My Collection Of Ax Heads: Metal Detecting
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 січ 2025
- Join me as I display many of the ax heads I have found over the years while metal detecting. I'm not real knowledgeable about them, but try to give a few tidbits of knowledge that I think is probably right.
Here is the book I mention in the video: amzn.to/2kvaUwD
zz
Follow the ChiggsArmy!
My Patreon: / aquachigger
Instagram: / aquachigger
Facebook: / chiggsarmy
Twitter: / beauouimette
#Collection Talks #Aquachigger
About Aquachigger:
Metal detecting, treasure, history, coins, river treasure, adventure, nature, animals and MOAR! That is what my channel is about. I enjoy caving, SCUBA diving and flying my powered paraglider. I foster sick and injured pets. My channel is family friendly. My videos are meant to be fun, educational and informative.
Affiliate links to see and purchase the gear I use:
General Gear:
T-Shirts: www.bonfire.co...
Garrett Metal Detectors:Magnet Big: amzn.to/2L7Arfi
Magnet Med: amzn.to/2HyYqlt
JackerySolarPanel amzn.to/2NMd62L
JackeryPowerStation amzn.to/2NELmNm
My Collection Of Ax Heads: Metal Detecting
• My Collection Of Ax He...
Aquachigger
/ aquachigger
your vids are very therapeutic for me. I suffer from PTSD due to war trauma, and watching your videos helps me focus on other things. Thanks so much.
Thank you, Paul, for your service. I also find the content of his videos a nice distraction from daily stress. He's so entertaining and informative. Take care!
downtonviewer Thanks for your support!
Thank you for your service and I'm sorry you suffer so.
Paul Troiani thank you for serving
Joel P First Gulf War
Loved this video. I come from a lumber and logging family and have really gotten into metal detecting. Finding old broke crosscut saws and axes is so cool.
The largest is a "goose wing" broad axe for squaring logs into timbers. That style is rather old, and it looks to be in really good shape!
good eye. broad ax had an offset handle too
It's a breitbeil not a goosewing that is another type of broad axe. Common mistake. The axe is probably from germany or austria.
This is by far one of my favorite videos of yours. Would love to see an updated video on axes
You never cease to amaze me! You have an out standing collection which every time you show them off truly blows my mind! Ive metal detected now for 25-30 years and all I ever find is coins, cans, tabs, toy cars, bottle tops, and scrap iron! Nothing to brag about to say the least. But of course Im still a slave to the work force and have limited time to explore! I love your vids and your collections. You are a metal detecting icon!!!
when the smith draws out the blade { makes it longer and wider} they use a cross pein hammer that alignes the grain .....nice collection
Huh, now I see why I've never found an axe head... you've found them all lol.
I take that back! I've dug 3 axe heads since that comment lol. Pretty exciting!
I've never found an ax head but i have found a complete cross cut saw.
I found 4 axe heads buried in my yard. Maybe they break a lot. It’s a acre in Oklahoma where no history at all took place. I wasn’t using a metal detector, this was just gardening. Also 3 shovel heads, a whole wheel and tire, a large 4’ x2’ steel grate, and about 2,000 lbs of floor tiles. Lol. I guess people just burry trash.
I love the broad axe at 4:09. It is the German version or goose wing broad axe. The blades are sharpened on only one side and is used along the grain to square timber after notches have been chopped to depth every foot or so with a regular axe. The broad axe to the left, is the more modern version of it . The handles are usually shorter and curved so you can get next to the log without hitting your knuckles.
Early hand forged axes tend to not have much of a poll or weighted part on the backside of the handle. The axes where the polls are rolled over are resulting from misuse where the axe was used to drive an iron wedge in splitting rails. Usually, wooden mauls are used to drive iron wedges where axes can be used to drive wooden wedges.
