What did you rehang today?

[Brian Rust]

I have had this nice 3.5 lb. Shapleighs Diamond Edge head for a about two months now and finally hung it this evening. I tried to shorten the handle some and keep a good swell but it didn’t turn out too good I don’t think. So it may be rehung again on a better handle.

 

[Maine20]

I have had this nice 3.5 lb. Shapleighs Diamond Edge head for a about two months now and finally hung it this evening. I tried to shorten the handle some and keep a good swell but it didn’t turn out too good I don’t think. So it may be rehung again on a better handle.

Nice! So what’s the triangle shaped indent in the first pic? I have seen similar dents in old heads and have been wondering what they are.

 

[Brian Rust]

I have heard some of the older guys call them anvil marks but I’m really not sure. I was thinking of starting a thread to ask because I have a couple with this.

 

[Brian Rust]

Quick question, the heel and toes are a little worn. Would you take the bit back to make them more predominate or leave it like it is?

 

[Square_peg]

Honestly, I wouldn't have even messed around with an axe that had a toe worn so badly. A good practice hang or an axe for modding. A blacksmith might be able to push some steel up toward that toe just as practice. We all have our own interests in axes. For me if it's not going to perfom well as a tool I'm probably not gonna mess with it. As always YMMV.

 

[Brian Rust]

yeah to each his/her own. I guess some people thought it needed to be rounded? I see a lot of axes that are worse off than this one, and some that don’t even look like axes anymore. But I will see how it performs and let you know.

 

[junkenstien]

It's been used for splitting and sharpened way back,the toe won't do much on the bottom cut,bucking from uptop.

 

[Miller '72]

Merry Christmas!

Snowed a little overnight...
I just happen to finish this hang today after the early morning wrapping paper tornado came thru...
It's my only Mann, only Hudson Bay pattern and longest haft. I had an other 34" Haft with a modern imported Michigan I had rehung...but I let my cousin borrow that to spit some rounds he had one Saturday over a month ago, oddly I haven't heard from him since and he lives 2 miles away...Merry Christmas Cousin Max!
The rehang has taken 3-4 days of 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there.

End result is,
33" down from the 34" original haft, slimmed & thinned
4&3/4lbs. total weight
The Before...

This morning...

Before

After

Last night

This morning

Thanks for looking while you have your coffee hiding from the rest of the family...That may be what I am doing

 

[Miller '72]

Imported modern Collins, 3lbs on 24&1/2"

I needed to shorten the handle down from 28" due to cracking damage.
Put an edge on the dulled, flattened soft steel bit
I found myself needing to be creative with the wedge and filling the eye for a solid hang. The handle itself is horrible, I just don't want to buy a handle for this head.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Merry Christmas!

Snowed a little overnight...
I just happen to finish this hang today after the early morning wrapping paper tornado came thru...
It's my only Mann, only Hudson Bay pattern and longest haft. I had an other 34" Haft with a modern imported Michigan I had rehung...but I let my cousin borrow that to spit some rounds he had one Saturday over a month ago, oddly I haven't heard from him since and he lives 2 miles away...Merry Christmas Cousin Max!
The rehang has taken 3-4 days of 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there.

End result is,
33" down from the 34" original haft, slimmed & thinned
4&3/4lbs. total weight
The Before...

This morning...

Before

After

Last night

This morning

Thanks for looking while you have your coffee hiding from the rest of the family...That may be what I am doing

Not bad, but FYI this isn't a Hudson bay but a modern evolution of the Michigan pattern.
You can tell by the rounded poll which an HB won't have.
Looks like probably a 70's -80's master mechanic and is probably not a horrible tool.

 

[Miller '72]

one last thing, if i use a cup brush to clean and sand after, will that damage the etch?

Not bad, but FYI this isn't a Hudson bay but a modern evolution of the Michigan pattern.
You can tell by the rounded poll which an HB won't have.
Looks like probably a 70's -80's master mechanic and is probably not a horrible tool.

Thanks for the heads up and setting me right on that. As soon as I made that post, I came across a few other master mechanics listed as Michigan style etc... Then the post by phantomknives with his Christmas morning Hudson Bay...just confirmed I was more hopeful than accurate LOL.

I think it's in that age range as well. The steel is much better quality than the cheapo modern Collins heads i have hung recently.

