Welland vale all steel axe

wolfsmoon knives said:
does anyone have more information about this welland vale all steel St.chaterines ax i know it is old and rare
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Welland Vale MFG Co
was listed in 1896 catalog
BookReaderImages.php

https://archive.org/details/WellandValeMfgCo1896/page/n3/mode/2up
 
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wolfsmoon knives said:
does anyone have more information about this welland vale all steel St.chaterines ax i know it is old and rare
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I have some information that you may not like. Despite being all steel, which was becoming the norm by that period, the poll and eye were not hardened, also the norm. So when it was used as a hammer the poll deformed and the eye bulged. The poll has been filed smooth but the eye is difficult to repair without damaging the stamp.
 
Square_peg said:
I have some information that you may not like. Despite being all steel, which was becoming the norm by that period, the poll and eye were not hardened, also the norm. So when it was used as a hammer the poll deformed and the eye bulged. The poll has been filed smooth but the eye is difficult to repair without damaging the stamp.
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this ax of mine is neither damaged nor deformed
 
Hickory n steel said:
It has been sharpened a lot, there's mushrooming on the top and bottom of the head, and mushrooming that was cleaned up on the poll.
There is deformation, damage, and significant wear.

It's not going to have the sort of value you may hope.
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😂, what did you expect from a 120-year-old ax new as in the store, of course it has signs of use
 
Thanks for sharing that axe with us.
Has more collector value than value as a user for sure. It's a nice piece of history. Quite fortunate that the etch hasn't been beat to hell.

"All Steel" as a selling point during a time of transition. Not sure when most major manufactures fully switched over to all steel (some never did). I think Plumb did by 1911 or so, maybe a little before that.
Sager kept on trucking with two piece construction for many years as did Emerson & Stevens.

A question for you North Eastern guys. Did any heads come out of Oakland all steel?
 
wolfsmoon knives said:
😂, what did you expect from a 120-year-old ax new as in the store, of course it has signs of use
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Yes but condition still matters to collectors looking for desirable makes and brandings like this.
I have a relatively scarce belt axe that was forged in 1864, but I don't think it's a precious valuable collectable just because it's that old.


I'm not saying this has no value just because it's relatively worn, just know that the age and branding aren't everything and you may not find it to be quite worth what you might think.
 
It’s a beautiful old axe. I’d collect it. I have a soft spot for Welland Vail and it’s rare to find an old one like that. But the eye is most definitely bulged.

A good smith could hammer the bulge in with a wooden mallet on a hardwood stump anvil without damaging the stamp. Just heat one side at a time with a torch.
 
ok guys, how much do you think the price of the ax would be, as you can see from the video, the ax is not damaged, but it is a rarity on the market
 
It is damaged, the mushrooming and whatever has been ground off are / were damage.

Without at least a gold membership we can't tell you what something is worth.
If you're looking to sell just put it up on Ebay and the market will tell you what it's really worth.
 
Signs of use not damaged
Hickory n steel said:
It is damaged, the mushrooming and whatever has been ground off are / were damage.

Without at least a gold membership we can't tell you what something is worth.
If you're looking to sell just put it up on Ebay and the market will tell you what it's really worth.
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Signs of use not damaged
don't worry, I won't give it away for free
 
wolfsmoon knives said:
Signs of use not damaged

Signs of use not damaged
don't worry, I won't give it away for free
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You mean signs that it was struck many times with a hammer.
An axe doesn't mushroom for no reason just by being used normally, it was damaged by being struck with a hammer.
Not terribly but damages nonetheless.

After all these years it could easily be in worse shape and the embossing could have been destroyed so those are definitely good things, and the condition isn't too terrible overall.
Most axes I ever run across are newer and usually in far worse condition that's for sure.
 
First off, disregard the folks on here saying it is deformed. It's 125 fucking years old, of course there will be wear and sharpening. That being said, the acid etch in your axe is like nothing I have ever seen, so with is being in such good condition and matching that catalog image that crbnSteeladdict posted I believe the value is very high. Check out some FB groups like "Axe Restoration and Collecting" and "Axe History." Thanks for sharing that awesome specimen with us!
 
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