Old Axe Head, need help identifying it.

[Truk58]

I found this axe head and think it may be old, I don't know anything about these, it may not be old at all and be from the 1960's. I attached a photo of it as it came out of the ground and after some soaking and rough cleaning. If it is old, do these have makers marks, or anyway to know if it was hand forged by a blacksmith or if it was a newer axe that was cast. Also any tips on cleaning it the rest of the way. Thanks.

 

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[FreeBirdTim]

How deep in the ground was it? That may give you a decent idea as to it's age. As for a maker's mark, many have them, but not all. Might be hard to read any maker's mark on that axe head, due to it's condition.

I would try to grind off some of the rust with a wire wheel attached to a drill. Then I would soak it in citric acid for a few hours. Some axe collectors also soak them in vinegar.

Pretty rough condition, but still a neat find!

 

[Truk58]

Freebirdtim... thanks for your feedback. It was 12" down, besides a large tree..

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Wow, 12 inches down! I just found a hatchet head that was five inches down and that was from the 1920's or 1930's! Your axe head has to be pretty darn old. Well worth the effort to try and clean it up.

 

[BosnMate]

Here is a little history of the double bit axe that I found.

The first double-bit ax was probably made by
William Mann in Pennsylvania at about 1850.
The Mann Edge Tool Company is one of the few
American companies still in the business of
making axes. By 1860 the double-bit ax was very
common in the Northeast. The double-bit was
not widely popular until the last quarter of the
19th century when it came into its own in the
Pacific Northwest.


Before the double bit axe there was the falling axe, and that hasn't changed much since the 17oo's. Falling axe's have a sharp side and a flat side for driving wedges into the saw cut.

 

[BosnMate]

Here is some more information I found.
In the mid-19th century, some of the American axes were still made of both iron and steel. Late 18th-century iron axes often had steel insert cutting edges. Earlier European axes with their long blades were awkward to use. When North Americans ground down the blades after sharpening them many times, they discovered that they could use them to cut more accurately. These axes had better balance and geometry. The blade wobbled less during the swing. After this discovery, American axes were made with shorter, wider blades.

The Bessemer process for making steel in the late19th century made steel affordable. The entire ax blade could be made of steel.

The hand forged axes were folded over, forge welded and a steel insert was forge welded for the cutting surface. the steel could be tempered and hold an edge. So if you can see a steel insert has been welded, then it probably dates to the mid 1800's. If the blade is all steel, then late 1800's up into the 1900's and even today.

 

[gunsil]

Wow, 12 inches down! I just found a hatchet head that was five inches down and that was from the 1920's or 1930's! Your axe head has to be pretty darn old. Well worth the effort to try and clean it up.

The found depth of an object often has little to do with it's age.

 

[cti4sw]

I wouldn't bother with a wire wheel, you'll be at it for days.

Soak it in apple cider vinegar for a few weeks or until the rust starts to flake off. After that, you can either continue soaking it to get the rest of the rust off or you can use electrolysis for faster results. (Electrolysis requires a metal contact to work, so ACV it first.)

Once the rust is cleaned off, THEN you can use a wire wheel to polish it up. Axe heads are a fun find because they are one of the few relic types that can be reused without hurting any value it might have. Clean it up, sharpen it, put a handle on it, and start chopping some wood!

 

[FreeBirdTim]

"The found depth of an object often has little to do with it's age."

True, to a degree. I've found many pre-1920 items that were down five inches or less, but I've never found anything more than 10 inches down that wasn't pre-1920. Just my experience around my area.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

"I wouldn't bother with a wire wheel, you'll be at it for days."

Ten minutes with a wire wheel will remove a lot of the loose rust. Then you soak it in citric acid to remove the more stubborn rust. He may have to repeat the procedure more than once, but it will eventually make it look presentable.