Walters Hatchets

[300Six]

I have collected about 3 dozen different Walters axes over the past 35 years. I see that I cannot upload image files the way I'm used to so there are no pictures, as of yet. One of the hatchets I have is stamped H. Walters & Sons Hull, PQ. Likely this one is turn of the last century or thereabouts because son Morley didn't take over until after WWI and call the company 'Walters'.
Morley Walters owned and ran the Walters Axe company for 6 decades almost until the day he died at 100. Walters Axe folded in the early 70s after being bought by BakerMet who only wanted to get the use of the Walters general manager, Mr Hammel. Mr Hammel was a crackerjack tool and die maker and was first assigned to turn Inglis Manufacturing (washing machines and stoves) of Toronto over to making Bren light machine guns during WWII. Morley Walters persuaded him to operate and manage Walters Axe beginning in 1947 and through him instigated a huge drop hammer to be made and installed in order to increase economy and efficiency. Hammel was still there when Walters was closed and he was reassigned to dealing with how to scrap cars and metal through Baker Metals of Ottawa until he retired.

 

[Steve Tall]

Thanks for posting, 300Six. You'll have to first put your photos up on a hosting site such as photobucket, and then link to the photos when you post to this forum.

 

[Steve Tall]

Some interesting reading about the Walters company can be found in this thread:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/896064-The-end-of-an-era-Walters-Axe-Co-Canada

 

[300Six]

Thanks for posting, 300Six. You'll have to first put your photos up on a hosting site such as photobucket, and then link to the photos when you post to this forum.

Other folks don't seem to have issues posting pictures but I have had no luck so far. For sure when it comes to Walters items I have quite a few and can take plenty of pictures. And now that am semi-retired am looking to divest myself of all of these axes too; preferably to appreciative homes.
It was through the Ontario Dept of Lands & Forests Junior Ranger program 1970 in Temagami Ontario that I developed an appreciation for a good axe. I spent 2 months cutting trees, training for forest fire suppression and pulling apart beaver dams. The end of a working day was often signaled by Charlie the Ojibway foreman by his throwing an axe about 10-15 feet and having it firmly embed itself in a tree with a loud "thunk". Myself I never could get the hang of that because the axe spins end over end while it flies. His other trick (wasn't a trick for him, he did it almost every day) was to open a can of sardines for lunch by peeling the lid off the tin, set on edge, with a sharp smack with his axe and the blade then holding in the contents until he tipped the whole works over on a slice of bread. In those days cheap Brunswick sardine tins required that you carried an opener with you. Well, his said Walters on it, and the best the rest of us could do is crush cans or get ourselves spattered with sardine oil.
Gov't of Ontario exclusively used Walters axes at the time and I loved the Pulaski for grubbing and splitting. Double bits always made me nervous. I was a Park Superintendent in central British Columbia in 1979-80 and all Gov't of BC axes were Walters brand too. I also noticed at the time that every B.C Ferry carried a Walters Black Diamond fire axe behind glass at their emergency stations. I found the head of a Walters Pulaski at an abandoned ranger cabin during one of those years and that's what got me started to collect. I was a general contractor in the Ottawa area for 15 years and had the fortune to do work for the son of John Hammell (the former general manager of Walters) one time. He had a unique axe leaning up against the back wall of his garage and that's how I found out more about the company. Most of the axes I collected was by offering to their owners to buy new axes of their choosing in exchange for giving me theirs. I never did get my hands on the Hammell axe but I did learn that that one was made in Ogdensburg and that the Hammell kids were mostly gifted factory seconds by their dad. One of my hatchets (I did get a Hammel axe!) is a brand new Walters with all marks ground off in advance of paint and finish except for the script on the sheath.
I stopped collecting Walters about 10 years ago when ordinary new axes began to get rather expensive.

 

[lmalterna]

300six,
3 dozen Walters! I think that trumps some folks here even. I have only one- a Black Diamond hatchet head. I have yet to get it cleaned up and hung.

Bill

 

[300Six]

300six,
3 dozen Walters! I think that trumps some folks here even. I have only one- a Black Diamond hatchet head. I have yet to get it cleaned up and hung.

