Unmarked woodslasher

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Maine20

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Aug 8, 2017
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I just picked up what I believe is a unmarked Kelly woodslasher. Has old red paint, grooved eye, Michigan style, stamped C 32. I may be able to get some pics up later. Thoughts?

From what I’ve read they used only paper labels on the woodslashers for a period of time. Any idea what that timeframe is? It would be nice to have a rough idea of the age.

Thanks!
 
My guesstimate is between 1960 and the early 1980s, based on the information in the thread quoted below:

Steve Tall said:
True Temper's patent for the eye ridges was Patent Number 3090653, filed 7/2/59 and granted 5/21/63. (Details at bottom.)

The information previously posted shows that the True Temper ridges were advertised from 1960 until 1982 (around the time that the Kelly axe factory was shut down). True Temper used the patented ridges on the Kelly Perfect, Woodslasher, and Flint Edge axes. During this period, the Kelly Perfects were evidently stamped and the Woodslasher and Flint Edges had no stamps (just label stickers). So I think it's likely that unstamped axes with ridges in the eye were originally labelled as Woodslasher or Flint Edge, and made during the period between 1960 and the early 1980s.

The axes with ridges and stamps from other makers, such as Collins or Vaughan, are still a mystery. These known exceptions so far are all stamped, unlike the Woodslasher and Flint Edges from True Temper. Perhaps Barco made some axes with ridges for Vaughan/Collins/Mann after Barco acquired Kelly Axe in 1987?

(Edited to add: YesteryearsTools says that "Some other brands previously used by other companies [in addition to Kelly] have reportedly been made by Barco but that has not been corroborated nor is the extent of the brand use been determined." )
http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears Tools/Barco Industries.html

I would assume that the ridged eyes weren't manufactured before 1960, since the ad said the feature was new that year, and the patent was ultimately granted to Kelly (which generally wouldn't happen if other companies had been already making them).

Patent information:
https://www.google.com/patents/US3090653

US3090653-0.png
Click to expand...
 
Short and sweet answer. Steve's information is a perfect summary of what's known about these.
 
Thanks again Steve! Good info 2 days in a row!

Anyone know the significance of the
C 32 stamp?
 
Maine20 said:
I just picked up what I believe is a unmarked Kelly woodslasher. Has old red paint, grooved eye, Michigan style, stamped C 32. I may be able to get some pics up later. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I believe that before dating it, the manufacturer needs to be determined. True Temper is a good guess and may be satisfying to you. For myself, I'd like to find more evidence. Red paint is not exclusive to a Kelly Woodslasher and axes can be painted after purchase. The eye rib patent ran out in 1979 (20 years after the application date), and ribs have been seen on other brands. I think the odds on who the manufacturer was would greatly increase if documentation could be found for where the "C 32" came from. I realize that certainty may never be established, but it's a goal and IMHO an interesting mystery to solve.



Bob
 
Maine20 said:
Anyone know the significance of the
C 32 stamp?
Click to expand...
I'm curious, is it "C 32" or could it be "C32"? The reason I ask is that I have saved images of ribbed axes with a letter number stamp. They do not have a space between the letter and the number.


Bob
 
Maine20 said:
...It is C23...
Click to expand...

Here's another C23 from an old auction listing, with some red paint and 4 ribs in the eye, 2 wide spaced and 2 narrow spaced:

$_57.JPG

$_57.JPG


In a thread from last month, a rusty axe was found with an A29 stamp (and remains of red paint), and Square_peg said it was
"Most likely a True Temper/Kelly Woodslasher. 'A 29' is a production stamp used to track when the dies were getting worn."

Square_peg said:
Most likely a True Temper/Kelly Woodslasher. 'A 29' is a production stamp used to track when the dies were getting worn.
Click to expand...
 
Steve- That’s the head I bought. That actuall one.

So on a side note- I am new to this forum (any forum actually) and still trying to figure things out. Do I need to be a paid member to post pics? Will bacic membership cut it? Please let me know if I am breaking any rules...

So back to the axe. Earlier I was searching posts for C23 and someone named Opreator 1975 asked: “Are there any small markings on it anywhere, like c23 or m18, something like that?” Seams like he may know something about it?
 
Maine20 said:
...Earlier I was searching posts for C23 and someone named Opreator 1975 asked: “Are there any small markings on it anywhere, like c23 or m18, something like that?” Seams like he may know something about it?
Click to expand...

Here's what Operator1975 said in that thread about another axe head (in the photo below):

"That is an old Kelly Woodslasher." "Im not 100% sure, but I bet that is what it is. Those teeth inside the eye - a few manufacturers used those - and in the pattern you show, the one side has them on the outside, and other side has them on the inside - at least from what I can see. This is very common in all the Kellys I have and have seen, especially in their Woodslasher line that they at one time only ever put paper stickers on. Are there any small markings on it anywhere, like c23 or m18, something like that?
So am I 100% ? No. But I think that would be a good guess."

IMG_20120121_220926.jpg



And here's another similar head, a confirmed True Temper Kelly Woodslasher, with red paint and a sticker that mentions the ridges in the eye. I wonder if there is a stamp like C23 underneath that sticker:

1972.0694.001.aa.cs.png

from https://ingeniumcanada.org/ingenium/collection-research/collection-item.php?id=1972.0694.001
 
Well I figured out how to post a pic. Thank you to everyone that provided info on possible woodslasher.
 
A numerical stamp or otherwise identifier often is an inspection mark that indicates some stage of manufacture or who allowed it to 'go out the door'.
 
I've seen the 4 ribs on a bunch of stamped Kelly axes over the years, 2 wide spaced, and 2 narrow spaced on opposing sides of the eye. I'm betting that rib pattern is a Kelly thing.

I have a 3 1/2 lb. Michigan pattern, Woodslasher with a label that I haven't looked at in years. I'll try to check see if it will provide a clue into this mystery.
 
Another example of a True Temper with eye ribs (2 wide, opposite 2 narrow), with A23 (or A25? A26?) stamped on the head.

s-l1600.jpg

s-l1600.jpg

s-l1600.jpg

(from an old auction listing)
 
I have come across 4 more examples of true temper axes with the same looking small letter/number combo stamp. Some have partial paper labels, some have the True temper stamp. Some hade ribbed eyes. Seams like the evidence is fairly strong that it’s a true temper of some type.
 
Don't know if it's been mentioned before but according to one of their old forge operators the code stood for the Hammer that the tool was forged on followed by the batch number. So A29 would be hammer A batch number 29.

Oddly enough I have several unmarked TrueTemper axes, not a single one has this QC code stamped on it. They are some darn fine axes as well. Just used a couple of them on a camping trip this past weekend to buck dead fall and split out kindling. Couldn't have asked for better tools.
 
This may be veering off topic, but I found images of a Sears (=USA-M=) half hatchet with eye ribs in my files (don't know the source). Thought it would be interesting to compare it to the True Temper posted earlier in this thread.





This picture of the Sears looks to me to be a view of the bottom:





Bob
 
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