Marbles Safety hatchet?

[I'mSoSharp]

Spotted this rusting away in a friend's garden while they were having a clean out..... 12" overall length...









..... clearly it's in terrible condition, the safety cover is mangled & rusted stuck in the handle & it looks as though someone had a go at sharpening it not too long ago.
I can't see any markings & wonder if the stag scales are a homemade addition?
I think it might make the basis for a project rather than a restoration!

 

[Mendoman]

Nice find. Good on you for saving it.

 

[Idahawk]

That’s a cool find. The scales are definitely replacement. Rust wise it’s not terrible. The hatchet could definitely be cleaned up. If the swing out is rusted stuck and you can’t get it to budge. Pick up a small bag of swimming pool/spa -PH Down’. Fill 5 gal bucket or 2gal bucket up with hot water and cup of the PH-Down’ stir good. Drop the hatchet in. Close lid. Leave over night. In morning the hatchet will be clean of all rust & crud and that swing guard will be easily function. I have used PH Down to free up rusted metal wrenches that every brand oil rust solvent wouldn’t touch.

 

[Square_peg]

I have used PH Down to free up rusted metal wrenches that every brand oil rust solvent wouldn’t touch.

How does it compare to Evapo-rust?

 

[Idahawk]

Evapo’ likely will not free up a frozen Rusted part like PH. PH is non petroleum. Water & Chem -so easier. Clean up is easy. Just rinse with warm water and dish soap and immediately after I spray Denatured Alcohol to prevent flash rust and let it dry. Only drawback is It completely strips it down to bare metal- patina is gone too similar to Vinegar Bath. I have only used it on a tool that had rusted frozen part. I used it on a Circa 1912’ Stevens crack shot 22 rifle that had a ejector frozen solid. Nothing would free it until I used PH-Down. I used it on a old lantern that was old painted and rusted out. It stripped it clean

 

[LittleAugieMo]

If you manage to free up "safety cover" in handle,it may be stamped. I would try spraying the whole thing(less scales) with Kroil. Scales aren't factory, as stated earlier. Also view from top of head may help. Depending on age underside of head,next to handle/haft may be stamped. Cool ole' safety hatchet!

 

[Square_peg]

Evapo-rust does everything you just described. Swimming pool/spa pH down is a mild dry acid. Evapo-rust is ethylenediaminetetraacetate, a neutralized acid that still eats rust.

PH down looks like a very inexpensive alternative that is slightly aciditc but less so than vinegar

 

[I'mSoSharp]

Well after a few sprays of WD40 & a bit of time it’s finally given in & come free, it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought , a lot of dirt was removed from the swing guard & spring...



So now the guard is free with a working spring I’m a bit disappointed , because I know it’s become a restoration project now!
I’d almost hoped it was to far gone to save then I’d have an excuse to ditch the guard & fill the gap.
It’s still in a bad state, signs of a previous “restoration” are the stag scales, sanding/grinder marks all over including the guard, & a lead on the guard.



The guard is going to be tricky, as can be seen it’s already been repaired with lead.

Can anyone shed some light on safety axe (hatchet really) history? There appears to be three distinct styles/shapes of heads on the all-steel ones but I’m unable to find a timeline.
This one measures 11.5” & I’ve seen mention of the three vs two scale screws but no reference to age.

Thanks.

 

[Hickory n steel]

How is the steel handle attached ?
If it is in fact a seperate piece as it appears to be I'd remove it and replace with a proper handle.

 

[Idahawk]

Awesome. Great project. That lead was likely done when someone put the Antler stag handles on it. I wonder if they decided to abort the swing guard altogether and did a partial molten lead to fill and secure the handle from moving? Enjoy that Resto!

 

[tltt]

Well after a few sprays of WD40 & a bit of time it’s finally given in & come free, it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought , a lot of dirt was removed from the swing guard & spring...

View attachment 2335105

So now the guard is free with a working spring I’m a bit disappointed , because I know it’s become a restoration project now!
I’d almost hoped it was to far gone to save then I’d have an excuse to ditch the guard & fill the gap.
It’s still in a bad state, signs of a previous “restoration” are the stag scales, sanding/grinder marks all over including the guard, & a lead on the guard.

View attachment 2335106

The guard is going to be tricky, as can be seen it’s already been repaired with lead.

