Axe head identification
- Thread starter Pindvin
- Start date
Sorry, Pindvin, I can't help you with your ID issues but I've got one of my own. A friend of mine collects old axe heads simply because they're "rustic." He's given me several to clean up since they appear to have been left lying in the worst of conditions for years. They are extremely pitted and mangled. I soaked them in vinegar to loosen much of the rust and crud and then took the wire wheel to them. Two of them cleaned up quite nicely and took a very good edge. The third one is a hewing axe that appears to have been hand forged and a rough job at that. It does have a maker's mark on it and I need some help in identifying it. It appears to be a heart with a letter of some kind in the centre. This axe head will be left in this state since I don't think that it could handle normal use after deteriorating so much.
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Could that be an 'Ox head' depicted in the stamp? Whatever is cooking that head is very crudely made and as far as I'd go with it is to relegate it to paperweight or wall decor.
GlennW's axe reminds me of a Japanese hatchet. I know most of those are made of three layers forge welded together like a Mora knife and that might also account for the line along the edge.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1053450-Broad-Axes-Hatchets-Post-Em-Up-3 Scroll down to trailmakers post.
edit: On second thought now I'm thinking more goose wing broad axe. The top picture shows both sides aren't symmetrical.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1053450-Broad-Axes-Hatchets-Post-Em-Up-3 Scroll down to trailmakers post.
edit: On second thought now I'm thinking more goose wing broad axe. The top picture shows both sides aren't symmetrical.
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No stamps, specific taper or anything else unique to ID this head suggests 'generic' to me. But 50 years ago that might have been USA, German or Swedish. "Laminated", as is samurai sword, not a chance. Good axes (and your's probably qualifies) will have a blade of hard steel sandwiched between the soft steel body. Standard practice for making decent heads for 2 centuries, at least. Laminating is wonderful for strength and flexibility but of no benefit to a piece that is supposed to be rigid while in use.
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- Feb 1, 2012
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Appears to have had a chip repaired.
As for the question mentioned above, it is a hewing axe. I did have a third image clearly depicting its asymmetrical profile but didn't post it. But, now that you mention it, the chip repair makes sense. Due to the extreme conditions that this head has endured, it has delaminated in several places as can be seen on the flat/back side. The front side (same side as the maker's mark) has some delamination as if there was a slip of high carbon steel inserted between two layers of softer steel. I was hoping that after the vinegar bath that I would be able to see either differential hardening or a high carbon steel cutting edge but didn't see any thing.
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