Identification Methods of Old Axes & Hatchets?

J

JD Spydo

Joined
Nov 20, 2004
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I just recently acquired 6 ax bits, 2 splitting maul heads and what appears to be a couple of hatchet bits as well. Two of the tools are positively identified but the rest of them I have no idea who manufactured them. I also have several other axes and other tool bits that I've gotten at garage sales and some I bought from neighbors who moved recently.

My question to all you good Brothers is >> How do you identify those tools that have no apparent stamps or markings on them? Are there small markings on some of those ax, maul and hatchet bits that I'm not aware of?

Most of these look to be good quality too. One of the mauls is made by Collins and I've had some of their tools in the past and they seem like decent quality.

So how do I go about identifying these or is there a way of doing it?
 
It's pretty difficult. If you're really lucky, someone who's very familiar can recognize an axe by a few, little details.

For instance, eye ridges usually (but apparently not always) indicate True Temper.
If the eye looks like three drilled holes, it's a Marbles.

Post pictures, expect nothing, and you just might get lucky.
 
Square_peg said:
Unmarked tools are difficult to ID. Occasionally one will be recognized by some peculiar feature. If you post pictures maybe you'll get lucky and somebody will recognize one.
Click to expand...
Posting detailed pictures (are there ridges in the eye, how's about red epoxy, number stamps etc) will definitely improve the odds of somebody piping up with ID and their reasons for it. And by gosh if it has any sort of stamp or markings forum whiz Steve Tall will probably hound dog it.
 
15156B89-4409-4534-845C-0D31E8B519EC_zpshlqohafd.jpeg
[/URL][/IMG] Can anybody help on identifying this hatchet ?
 
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Sabastianryan said:
B92DAB05-ABED-4C68-A971-3E5F509AB7CA_zpsj3sxgkvf.jpeg
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My first guess is [something] BLACK with the last line saying SPRING[something].

SPRINGFIELD looks like it could be too long a word, but I tried looking for something in SPRINGFIELD anyway and found an unrelated stamp on what looks like an identical hatchet:

1_2eb3b59a3404ec03be20b0767ab8fadf.jpg


Without spending more time on it, I'll assume (perhaps incorrectly) that these hatchets were custom embossed for various hardware stores, and BLACK was part of the name of a hardware store, or a brand from a specific hardware seller.

A remote possibility (or red herring?) is Black & Company.
Black & Company began business on October 23, 1920, when Roy M. Black took over what was previously known as Gebhart Hardware in Decatur, Illinois... In the years to follow, Black & Company opened stores in Springfield (1924)...
http://www.blackandco.com/About/Company-History

The second-to-last line looks like it begins with LE[something]. LELAND? LEHIGH? etc. etc.
 
Good Sunday to all... Brand new here and coming to the folks that mess with this stuff all the time...

Anybody able to help us with any info on this. While leveling out ashes in our stove I found this. It isn’t ours... I think it’s possible that this hatchet was left in a tree many, many years ago and over time was “consumed”. The tree was cut down and split while miraculously missing this hatchet head. I put the log containing the hatchet head in the stove it burned up and voila! I’m hoping somebody can give us some info on our find!






Hopefully somebody can point us in a direction...

Thanks in advance!
 
That would be really cool to see a formerly grown in hatchet but your image doesn't show. You need to use a 3rd party image hosting site such as postimg in order for them to show up on here.
 
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