The hatchets with the notches are shingling hatchets. the notch is for pulling nails,
I would suggest suggest the book, "A Museum of Early American Tools" by Eric Sloan as an aternative identification book.
www.addall.com/New/submitNew.cgi?query=a+museum+of+early+american+tools&type=Title&location=&state=AK&dispCurr=USD
Dictionary of American Hand Tools:
www.alibris.com/booksearch.detail?invId=13815566469&P5Nuw5q6fc&siteID=oP5Nuw5q6fc-ylc_.TE8jbg0dfRkt9wm3A
Finally someone who does not consider big iron targets as trash!
Beautiful collection. Thank you for sharing.
Hey there, love the axe video. That's quite a collection. One thing I thought might be of interest. When you find a piece of iron and it shows the wood grain like lines in it. There's a good chance it's wrought iron. Which is bloomer iron made in a big smelting furnace somewhere. They build a fire and add iron ore, more wood, more ore and so on. As the iron melts out of the ore it strings down toward the bottom, picture candle wax effect. Then when the firing is done it's pulled out and broke up and hammered into rods for the blacksmith. That is where the grain like structure comes in. Blah, blah kind of long winded I know. Thanks for sharing
I love this kind of stuff, I live in a small town called Fort Erie, Ontario Canada along the shores of the Niagara River at the end of Lake Erie. Over the years I have found many many Indian Arrowheads, 1 8kg Cannon ball, a few small round I guess musket balls all about marble size. I found all of these by eye, I'm actually looking to buy my first detector this spring and have some fun hunting.
That really big axe in the middle is a Hewing axe. They are used to flatten out a log to make straight sides on them.
absolutely beautiful collection worthy of many museums. the steel axe allowed for the making of many things that advanced our civilization very fast.
I like the comment about iron turning to graphite. ..just found a 1755 French Canon ball (24 so far ). I can scrape the iron off, and really look like graphite, also, magnet barely stick to the cannon ball.. if you move the ball slightly, the magnet fall. I have one broken, magnet work well on the core..but not on the edge. Have a good week.
I'd really like for you to take us on a tour of your entire collection. I love your videos Chigg. Keep it up.
that's a really nice collection historically speaking. those ones with the eye toward the back are very early. late 1700s turn of the century and likely English made. almost all of the other single bits are quite old as well. mid 1800s to 1920s american by the looks of them. the huge one is called a goose wing axe and it is for finishing when hewing. of the single bits though there are some nice examples of rare American patterns that I noticed. the bodies of all the axes with welded steel edges are going to be wrought iron. those vertical lines you see are silica inclusions in the iron, which were all aligned when the original piece of iron was made. I didn't request the video but I really appreciate it!
The axe at 6:05 is a william mann edge tool co
If you sand it lightly to the metal it will say "superior cast steel"
From around 1890s. I only know of 2 others besides the one in this video.
As someone that cut wood for eight wood stoves while growing up, I am always amused at how little Hollywood knows about axes. A double bit axe is used as a falling axe...to cut trees down. You have two sharp blades available. A single bit is versitile, it can be for limbing, light woodswork, light splitting and so on. A maul is for splitting heavy rounds of firewood. A hatchet is a real handy tool. You can cut kindling, do some light limbing, even cut meat up and use as a knife blade. Plumb hatchets (with a hammer on the back and a nail notch under the blade) is used in many trades. There used to be many more specific types of axes when things were done by hand. But they have faded away like my youth.
I would love to see your war outfit doodats, like the belt buckles, buttons and anything else they wore on their clothes as a part of their uniform! Thanks so much, I love all your videos!
Found my first Ax head and found this video... didn't see an exact match but gives me an idea of styles... thanks!
This is one of my favorite channels ever and I've been with you for the journey a while now and I just want to say thank you for entertaining me all this time
Me too he is good company and the scenery is also wonderful :)
Beautiful collection. I love ax heads. They have hard work written all over them. There is something very satisfying about splitting wood.
Had to share this with my brother, he's an avid axe collector. He'll be stoked to see this.
Would be cool if you did some more of these for other items in your collection.
