Vietnam tomahawks... original or not?

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USNA’66

Joined
Oct 11, 2017
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157
Currently on eBay there is an auction for two "original" Vietnam tomahawks. The link is:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/162406594651?_trksid=p11400.c100710.m5035&_trkparms=aid=111001&algo=REC.SEED&ao=1&asc=20170110123657&meid=6915dbcfed4640a0b109be711ccf68c6&pid=100710&rk=1&rkt=2&sd=162406594651&ul_noapp=true

Given the relic condition in which they were apparently found (see photo), any opinions on the restoration job, and suggestions on better ways to have preserved/conserved them?
Keith

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You would know better than anyone that unrestored relics have more value than 'butcher job' restorations done by otherwise-well-intentioned amateurs. But, can you see through the rust to positively establish the origin of these?

Sorry: I didn't realize these were 'before' and 'after' pictures. A mild wire wheel effort would have exposed the authenticity (stamp) and retained the value of these. Buzzing off all the rust with an aggressive grinding disc is/was a disservice.
 
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300Six... I agree completely. The primary objective of artifact conservation is to stop deterioration. The second step, restoration, is more complex, and not to be undertaken without careful thought and good advice. I winced when seeing how agressively the tomahawk heads have been ground and/or wire brushed. It is not an approach I would have chosen.

It would be interesting to know the history of the items and find out how they ended up so rusted..

Keitj
 
I would think Electrolysis would have been a better option than the grinding they did, less damage removing the rust.
 
They sanded and grinded on them which makes me cringe.
A wire wheel with some care used to remove the rust will not scuff or scratch the steel up in any way all it would do would be remove the rust and leave behind the patina.

Btw how does anyone know he didn't burry a couple reproductions in his yard over the winter then do this to them ?

Here's a modified harbor freight hatchet head I left outside and kept wet for about a week or so back in late September early October just to give it an aged look to suite my taste, I could've left it out over the winter and had an even older look if I wanted but I didn't feel like it much.
 
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Are the “restored” tomahawks original Vietnam Laganas? Any thoughts? Given their rusted condition, how should they have been restored? Was restoration even possible?
Keith
 
I would have a very bad feeling about these. Personally I wouldn't buy them for $10.00
 
Dusty One said:
I would have a very bad feeling about these. Personally I wouldn't buy them for $10.00
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No disagreement on their value... I have never considered acquiring them. However, I’m just curious if the underlying premise of the seller that they are “original” Lagana tomahawks is accurate?
 
USNA’66 said:
No disagreement on their value... I have never considered acquiring them. However, I’m just curious if the underlying premise of the seller that they are “original” Lagana tomahawks is accurate?
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I have shown how easy it could be to fake age, and laganas being collectible puts them at risk of faked.

For some reason having two of them which had the exact same formation of rust doesn't sit right with me, it makes me imagine someone with a few dozen made in India replicas buried in their backyard.
 
Good point on the improbability of discovering two identically rusted tomahawk heads.... their history could be interesting and helpful, but only if accompanied by some credible documentation. I would like to learn to distinguish between the original Lagana tomahawks and later versions...
 
Thanks Hickory... the FurTradeTomahawks web site is sobering.... one of the inherent delimas with writing a detailed guide to detecting fakes (Lagana or others) is that it becomes a guide for the fakers and makes their creations exponentially more difficult to spot.
 
I wouldn't go after a early Lagana unless it was all original and had excellent documentation. I believe his first model had a natural blond haft later models painted dark green. He made a hand full with fiberglass hafts.
 
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Dusty One said:
I wouldn't go after a Lagana unless it was all original and had excellent documentation. I believe his first model had a natural blond haft later models painted dark green. He made a hand full with fiberglass hafts.
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And they were put back into production in 2001 and are still in production.
 
However, from postings on this forum, I gather that the versions of the Lagana produced for Brigade Quartermasters in the 1990s had a shorter hickory handle (dyed green), no lanyard hole, and a painted tomhawk head that was 1/4 inch less thick at the haftthan the original. There are a number of other details i’m attempting to capture. I would welcome any discussions of differences between the Vietnam and post-Vietnam models.

Anyone know the correct handle lengths for the versions?

Keith
 
It gets stranger.... I did hear from the seller when I requested precise measurements of the rusted wirebrushed heads... so far he hasn’t responded with the measurements, but did relate that he obtained them at a flea market where they were “part of a group nine heads” he found... all similarly rusted. The seller asserts that the other heads have been shown to be original by knowledgable [but unnamed] people and confirmed. I’m still interested in learning the measurements in order to determine if these, and future finds, are original LaGana Vietnam production.

Can anyone with a solid LaGana Vietnam Tomahawk help with good measurements we can use for comparison?
Keith
 
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