🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Questions about axehead age/ who used them

[Nathan W]

Found these awhile back been cleaning them , very pitted. The top one was from an area that had a ghost town on map 1825-? And bottom head was found near supposed civil war camp area. I don’t know if either of these is from someone who lived in the now ghost town and the other a union/confederate soldier. I’m sure they are super old by the many many layers of rust and style/ pits. Question- why is the blade edge look smooth and different/darker than rest of axehead? Also any timeframe window you guys think?

 

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[Sandog]

Reground?

 

[Nathan W]

Reground?

I don’t know

 

[releventchair]

For the sake of economy, a steel bit could be inserted in a lower grade iron heads edge.
Iron folded onto the steel and then forge welded. (A certain heat/temp and flux and kerpow strike(s).)
that may be what you're seeing in different color.

Steel was kind of a mystery as is wasn't as common as iron. And cost more.
Getting more carbon into iron to create steel was a process achieved by multiple methods over time.

How Axe Heads are Made: Traditional and Modern Methods | Axe & Tool

Modern axe heads are been made by heating a piece of high-carbon steel and either hammer forging or casting or casting it into shape. The blade is then

axeandtool.com

 

[Nathan W]

For the sake of economy, a steel bit could be inserted in a lower grade iron heads edge.
Iron folded onto the steel and then forge welded. (A certain heat/temp and flux and kerpow strike(s).)
that may be what you're seeing in different color.

Steel was kind of a mystery as is wasn't as common as iron. And cost more.
Getting more carbon into iron to create steel was a process achieved by multiple methods over time.

How Axe Heads are Made: Traditional and Modern Methods | Axe & Tool

Modern axe heads are been made by heating a piece of high-carbon steel and either hammer forging or casting or casting it into shape. The blade is then

axeandtool.com

Thanks for the article

 

[Sandog]

For the sake of economy, a steel bit could be inserted in a lower grade iron heads edge.
Iron folded onto the steel and then forge welded. (A certain heat/temp and flux and kerpow strike(s).)
that may be what you're seeing in different color.

Steel was kind of a mystery as is wasn't as common as iron. And cost more.
Getting more carbon into iron to create steel was a process achieved by multiple methods over time.

How Axe Heads are Made: Traditional and Modern Methods | Axe & Tool

Modern axe heads are been made by heating a piece of high-carbon steel and either hammer forging or casting or casting it into shape. The blade is then

axeandtool.com

Wasn't that same technique used on swords?

 

[releventchair]

Wasn't that same technique used on swords?

I'm not familier with that.

 

[ColtsPop]

It’s an older type, Civil War or earlier

 

[IHC656]

Thought this may be of interest to you in identifying the axes.

 

[Nathan W]

Thought this may be of interest to you in identifying the axes.
View attachment 2105750

Thanks, man that’s a lot of styles over the ages

 

[Tony in SC]

The top one is probably a manufactured ax, the bottom on looks like a smith made folded ax. Who used them?,, any body that needed to chop wood. I still use one.

 

[Clay Diggins]

The edge of the axe is treated to create martensitic steel along the cutting edge. Martensitic steel is much harder and resistant to corrosion. The preserved edge axe is from a hand forged high carbon iron blank and the other is a machine cast steel and ground blank.

Differential Hardening: To create a hard edge and a soft body, a technique called differential hardening is often used. The blade is heated to a high temperature and then rapidly cooled in a specific pattern. This leads to a harder edge, while the rest of the blade remains relatively softer to absorb shocks and prevent breakage.

Martinistic steel is a type of high-carbon steel that is known for its exceptional strength and hardness. It is named after Benjamin Huntsman, who developed the steelmaking process in the early 18th century. Martinistic steel is created by melting iron with a high carbon content in a crucible, then subjecting it to a carefully controlled cooling process called quenching. This results in a fine-grained steel with a martensitic crystal structure, which gives it its exceptional hardness and strength. Martinistic steel has various industrial applications, including in the production of tools, knives, and blades.

 

[Nathan W]

The edge of the axe is treated to create martensitic stell along the cutting edge. Martensitic steel is much harder and resistant to corrosion. The preserved edge axe is from a hand forged high carbon iron blank and the other is a machine cast steel and ground blank.

Differential Hardening: To create a hard edge and a soft body, a technique called differential hardening is often used. The blade is heated to a high temperature and then rapidly cooled in a specific pattern. This leads to a harder edge, while the rest of the blade remains relatively softer to absorb shocks and prevent breakage.

Martinistic steel is a type of high-carbon steel that is known for its exceptional strength and hardness. It is named after Benjamin Huntsman, who developed the steelmaking process in the early 18th century. Martinistic steel is created by melting iron with a high carbon content in a crucible, then subjecting it to a carefully controlled cooling process called quenching. This results in a fine-grained steel with a martensitic crystal structure, which gives it its exceptional hardness and strength. Martinistic steel has various industrial applications, including in the production of tools, knives, and blades.

Very good info thank you, I’m always willing to learn about new finds and get some insight