 

[Miller '72]

Imported modern Collins, 3lbs on 24&1/2"

I needed to shorten the handle down from 28" due to cracking damage.
Put an edge on the dulled, flattened soft steel bit
I found myself needing to be creative with the wedge and filling the eye for a solid hang. The handle itself is horrible, I just don't want to buy a handle for this head.

I should have recognized that I was trying to bandaid and reuse something that was of poor quality at best.

I rehung it.
Let it set overnight.
Gave it a couple swings, took some pics, posted it up.
Went back and was a little more aggressive to try quartering a round and...

A head again, it will remain just a head a little while longer and I can now move on to the Charter Oak Connie I recently picked up.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I should have recognized that I was trying to bandaid and reuse something that was of poor quality at best.

I rehung it.
Let it set overnight.
Gave it a couple swings, took some pics, posted it up.
Went back and was a little more aggressive to try quartering a round and...

A head again, it will remain just a head a little while longer and I can now move on to the Charter Oak Connie I recently picked up.

Nice looking head, I don't think I've heard of charter oak before but there's a chance I saw one here before.

 

[junkenstien]

If you plan on making your own handle sometime you can keep that Collins as a wedge,your not gonna need it anyway with all them Connies you keep getting.Thats a nice one.

 

[Miller '72]

Nice looking head, I don't think I've heard of charter oak before but there's a chance I saw one here before.

If you plan on making your own handle sometime you can keep that Collins as a wedge,your not gonna need it anyway with all them Connies you keep getting.Thats a nice one.

Thanks guys.
The wedge is a good idea, not sure how long it would hold up. I do plan to make my own handle(s) when I can source a bit of local hickory or i may get impatient and source some white oak and one day just do it.

I new the Charter Oak Made in USA is a Collins made and authorized head, which I find most appealing and from the little reading I have done, probably pre 1966. I just haven't found evidence that Mann was producing the Charter Oak like it did the Red Chieftain for Supplee Biddle Hardware Co.

Giving even more historical value to myself about the Charter Oak head is that at least one of the hardware stores selling the Charter Oak was The Supplee Biddle Hardware Co out of Philadelphia.
I now have a 36"crosscut one man, and a 50" two man sold by The Supplee Biddle Hardware Co.
The saws will be prior to 1950 when the last name change, reorganization to the Supplee Biddle Hardware Co took place before the business closing perhaps in 1960.

Long story short...I think it's a cool full circle to have found The Supplee Biddle Hardware Co saws and the Collins Connie Charter Oak, possibly sold by Supplee Biddle Hardware Co. Pre 1950

A lot of ifs...which makes it fun!

http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears Tools/Supplee Hdw. Co..html

Thanks again guys

 

[rjdankert]

I came across a few other master mechanics listed as Michigan style

This axe?



If yes, FWIW, it looks like a ceder pattern to me.






But then I guess an axe pattern is what ever the maker (or re-seller) says it is.


Bob

 

[Miller '72]

This axe?



If yes, FWIW, it looks like a ceder pattern to me.






But then I guess an axe pattern is what ever the maker (or re-seller) says it is.


Bob

Yes that's the one in question regarding my desire it to be a Hudson Bay pattern.
Luckily it didn't look closer to a Connie or I would have tried to will it to be one LOL!

Thanks for the eye opener that the cedar pattern with the rounded pole is a much closer, accurate fit...or somewhere close.

I am so "loyal" to my tools, toys and family I can't sell any of them LOL...not my axes and saws yet anyway.

Thank you Bob

 

[Hickory n steel]

Yes that's the one in question regarding my desire it to be a Hudson Bay pattern.
Luckily it didn't look closer to a Connie or I would have tried to will it to be one LOL!

Thanks for the eye opener that the cedar pattern with the rounded pole is a much closer, accurate fit...or somewhere close.

I am so "loyal" to my tools, toys and family I can't sell any of them LOL...not my axes and saws yet anyway.

Thank you Bob

It's definitely getting towards a cedar pattern, but has enough Michigan left in the design.

Not sure why Mann evolved the Michigan pattern into this sometime in the 70's -80's, but they did.

 

[rjdankert]

sometime in the 70's -80's

True Value adds:

1978


https://books.google.com/books?id=4... OR tool OR history "master mechanic"&f=false


1983


https://books.google.com/books?id=P... OR tool OR history "master mechanic"&f=false​

Bob

 

[Whiskey_Jim]

Not the best stick but i hung it