Bill

I know nothing about collecting or displaying axes other than to use a wire wheel to clean up a rusty/dirty head. I never did remove or replace any of the handles because they seemed to tell more of a story than did the heads. Now as to whether they have any value is a complete unknown for me. Some of them have factory Walters handles and original paint and one even has a factory stamped sheath. What really amazes me is that they are all different.

 

[lmalterna]

I agree with you. I use a wire wheel or soemtimes a vinegar soak and wire wheel with mine- if I intend to use them(I do as mine are not high dollar heads)- I clean up the mushrooming with a hand file as well as any areas on top or bottom that have been deformed, put an edge on and hand the heads. I have only bought a few complete axes but have some hatchets that came with handles. For most of them, just seating the head a little lower and rewedging will make them good again with the old handle.

I do have a couple of axes with warped handles that I hope to try steaming and clamping to get them straight again.

I should think in original condition they should have good value but I am not a collector so others would be more help there. I am just picking up things that I want to enjoy working on and then later, working with.

Bill

 

[halfaxe]

I know nothing about collecting or displaying axes other than to use a wire wheel to clean up a rusty/dirty head. I never did remove or replace any of the handles because they seemed to tell more of a story than did the heads. Now as to whether they have any value is a complete unknown for me. Some of them have factory Walters handles and original paint and one even has a factory stamped sheath. What really amazes me is that they are all different.

Interesting posts 300six. That's what I think is most amazing about Walters axes too, the wide variation.

 

[300Six]

I have carried a hatchet with me every day in the field as a forester for over 30 years. I use it for cutting pickets, corner posts, firewood for lunch, checking for tree soundness and other tasks. I've also had an interest in vintage tools for a long time and I'm constantly looking for the best old tools. For me, Walters Axe company hatchets are 3 out of my top 5 favorite vintage hatchets. The other 2 favorites are a True Temper Tomahawk and a Collins Legitimus. Out of the running is my old Plumb scout hatchet that was also my dads scout hatchet. Although it's a sentimental favorite, I never liked the nail puller notch.

I think Walters hatchets just had superior design and execution. They seemed to take an interest in hatchets and had many models. I like the narrow bits and slim handles with the round knob ends. Small to large the handles are 11, 13, 15, 17 inches. The 17 inch is really a house or hunter axe and is 2 pounds.

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Anyway no other point to this thread except to say I love old Walters hatchets. Any other Walters axe or hatchets out there?

Finally getting the hang of attaching photos, had a couple on hand and thought to resurrect this thread.



I picked up these hatchets over the past 25 years, thinking one day I'd have a use for one. Never happened!
Top one is un-used and is a factory 'second' with all ID ground off (from the head and the handle) before factory finishing. The creased sheath (also a second!) with it still says Walters on it, though. The general manager of Walters Axe, from 1947 until about 1973, Mr. Hammell gave that one, and a selection of others, to his own children during the 1960s. Bottom one belonged to an older gentleman in the Muskokas that used it in his workshop for steam-powered wooden boat restorations through the 1960s to 80s and cheerfully traded it for an Ironwood-handled Iltis Oxhead 3/4 axe that was kept behind the seat of my truck. Middle two are foundlings from local garage sales and the 1st one (see close-up) pre-dates when Morley Walters took over the company from his father in around the First World War. The company was called H. Walters & Sons at the time. Hull, PQ was (10 years ago became City of Gatineau) located directly across the Ottawa River from the nation's capital. PQ stands for Province of Quebec.

 

[halfaxe]

It looks like each of us has at least one of the same axes. Nice old stamp on the one there 300.

 

[300Six]

It looks like each of us has at least one of the same axes. Nice old stamp on the one there 300.

