🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Any guess on the age of these axe heads?

[USNFLYR]

I spent some hours chipping off major rust from an axe head and a hatchet head. I plan to continue to try to get to original surface once I build an electrolysis machine. I checked the internet. I believe the large head is a swamping or felling axe blade. I can not see any tell tale stamping or makers marks. So the question is how can I tell if these are hand forged (older) or mass produced (younger) axe heads?

The large blade measures 8 1/2 inches length wise. I inserted a photo of where it was when I found it (rusty).

 

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[releventchair]

Older ones show grain in the iron.
Newest ones are steel , more castings than anything worked.

When you get it cleaned your top head should show on it's edge where it was forge welded. (How iron was folded and the right heat and flux to hammer weld is worth researching> Too , adding a steel "bit" to the edge.)
It looks hand forged to me. And done economically as possible for material.

I don't know about your lower double bit's character. I'm imagining iron grain easy enough. If so it's quite a piece of work.


There had to be a transition between hand forged , machine pounded , and later casting or drop forging.
My opinion is worth a cup of coffee in my opinion , but commercial offerings seemed to be cleaner (less impurities) as time went on.
Subject to supply of material though.

 

[USNFLYR]

Thanks releventchair. I guess it’s finally time to build an electrolysis machine!

 

[invent4hir]

releventchair brings up many good points. Last year I found an axe head where the bit had been laminated to the head. An archaeologist told me that was a common manufacturing practice up through the Civil War, as steel was much more expensive than iron. If after electrolysis the axe head(s) you found are iron then I'm guessing it/they pre-date the CW.

 

[pepperj]

#6 photo looks like there's a V makers mark in the centre divot.

 

[pa plateau hiker]

Axe heads were mass produced in the 1890's.

 

[USNFLYR]

#6 photo looks like there's a V makers mark in the centre divot.

Pepper…that side of the axe head was not chipped and sanded much. It definitely needs more cleaning. Hopefully a stamp or mark will appear. Thanks for weighing in!

 

[USNFLYR]

Axe heads were mass produced in the 1890's.

Great info. I can at least know the general "eras". It should be helpful for the double bit axe head. Like releventchair cited, it will be good to clean more and check for the amount of iron grain. Thanks for the reply!