Hey Everybody,
Cleaning out my grandparents house in the Hudson Valley/Taconic area of New York last year, I found two interesting old tools: fencing pliers and an old axe.
The axe looks like a Dayton pattern. It was covered in rust and the handle was rotting out in the head. I cleaned up the head, hung a new handle, and sharpened it a little to give it a working edge. The poll shows abuse from being hit with a maul or a sledge or to possibly drive splitting wedges, and the steel is slightly pitted, but it worked well for me this past weekend to drive some plastic wedges and do some easy splitting and limbing.
Both tools have no markings except for "GLF" on the axe and "G.L.F." on the pliers. I've found out that GLF was the Grange League Federation, a farm store which became Agway in 1964, which later became Southern States.
Both tools show some good use, and both are still usable.
I'm wondering if anyone here would have any more information about tools sold by the GLF. I don't care about monetary value, just history. Where would these have been made? By who? Does anyone else here have any GLF tools?
My grandpa grew up on a dairy farm in the 20s and 30s in Columbia County, NY. He became a veterinarian, served in the Army in WWII, came back and lived the rest of his life in the area he grew up in, fixing up cows and horses and such.
I'm curious of the history of these tools. Thanks for any help! I'll post some pictures after dinner.
Cleaning out my grandparents house in the Hudson Valley/Taconic area of New York last year, I found two interesting old tools: fencing pliers and an old axe.
The axe looks like a Dayton pattern. It was covered in rust and the handle was rotting out in the head. I cleaned up the head, hung a new handle, and sharpened it a little to give it a working edge. The poll shows abuse from being hit with a maul or a sledge or to possibly drive splitting wedges, and the steel is slightly pitted, but it worked well for me this past weekend to drive some plastic wedges and do some easy splitting and limbing.
Both tools have no markings except for "GLF" on the axe and "G.L.F." on the pliers. I've found out that GLF was the Grange League Federation, a farm store which became Agway in 1964, which later became Southern States.
Both tools show some good use, and both are still usable.
I'm wondering if anyone here would have any more information about tools sold by the GLF. I don't care about monetary value, just history. Where would these have been made? By who? Does anyone else here have any GLF tools?
My grandpa grew up on a dairy farm in the 20s and 30s in Columbia County, NY. He became a veterinarian, served in the Army in WWII, came back and lived the rest of his life in the area he grew up in, fixing up cows and horses and such.
I'm curious of the history of these tools. Thanks for any help! I'll post some pictures after dinner.
