
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Well, the Chinese Daos seemed pretty effective against other more "fabled" weapons of their day...anyone doubting the Chinese knew how to forge steel, laminate it, or are unable to produce very nice quality stuff today is mistaken. I've been surprised by the quality of the stuff made for German export, for example.

Then, again, "Made in Japan" used to carry a different connotation for many years than it does today. Taiwan was "reverse-engineering" black and white TVs, and look where they are today.
 
That deer stamp is listed as a trademark of:

LIAONING MACHINERY IMPORT & EXPORT CORPORATION
NO.135, STALIN ROAD, DALIAN, CHINA., PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

for the following:
STEEL PICKS AND MATTOCKS, STEEL SHOVES, AXES, ADZES, HAND SAWS, HOES, WOOD SPLITTING WEDGES;

data.jsp

http://www.wipo.int/branddb/en/showData.jsp?ID=MYTM.92006430
 
Moonw said:
Well, the Chinese Daos seemed pretty effective against other more "fabled" weapons of their day...anyone doubting the Chinese knew how to forge steel, laminate it, or are unable to produce very nice quality stuff today is mistaken. I've been surprised by the quality of the stuff made for German export, for example.

Then, again, "Made in Japan" used to carry a different connotation for many years than it does today. Taiwan was "reverse-engineering" black and white TVs, and look where they are today.
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China is also more than willing to ship tools made of recycled tuna cans in mixtures that never even get homogenized and cant be properly heat treated if they even had enough carbon in them to harden. That is mainly due to importers who care only about price and quality be damned. Both Japan and Taiwan are doiing some great things these days. I don't doubt China is just as capable. But somebody has to care first.
 
The chinese character actually reads dear

Lol at the Stalin Rd by the way.
 
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Square_peg said:
China is also more than willing to ship tools made of recycled tuna cans in mixtures that never even get homogenized and cant be properly heat treated if they even had enough carbon in them to harden. That is mainly due to importers who care only about price and quality be damned. Both Japan and Taiwan are doiing some great things these days. I don't doubt China is just as capable. But somebody has to care first.
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Right on.
 
"92006430 - DEER,C.C.,CIRCLE

Status: Removed from register (2010-02-25)

(111)

Registration Number

92006430

(151)

Date of the registration

2007-11-21

(210)

Serial number of the application

92006430

(220)

Date of filing of the application

1992-09-12"


Steve Tall, thank you for hunting this down.

Maybe I don't know how to read the linked trademark page (quite likely) but it looks like the earliest date on it is 1992 with the application filing and then removed from the registry in 2010. So 18yrs of production?

I suppose there is nothing to say they weren't making them without registering a trademark before that, another company held the trademark previously, or that the previous trademark application information was replaced with what we see here upon renewal before 1992.

With mention of picking them up in the 70's it just made me curious.

Anyone have an interpretation in regards to the trademark information?

*edit "was" and "wasn't" are different.
 
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Agent_H said:
...Anyone have an interpretation in regards to the trademark information?
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That WIPO trademark data shows the deer trademark as being registered in Malaysia, and no other countries. I can only speculate on the reasons, but I don't want to read too much into this, other than that specific deer mark was registered to that specific Chinese manufacturer, at that time.
 
A steel Axe head is not a very advanced tool! They can make perfectly good ones in China and any other place around the world! The Problem for many years with being a sword/metal worker / maker in China was that if your side lost, you and your entire family were slaughtered! :eek:
 
Steve Tall said:
That WIPO trademark data shows the deer trademark as being registered in Malaysia, and no other countries. I can only speculate on the reasons, but I don't want to read too much into this, other than that specific deer mark was registered to that specific Chinese manufacturer, at that time.
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Roger that.
 
I had (probably still have) a little hatchet with the same or similar logo and made in China markings. I know it was made in the 70s because i used it when i was in Cub Scouts in the very late 70s and early 80s.
*just checked, yup still have it. Little hatchet with a 1.5 pound head. Head has been blued and its a bit scratched up with some old deformation of the poll. The logo is clear as is the "made in Ch" the ina part has been obscured because the poll has been slightly mushroomed over the year. I think this was used by my dad and family in the 80s/90s to break up ice that froze around the bottom of the garden gate in winter, lol. Still a very serviceable hatchet and currently reasonably sharp.
 
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