Trade Axes

[Yance]

Winter has finally given way to Spring here in the North Carolina Mountains and I finally had nice weather for a couple of my day's off so I could fire up the forge.

Last Wednesday I made my first attempt at a folded trade axe with leaf spring steel insert. Today I made a second one. A few more and I might have a saleable one.

[jake pogrebinsky]

Yance,these look neat.What are they?"Trade" by whom,with whom?And,at what point in history?(Forgive my ignorance).
The compression eyes are cool,i like them in any manifestation,but in general-are these felling axes(look i little light in the poll),or ...?

Respect,Jake

[bigfootnampa]

Jake I think they are more like tomahawks... originally for trade with the indian peoples. Yance's versions look a bit nicer than the originals IMO though. Those would make nice camp axes as they are! I suspect that few of the original versions had quality steel bits... they were likely just WI throughout. You'll get better Yance but these are pretty fine first efforts indeed!

[aquamanlr]

Yance
I would carry them on my ATV any day.

LeeRoy

[Yance]

Jake;

They're from the early Westward expansion, Mountain Man fur trader days and were called "Trade Axes" supposedly because they were one of the things traded to the Native North American for their furs or whatever.

They're a style of throwing hawk or camp axe, 18-19 inch handle, 6-7 inch by around 3" head. They weigh around 2 lb or slightly more.

Check out the video on artistblacksmith.com . Davis Roberson makes it look SOOOOO easy. :rolleyes:

[dablacksmith]

Jake I think they are more like tomahawks... originally for trade with the indian peoples. Yance's versions look a bit nicer than the originals IMO though. Those would make nice camp axes as they are! I suspect that few of the original versions had quality steel bits... they were likely just WI throughout. You'll get better Yance but these are pretty fine first efforts indeed!

thats interesting they usually DID have steel cause the indians caught on real quick to the solid wi ones and would test um ! same with knives ! those look good especially for your first ones! my first one looked horrible and i ended up putting a rivet in it to keep it together! ide use a pien to spread the blade a little wider and maybee shape it a bit near the eye with a notch section but that is more looks than function ...

[jake pogrebinsky]

Thanks,Yance,and everyone,for the info,appreciate it(I'd love to see the video,but my connection speed here makes it impossible,thanks anyway).
Good job on these,again,and would be great to see any others that you'll be making.
Cheers,and good forging!

[double_edge2]

they look ok to sell to me, my first one i left to melt in the fire as a sacrificial offering,....lol

[rokshasa]

yup nothing wrong with those, im sure i could fetsh a sweet deal down here with them! give yourself some credit:)

[Bill in Oregon]

Yance: I agree with these other fellers. Your axes are up to snuff and commercially viable right out of the gate. Nice work.

[Yance]

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement. I already have orders for three, so I'd best git hammerin'. :D

[Dragons lair]

Hey Yance, do this make ya our local Hacker? Grin
Ken.

[shortdog]

Yance- Those are good looking axes. I haven't progressed much beyond tools and knives yet. I have done a couple of RR spike tomahawks so far, but keep kicking the idea around for a folded axe. I just need to get to where I can consistently forge weld. The learning curve has not been kind.

Where is Fairview? I live down near New Bern, and worked for a couple of years in Brevard/ Asheville/ Johnson City Tn. part of the world. You have some beautiful country up there, but the uphill part was more than I could handle being from the flatlands.

Keep up the good work!

[Yance]

shortdog;

I'm just a little Southeast of Asheville. Yup, lovely country. Too many "imports" coming in. HUGE Gated communities and multi million $$ houses. Flag Pond, TN is starting to look REAL good.<G>

I'd like to get down there on the Neuse for a while. Been a long time since I've been down that way. I have cousins in Carterett Co near the Cedar Island ferry terminal. THAT'S my kind of beach coutry.

Try one of the folded axes. The welding on those is easier for me than smaller stuff I've tried.

[rustyshackleford]

further digressing from the topic (nice axes btw, I teach about 18th century native life), it's true all over NC. They got Eastern Va a while back, and now they're moving father down. Last time I was in New Bern I stopped in the first place they sold Pepsi and the lady working it was from NJ! She said tons of folk were moving down, even she noticed the attitude change. Even in little washington, the podunk town north of Newbern they wee coming.
Now I'm up In Boone closer to you Yance, and it's had the same problems that the area surrounding Asheville has. Even the recession didn't bring house prices, and tons of folk live in Tn and commute. :angry: (can you tell I'm tired of living here?)

back on subject: did you use mild steel or wrought?

[Yance]

The recession didn't bring down anything except our raises. Food Lion can only afford to give us a 1% raise this year.

My Neice teaches in Little Washington. I'll have to get down there sometime.

back on subject: did you use mild steel or wrought?

[S.Willis]

Nice work!!