What have I got here?

H

Hesparus

Joined
Oct 31, 2004
Messages
1,442
My mother got this hatchet for me for free at a garage sale or something. It weighs 1lb 13oz and appears to be marked "U.S." at the edge of the (quite mushroomed) hammer end. It is quite thick behind the blade — about 1/4". The blade is 3-3/16" long and the overall length is 15.5". The handle is a mess and I plan on rehanging it if it turns out to be any good. Anyone have an idea of what it is and what (if anything) it's good for?

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Thanks,
Chris
 
well, the blade is in such a state that identification is going to be nearly impossible (though i could be wrong there are some very knowledgeable folks here) i gotta say the best way to find out if it's any good would just be to use it. edge does indeed look quite thick, you might want to grind off some metal behind the edge, fix the profile up as i doubt it came like that. just be sure to go slow and dunk in water every few seconds to keep from over heating and ruining the temper. i guess you could grind off the mushroomed metal on the poll too, but i personally like that kind of thing. anyway free hatchets are always good, they're the thing i lose the most somehow.
 
I have just started working on axes but it appears that there is plenty of metal to work with. Clean it up and add a new handle.
 
Leave it for an hour or two in rust remover. This wont grind any marks or stamps but removes all the rust so you'll be able to see what you got there.
 
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