Can anyone shed some light on safety axe (hatchet really) history? There appears to be three distinct styles/shapes of heads on the all-steel ones but I’m unable to find a timeline.
This one measures 11.5” & I’ve seen mention of the three vs two scale screws but no reference to age.

Thanks.

It's early -

.

1908 Marble's catalog was what Levine used for the image. Also if pinned/screwed bit, it's from the earliest batches.

 

[I'mSoSharp]

It's early -

1908 Marble's catalog was what Levine used for the image. Also if pinned/screwed bit, it's from the earliest batches.

Thanks. There is a pin in the back of the bit.



And the only marking so far, probably missed by the sander on the last “restoration”.



And.......



....the spring broke through rust pitting..
It’s just begging to have the handle taped up & used for throwing..

 

[Pinoy Knife]

so im out of my element here but why not just make a new swing guard??
you have a 90% perfect pattern to build from..

 

[I'mSoSharp]

so im out of my element here but why not just make a new swing guard??
you have a 90% perfect pattern to build from..

Because it's a complex pressed & folded piece of thin steel sheet that'll have been made in a form.
I'll most likely end up repairing what I've got & (now) making a new spring.

I almost wish I'd left it in the garden........

 

[LittleAugieMo]

Well after a few sprays of WD40 & a bit of time it’s finally given in & come free, it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought , a lot of dirt was removed from the swing guard & spring...

View attachment 2335105

So now the guard is free with a working spring I’m a bit disappointed , because I know it’s become a restoration project now!
I’d almost hoped it was to far gone to save then I’d have an excuse to ditch the guard & fill the gap.
It’s still in a bad state, signs of a previous “restoration” are the stag scales, sanding/grinder marks all over including the guard, & a lead on the guard.

View attachment 2335106

The guard is going to be tricky, as can be seen it’s already been repaired with lead.

Can anyone shed some light on safety axe (hatchet really) history? There appears to be three distinct styles/shapes of heads on the all-steel ones but I’m unable to find a timeline.
This one measures 11.5” & I’ve seen mention of the three vs two scale screws but no reference to age.

Thanks.

"Two screw were the earlier versions IIRC

 

[Square_peg]

I'll most likely end up repairing what I've got & (now) making a new spring.

Making a new spring is a good choice. You could use a piece of coil spring from the junkyard or from an old garage door opener. Just heat it to orange and slip it over a piece of pipe held in your vise.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Maybe I should be swatted with a wooden spoon for saying this, but personally I would drill out the pin knock the steel handle out and hang it on a proper hickory handle.


I will say that fixing it seems like a fun challenging experience though, and if you can do a presentable job go for it.
The spring shouldn't be hard neither should the scales, but boy making something presentable of that guard is going to be tough.
Maybe some sheet metal patches can be welded on ?

 

[Idahawk]

Brother. Here’s a 1950s Western States’ Hatchet I picked up 30 years ago in a antique store for a few bucks. The yellow plastic handle was cracked up . I para corded this old mini hatchet and have used this for years packing into the wilderness wild trout fishing and hunting . It’s literally one of my favorite if not my favorite hatchet. Restoration of axes and such has become-well I’ll just be sugar coat it —a Ritual. You could get technical and go all out and fabricate a swing guard. Most folks out there don’t have a shop and experience to tackle that. I could. But I wouldn’t. Marbles swing guard hatchets are not rare. I suggest crafting a handle of your choice. In the end it’s your baby. Your signature. I suspect that’s what somebody did probably back in the 1960s. The swing guard broke way back. So some deer Hunter in 1965’ carved out deer antler scales and poured molten lead into the gaps. Used it for few decades and eventually it ended up in that garden.

 

[I'mSoSharp]

Nothing will happen for a while now as I've other stuff to concentrate on.

I never had any intentions of making it into a user, I have way too many much more practical hatchets than a 11.5" solid steel handle one

It's more of a talking point, had it been a newer copy it'd have been modified or thrown on the steel pile for later, but seeing as it's probably survived +/- a hundred years I'll probably repair it, call me sentimental.

I've made one or two springs in the past.

 

[Pinoy Knife]

Because it's a complex pressed & folded piece of thin steel sheet that'll have been made in a form.
I'll most likely end up repairing what I've got & (now) making a new spring.

I almost wish I'd left it in the garden........

nah just heat it up with a torch and bend it ... then lock the head into a vise to shape around..
take maybe a hour to do....