***** Nice!
The bit slides into a wedge shaped opening that is then heated and hammered down by the smith or "forge welded". The grain is from very old wrought iron - very different from modern iron bars. Wrought nails could not be bent or clinched over because the grain ran staight across so they would break off - good way to id colonial hand wrought nails if you can't see the rose head.
Lizzy Borden would be impressed with that collection.
It doesn't matter to me what you put in your videos, it's always educational and entertaining! Keep it up & thanks!
@6:40 (third row) either right or left, second axe down from the top..that vintage axe i like the best has good symmetrical weight and is rebuild-able to reuse. I'd buy that one on E-Bay if you list it. @7:26 second axe down for your chest (same nice axe head)...i like that one for rebuilding.
We are a special breed of people who get pumped when we see he uploaded something like this thanks for the uploads. Ps don't get all the treasure before I get down there and find some huge fan
Went to Gettysburg last week. The tour guid and my friends on the museum tour were very surprised with all of the knowledge I had about the artillery. I told them they have to checkout your videos. Thanks for the knowledge!
I watch your videos and I was looking at old vids to see what I missed before I subscribed and I about died seeing this vid, my fiancé started restoring axes, he has become fascinated and has also started building with wood, he also collects old tools and wants to save old tools and axes. He is loving your vids now!
Can you ask him what kind of axe head that is at 6:04
I think they are great ! i have also found a couple, to think of all the people who used them is amazing and all the important purposes back in a time when fire wood was essential. Nothing like finding a big hunk of metal you can easily recognize either. Wonderful collection i enjoyed the share also :)
Fascinating video. That big axe looks almost exactly like the sort used in Medieval executions here in the UK. I'd like to see the range of more mundane items such as keys or ice skates like those on the wall behind you. Thanks for allowing us all to see your items but that must be a seriously strong table you have there.
The big one is a hewing axe. The handle is offset to allow the beard to stay flat on the wood rather than digging deeper.
At 0:40 or so. To make holes for fishing on the ice an axe is the most common hand tool used unless you have an auger.
chug you are one decent human being. your a giant dork, or geek, I'm not sure but it's meant to be a term of affection. I am amazed at how cool it is to listen to you.
That is amazing. Many of them can be restored and used beautifully. There is a lot of money sitting on that table.
As a blacksmith & a fan of tool restoration, that tableau makes me drool. Like 80% of these could be brought back to perfect working condition. And screw people who hate the idea of "ruining the patina" (But that's just my opinion).
I really really enjoyed this vid.
verdatum I agree I'm drooling over some of those axe heads
Same. Looking at this table i just want all of them to restore and polish them up
My drool is drooling drool.
they cannae be restored , because they are archaeology ,
Chigg you have such a smooth voice, we could hear you talk all day
Wranglerstar may be a person who has tool info if you need it
Chris Estabon I agree
Chris Estabon Wranglerstar is the man!!
Chris Estabon I love his videos, but I had to unsub when he started using clickbait, on principle. Every time I clicked on a video, it felt as though it'd make him feel it was the clickbait and not the content that made me watch. That made me feel like I'd fallen for a trick.
So does the book he showed us
Dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful collection. That big one is a german goosewing axe, pretty old. Im just up the road in gburg if you ever want to pour over those in more detail. Also might be interested in a few if you ever want to unload them. Thank you so so so very much for taking the time to share them with us!! This will not be a popular comment but this might be one of my favorite videos you have done!!! Take care my friend!!
I think your channel is great.
Positive and clean. You make me feel proud know I was born in the USA.
That was fascinating. You wouldn't think that there would be so many variations for such a utilitarian tool. Thank you
That's a touch mark on the goose wing axe you were touching. The design comes from Germany, Pennsylvania Dutch and all. The small one that still has a remnant of a handle is a Hudson's bay company style belt axe. I don't know who made it but that's the style. It's also my favorite axe to forge though not the easiest.