Must have been a nerve-wracking business to be in during the 1950s and 60s knowing that forestry striking tools were on their way 'down and out' no matter what the quality or the price. Not a simple thing either to contemplate switching over from forging axes to making chainsaws.
The H Walters & Sons is the oldest one I've got. Gave up collecting of them (Walters stuff) 10 years ago not long after I noticed Len Lee's (Lee Valley Tools) Ottawa showroom display of a veritable truckload of mint versions.
I'd love one day to see an engineering analysis and practical test of vintage/classic axes compared to what is being marketed today! A weekend warrior swinging a $300 'custom yuppie job' today wouldn't/couldn't appreciate 'boo' about what went into the shape and metallurgy of things that evolved and were sold entirely through reputation 100 years ago.
.....And here I am currently busy trying to resurrect a wonderfully small W. German Stihl chainsaw from the late 70s for the purpose of wilderness camping in relative comfort (I ain't no young buck anymore!) and it weighs only a little bit more than a traditional felling axe.

 

[Steve Tall]

...I'd love one day to see an engineering analysis and practical test of vintage/classic axes compared to what is being marketed today! ...

Some talk of Walters came up today, and I found some information to add to this thread, from an article in the Chronicle titled "The Walters Axe Company of Hull, Quebec" by David G. Perch:

Before the production line was totally converted to a closed-die drop-forging process in 1947, four heats were required to forge an axe head (once before punching the eye with a mandrel that displaced the steel without removing material, another heat before thinning and tapering on a trip hammer, another heat before truing up the eye with another mandrel, then the fourth heat before being forged between the finishing dies.

Ed Hammell changed the forging process to require only one heat, and only three workers: "fireman", "drop hammer man", and "upsetter". The fireman would cut the bar stock (1078 steel) and heat it to 2150F. (He arrived a half-hour early (6:30am) to fire up the furnace and start heating the steel.) The drop hammer man would pick up a hot piece with his tongs and drop forge it, first in the "rough" cavity of the dies, and then in the "finished" cavity. He would then trim the flashing before moving on to the next piece. The upsetter would put the piece into another machine that punched out the eye while the piece was being held in a die (eye material being removed, not just displaced). All of these operations were done with only one heating of the material.

These three workmen were paid by the piece. For a 2.5# head, the drop hammer man got 2-1/2 cents, the fireman got 2 cents, and the upsetter got 1-3/4 cents. Their quota was 1000 axes for each day of work. The workday started at 7am, and they reached 1000 heads usually by 1:30pm (never later than 2pm).

After the axe heads cooled, grinding was done and then heat treatment (involving a lead bath, and a bath of "tempering salts"). The target hardness was Rockwell C54 +/-2. After the final polishing, the axe heads were hand painted with a brush (by "a little old lady"), and 1 out of 9 heads was tested for hardness.

Before 1947, the fire axe spikes and pulaski adzes were arc-welded onto the heads, but these changed to one-piece construction after the conversion to closed-die drop forging.


Reference:
"The Walters Axe Company of Hull, Quebec" by David G. Perch, The Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Vol. 40, No. 4, Dec. 1987, pages 57-61

 

[300Six]

John Hammell (son of Ed) gave me a photocopy of that David Perch article a decade ago but omitted to reference it. Thanks Steve, at least now I know where it came from.

 

[Liam Ryan]

I picked up a small hatchet somewhere a while back and the only mark I can find on it is CANADA, unless there were other Canadian makers around I think it may be a Walters, but not sure. Found another boys axe sized a couple weeks back, will try to post pics tomorrow.

 

[vcbvcbvcb]

Half ax has a nice collection. I only have one, it has a 1 lb. 6 oz. head, and it's 1 lb. 12.5 oz. overall. The 16" handle is original and has Ogdensburg N.Y. pressed into the wood. I haven't used it as the head was loose when I got it and I haven't tightened it up yet. It seems very well balanced.

 

[Square_peg]

I picked up a small hatchet somewhere a while back and the only mark I can find on it is CANADA, unless there were other Canadian makers around I think it may be a Walters, but not sure. Found another boys axe sized a couple weeks back, will try to post pics tomorrow.

There were others. Welland Vale, Campbell Bros, Canadian Warren-Pink, Marshall Wells Ltd., Rixford Montreal, Warnock and a whole host of smaller manufacturers. There are over 100 listed in 'Axe Makers of North America".

 

[Liam Ryan]

Wow, I had no idea. I had the little hatchet on a crappy handle before and it still chopped amazingly, I am going to carve a new one from scratch with some ash soon.