This Old Hatchet

[Full Chisel]

I spent a couple hours yesterday evening restoring my favorite kindling hatchet. This beauty was my girlfriend's grandfather's hatchet, I rescued it from her mom's barn when I met her. The head had come loose from the handle, and it needed redone. The handle is hickory and supurb, I love it's size and shape, it's perfect in my hand.

I don't know anything about the hatchet's origins, I can't find any forging marks on it. But it is a fantastic splitter, great size for camping.

Let's see those old hatchets!

 

[El Quachito]

Looks nice. I will have to do a photo session on my hatchets. There is a great resto of a maul over in the firewood forum if you have not seen it.

 

[dancan]

Here's a Swede hatchet , polly from the 70's/80's 1 1/4lbs , I made an 18" haft for it .

Here's a newer Wetterlings and another vintage Swede hatchet .

 

[Full Chisel]

I love those whittled handles!

 

[dancan]

Thanks .
They are my first attempts at making them.

 

[bigbadbob]

I buy axes and hatches at yard sales, redo them and pass them on to family and friends, only buy ones that are good steel, manufacturer stamped.
Keep the very good ones for myself, have quite a few ditched around the cabin. Like the OP said some just fit your hand and become your favorites.
My kindling splitter is mid sized, between an axe an hatchet.
BBB

 

[Jetterbug]

There is surely more out there

 

[PatrickPermaculture]

Once I found an old hatchet head, spent an hour or two cleaning it up... only to realize the stamp/makers mark on it was spelled "china" - bummer!

 

[leadarrows]

In China, the use of iron reaches far back, to perhaps 4000 years BC. Just saying.....it could be old China. Would be more interesting if so imo.

 

[PatrickPermaculture]

If it were a Chinese character (of the name China), I could agree with you about the old quality iron, sadly I doubt it. Additionally, the handle was not quality, as the fawns foot lacked traditional left/right width. Luckily I found another head that had no marks and had held a razor edge for the past years worth of consistent work. Sometimes the unmarked old axe heads end up being quality.

 

[PatrickPermaculture]

Not sure if this warrants a new thread, but being new here I'm still learning. Anyone have a clue on this axe head? I can't figure out its origin. The only mark is the diamond style stamp as shown. Any insights are appreciated.

 

[Full Chisel]

I can't ID the origin but it looks like a nice splitter with convex cheeks.

 

[PatrickPermaculture]

the lettering says "pa_kett" Or perhaps "pa_ket_"
there is a slight cross in the middle. Its quite ornate, but faded and worn.

 

[dancan]

Here's one place to start looking .

http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears Tools/Home.html

 

[El Quachito]

Picked this up not too long ago. The handle is different compared to my other hatchets.

 

[PatrickPermaculture]

That handle looks nice, but ergonomically it looks kinda poor. What would the advantage of a near zero fawn's foot? Just my opinion of course. Nice looking old metal head tho. any maker's marks?

 

[El Quachito]

No marks--it does have a bit of a swell or bulge at the end of the handle that didn't photograph too good. What's the advantage, I cannot say. A fiskars x7 does have a similar handle shape.