Come to think of it, the Hudson's bay co. Axe is a form much older than the the trade. The design itself is from the late iron age. They were first made in the eibar region of spain. Pourtogese fishermen were the first to trade them to native Americans and by the time the English started trading that was the preferred design. In fact the English first got their trade stock from the Spanish because they were the people making the preferred product.
Some of the older axe heads were forged as a single blade and folded over a form where the handle will be. Then the two halves of the blade were welded together by the blacksmith . This may be what you are seeing as a hardened steel extension at the blade. Also those that were collapsed at the handle hole were probably used as a splitting wedge after they were worn out.
I don't know if this was already said. The grain in the iron is characteristic of wrought iron. The blacksmith doesn't put that in there by hammering but through the process of the making of the iron. That type of iron has to be worked according to the grain just like wood so as to take advantage of the strength. Be on the look out for the junk iron you find. Many blacksmiths today are looking for true wrought iron for their own projects. You might be able to sell these pieces on your website.
Great video Beau! I keep all the ones I find and they are many now. I like to compare the many types. I saw a video on using apple cider vinegar a few years back. Soaking them and brushing away rust periodically and then back in fresh vinegar solution. I usually use a drywall bucket and do several at a time. I've soaked them three to six months before brushing frequently and changing solution. Also have put some on new handles while snowed in. Great way to ward off cabin fever in the winter. Also using a tool someone used long ago in the modern day is kind of like a form of time travel to me. I feel less crazy after watching this! Hope you keep the video's coming. I'm still looking for my cache of silver coins in the creeks around here! Best Regards!
If you have some time Jimmy Diresta has some vids of restoring old axe heads to like new that are really fun. Might be sacrilegious with some of those you have there but seeing a 200 year old tool being put back into use is a beautiful experience.
Have you ever been to the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, Pa? You would love it. An entire building filled with historic hand and land tools.
n8trsho I live right near there and I can say that it does have some really cool stuff that I think you would be interested in
Awesome video, Please do a coin collection video! and or a American Indian artifact collection. Also civil war tokens and counterstamps haha.
Thank you I did find that interesting I worked out the oilfield and did a lot of digging and pipeline repair and I found very interesting stuff to numerous to talk about
I love the big ax....how awesome. All your videos are so informative and I really enjoy them. Can't wait for you to get out in the water again.....
The large goose-wing broad axe in the center is as you say, for finishing a squared log. It's a very Germanic design. The socket is offset so the knuckles didn't scrape the log on the down stroke. The wide axe to the left of it is also a broad axe, probably hand made. In this axe, the offset was created by steaming and bending the handle. These axes were used to make square beams out of round logs. You can tell a beam in an old barn or log cabin was hand hewn because you can still see the chop marks from the axe.
I was hoping to see the head of the holy grail of cool hatchets, the belt axe or the Tomahawk in your collection: carried by both American Indians and 18th century long hunters. They are so small, not much would be left of them if they had been dropped in a creek. Maybe you will find one next to that cannon you keep hoping to find....... Maybe Ricky has one in his hand and is sneaking up behind you!!!
Love the goose wing hueing axe. would have a hickory handle on that one and work out some beautiful beams. I have found a left and right set of hueing axes with forge welded bits. after electrolysis I steam bent new handles for them and after sharpening make beams quite often for fireplace mantle's.
That is an awesome collection you got there Beau. I have found pieces of axes but not a single whole one. I did find today a piece to one of mine that makes it whole it's just in 2 pieces. I think finding old tools is great. I'm near some woods I can hunt one day so who knows maybe i'll get lucky and find a whole one! Keep up the great video's!
Some were dun wored out and they gots throwed away. Made a good splash they did!
Not boring sir... absolutely interesting and unique. Cheers brother!
very nice collection. would love to hear the conversations wile they were being used
At Red Top Mountain Pioneer Days you can see interesting things like these. It is in Cartersville Georgia but don't know when it is this year.
