Agent_H you did a polite job of cleaning these up. It feels infinitely nicer, to me, to be using a vintage neglected (and then resurrected) tool than going forward with a lo-bidder-cut-every-corner piece of junk. I don't know where Evansville products were in the scheme of things (up there with second tier Collins, perhaps?) but at very least they were not one-shot-wonders such as many of the goods that Home Depot and Walmart feature these days.
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what's the best deal on an axe head you've had?
- Thread starter phantomknives
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2014
- Messages
- 82
Here's some more deals, $12 for this pile, 2 plumb nationals, a plumb jersey, and a Collins legitimus
$10 on these, a 5lb norlund that's upside down, and a plumb jersey
$3 for this norlund
$10 for all this stuff (a very early Collins and Co Kentucky pattern and a norlund voyager, along with a tent, and a rare Coleman sportster nos stove, and a folding saw)
$15 for these, a plumb scout hatchet, a section of railroad, and a keen kutter
$10 on these, a 5lb norlund that's upside down, and a plumb jersey
$3 for this norlund
$10 for all this stuff (a very early Collins and Co Kentucky pattern and a norlund voyager, along with a tent, and a rare Coleman sportster nos stove, and a folding saw)
$15 for these, a plumb scout hatchet, a section of railroad, and a keen kutter
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2014
- Messages
- 120
The best deal I have experienced is two axes purchased from E-Bay for $15.00 for both. No shipping cost. One axe was a collins 3.5 lb single
bit never sharpened. The second axe was a 3.75 lb. True Temper with all the red paint on the axe, plus the True Temper label still on the axe, and again never sharpened. $15.00 is not bad for these two perfect condition vintage axes.
ripshin
bit never sharpened. The second axe was a 3.75 lb. True Temper with all the red paint on the axe, plus the True Temper label still on the axe, and again never sharpened. $15.00 is not bad for these two perfect condition vintage axes.
ripshin
Most of my axes I bought over 20 years ago. Not as many people into old axes then. I bought a lot of nice heads for less than $10. My two favorites are the NOS Witherell for $40 and the Peavey Hudson Bay for $29.
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I'm with you on this one! Peavey tweaked the HB pattern enough to improve upon the inherent weaknesses of the original design and yet not detract from the iconic appearance.
I got the same great deal on all of my old USA-made axes because I bought them all at local second-hand venues for between twenty-five cents and ten-dollars each. Average price is usually two to five dollars.
The only bad deals are when someone is so desperate to prop up their ego that they get into buying what is trendy on Ebay or from retailers so they have something for show-and-tell on internet forums......
The only bad deals are when someone is so desperate to prop up their ego that they get into buying what is trendy on Ebay or from retailers so they have something for show-and-tell on internet forums......
Kelly Dandenong 4lb, Cyclone-made: Free, after Uncle abused it 
.
Keesteel KK 4lb: free, from Old Man.
Hytest (Prototype?) Forester, 4.5lb: $20 in an auction with a buncha other heads.
Hytest Challengers and Craftsmans: under $20AU apiece.
WHO MADE THAT FIRESTONE HATCHET?!
I mean, who made it for Firestone? I'm pretty sure Firestone weren't the greatest axe makers, though I'm sure a rubber axe is great for that guy who's always been...a bit not altogether.
I ask because I swear I've got the exact same hatchet head, sans Firestone stamp, and "MADE IN U.S.A." just forward of the poll (export mark). Same bevels, same edge geometry, same thick poll.
.Keesteel KK 4lb: free, from Old Man.
Hytest (Prototype?) Forester, 4.5lb: $20 in an auction with a buncha other heads.
Hytest Challengers and Craftsmans: under $20AU apiece.
I too don't need any more axes than I have.
WHO MADE THAT FIRESTONE HATCHET?!
I mean, who made it for Firestone? I'm pretty sure Firestone weren't the greatest axe makers, though I'm sure a rubber axe is great for that guy who's always been...a bit not altogether.
I ask because I swear I've got the exact same hatchet head, sans Firestone stamp, and "MADE IN U.S.A." just forward of the poll (export mark). Same bevels, same edge geometry, same thick poll.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2013
- Messages
- 3,898
Kelly Dandenong 4lb, Cyclone-made: Free, after Uncle abused it
Keesteel KK 4lb: free, from Old Man.
Hytest (Prototype?) Forester, 4.5lb: $20 in an auction with a buncha other heads.
Hytest Challengers and Craftsmans: under $20AU apiece.
WHO MADE THAT FIRESTONE HATCHET?!
I mean, who made it for Firestone? I'm pretty sure Firestone weren't the greatest axe makers, though I'm sure a rubber axe is great for that guy who's always been...a bit not altogether.
I ask because I swear I've got the exact same hatchet head, sans Firestone stamp, and "MADE IN U.S.A." just forward of the poll (export mark). Same bevels, same edge geometry, same thick poll.
Tandanus I dont know to be honest. I have another one as well. There is a chevron or something stamped on them under the bit, forward of the eye. Ill get a picture this evening if you want. Here is this ones:
This place stresses you out.
Could be one of those Plumb export symbols - www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears Tools/Plumb Co..html. I think it was definitely made by one of the big axe names. They'd be doing a lot of OEM stuff - like your Firestone.
And those forged-in smooth bevels aren't easy or cheap to do...unless you were a renowned maker of quality hatchets and had it all setup to do that anyway. If you were cheap and small-time, you'd just do a flat-side head and be done with it. Collins didn't really export out here, nor did Mann...but Plumb did.
I was kinda blasé about it before, but then the more I fondle it, the more I've come to appreciate it. Long nose, but big thick poll to balance it out, and those bevels are certainly nice.
- Joined
- May 28, 2014
- Messages
- 869
Couple years back I grabbed 26 axes from a guy. Out of those 26 I had 5 hults, 3 gransfors, 1 foreserum, 2 flint edge cruisers, a 'killing' axe, a Collins hb and a number of other pretty decent shaped axes. After finding the gems in the pile I went back with a case of beer for the guy. He started telling me he was a couple days from throwing them all away, he was in his 60's and they belonged to his brother who had taken off with some woman and left all his belongings in this guys garage. I went back months later to pick up all of his fishing gear and ministry signs of yesteryears and unfortunately he has passed.