Beau I've got an idea for upcoming video/s if you haven't done it all ready. Maybe you can talk about what got you into metal detecting and treasure hunting, what year you started? first major find? Scariest thing ever found? Q and A maybe? Etc. maybe you could even talk about those topics Over some old detecting videos you're not sure what to do with??
I love that you found a 1760 Goose Wing Germanic Northern Pennsylvania axe head that Eric Sloane had in his book. What a story it must have and where you found it. That axe is a work of art in my book. I think of the man who used it and how he used it. I can only imagine that he died and it fell out of his hand. It is too special too leave his side. Each of these heads have a story. I am glad they are in your hands. Hold the axe and think of the man or woman who used it. Thanks for sharing! RWB
craftsofnj.org/images/sitemedia/toolshed/issue-170/toolshed-170.pdf
I forgot to say just how beautiful the axe heads are! Thanks for sharing.
Love to see a tour of your relics room; although, I understand if you don't want to, etc.
thanks for sharing your collection. Very cool finds. I check your channel every day for a new video. Thanks Bo
Oh man I would love to take a crack at restoring that big mamma jamma you have there. I may be wrong but it looks like a style of Austrian goosewing hewing axe. One of the styles of axes I have been looking for probably 10+ years and every time I do find one they are always snatched up before I can get it or I am outbid in auctions for them. But a lot of great finds you have there.
OMG!!! I love love love the huge one in the middle (reminds me of an executioners ax) and the other large one to the left!!! Very impressive collection!! I LOVE old tools of any kind.
Could that be wrought iron used for the softer metal on the axe head at 5:25? If you bend wrought iron till it cracks, it has a "stringy" look to it.
Just a thought.
The notches are for pulling nails , that style are for roofing a Shake hatchet & hammer
Thanks for sharing your collection. I for one find it interesting and hope to see more collections in future videos.
I found one similar to the one you are pointing to at the 3:10 - 3:11 time frame. Anyone know what the name of it is or what it would have been used for? For what it's worth, I worked on a tie-gang for the railroad swinging a spike mall for a few years and can't imagine anyone being able to swing this thing I found. It's just too heavy. Could it have been hoisted up with a rope and dropped to cut or split wood? Just curious.
Nice video....I'd like to see a tour of your relic room and all of your finds worth putting on display.
Good one. Enjoyed the history and goodies.
Thank You. I wish you could of went more into detail about some of the more...unique axes that were on the table. I too have a "thing" for axes, and I have no idea why or reason behind it, but I always find myself drawn to them. I always want to look at the axe heads when you find them, and this Is the first time we got to see them cleaned up. (I don't collect axes btw, but if I found as many heads as you id have a collection too.)
Id love to hear more about some of those hatchet heads, the older ones you had. Of the larger ones, The axe at 3:01 is interesting.(to the left of your largest.) Very heavily worn which could be why it looks old, but I suspect it actually is rather aged.
Thanks for the book recommendation, I might just pick that one up.
It was a shorter video than most of your others, But the content was good, so its alright that you don't come across as an expert. The information is out there and you gave us a taste and encouraged us to take interest and even showed us where to begin. Your videos are great in that regard.
Thanks for the response.
Oh, Always wanted to mention this.
When I was a boy I would go camping all over the lower North East. I remember finding small Whitish metal cones with rings around the bottom end. I never knew they were bullets until I watched your channel. I was told when I was a boy and we would find those in and along the rivers that they were old sinkers. boy were they wrong. I'm glad a friend of mine in England referred me to your channel. Thanks again for all these videos.
Wow, very cool. a lot of intersting history on that table. Thanks for sharing👍
These are very interesting. I know sometimes when chopping wood the ax head flies of because it gets lose or the handle breaks. If this happens by the water it could explain why you find so many in the water.
Dude, you need your own museum. AMAZING Collection. I got to meet Aud & Rach a few times this year. Maybe you one day. Wish I was going to PTG now.
Hey Chig, Love the fact that you are showing use parts of your collection and giving us and idea what some of the items are. I would however like to ask if you could take us on a tour of you collection and the space you display it in. I have cought glimpes of it in some of your videos and it looks like you have your own mesuem going there. once more I love your videos and look forward to each new arriving in my in box. And remember HOLD YOUR BREATH! With warm Regards Eric Furgeson.
I see people in other country videos in Europe metal detecting in frozen or snow covered ground.. it's amazing their dedication
I love ax/hatchet/tomahawk head's. very interesting collection. S.A. Wetterlings, not sure of spelling, is a collectable ax. Dave Canterbury could probably help you out with identification. thanks Chigg
Great axe head collection. Thanks for showing them
Does the hatchet at 4:03 with the broken off handle say Norlund on the other side of the blade? It looks like one to me.
Thanks for sharing my friend. Next time you find yourself along the oregon coast, Port Orford to be precise, let me know. Great metal detecting sites. I'd love to learn from a true Jedi.
the head with the grain was actually wrought iron, a form of iron that us no longer made. it was the best iron for smithing (still is, but it cannot be obtained )
I love old axes, not to big on using them though. You have some very old and interesting axe heads!
I would love to see the guns and the coins all laid out! Now that would be awesome,hold your breath, LOL.
3:45 the 3 in a line all with notches in the bottom also on some of the others as well but Why do they have that on them?
pulling nails notice how they look like they have a hammer head
pulling nails
The others answered the notch - Wood shingle and shake application is the job they were for.
Grant Weston two reasons they used them for nailing lath strip's,
if you bent a nail you could pull it and you could hang it on a lath or nail so if someone near you was hammering in a nail it would not fall.
I noticed those immediately. Those are roofing hatchets. My daddy had a roofing business when I was young. That's what roofers used then in 60-80's . I'm guessing they still do. Not sure tho.
Super cool - thanks for the upload. I love a nice axe - some of the double bits are nice, and the hatchets.
I haven't used my metal dector in,,,,,, years,,,, but one of the first things I found, was an,,, axe head,,,,,,, I still have it, some where! lol Thanks for your videos. They make me want to get back out there and do some,,, digg'n :) Keep 'em coming,.
thoroughly enjoyed this video. I have been watching all of your videos while recovering from major heart surgery.
I would enjoy more videos such as this one - for example uniform buttons.
Ive found two axe heads so far, i think the reason you find them in the water is they were in a log or somthing, that eventualy degraded into soil, and theyn was washed into the water durring flood season
Hope you do MOAR videos like this
thanks for showing us your collections. it would be great to see a video of your belt buckles you found.
that was cool I've never really thought much about axes before now, thanks for that!
that huge is in the middle is amazing!!
some nice ones, some made for milling logs and debarking are cool
At about 4:03 when you grabbed that small Hudson bay pattern head to show how more modern axe heads have a poll ( ie the more modern heads stick out in the back )
The one directly above it was something special.
It was a long polled style that was common in the first part if the 1800's , and a very small hatchet version of this head style was found at ft meigs.
The little hatchets were commonly known as a Kentucky belt axe, but are not what we know in the late 19th and 20th century as the Kentucky axe head pattern.
Is the eye on this head a common teardrop shape or an eye / oval shape ?
Btw those with the notches and hammer polls are trades or carpentry type hatchets.
Meaning they're a general utility tool used in trades ,by Carpenters, or just general things by homeowners.
Some are common half hatchets, some could be box or crate hatchets, car builders hatchets...ect and the list goes on.
I didn't see any roofing or shingle hatchets because those have very narrow heads and slots or holes for depth guageing.
+Aquachigger Have you identified the axe at 6:05 ? Not seen one like that before.
Very interesting. I have a small collection of my own i've put together over the years here on my family farm. Always finding an ax head in the most random places.
Nothing like the collection you have but i like the fact each one has a story.
Thanks for sharing.
TN.
Very cool! A very valuable tool back then and today. Thank you for the video.
FINALLY I GET TO SEE YOUR WEAPON COLLECTION!!!