Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

M ELEY · 21st March 2010, 02:25 PM

Here is a nice spike tomahawk, ca 1780-1830. Spike axes were traded with the native Americans and quite popular. This one has a single-bearded blade, no steel bit, original old haft and a blacksmith repair in its working life. (Often a blacksmith/fur trader lived near the tribe to trade. There are several examples of repaired axes in Hartzler's book), Note the squared notch cut into the blade later. It is not a nail-pull, but used by trappers as a trap chain pull (you go sticking your hand in frigid water all day and see why they did this to the axe!). Old brownish-red primer and deadly spike.

21st March 2010, 02:25 PM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,072	Some info Here is a nice spike tomahawk, ca 1780-1830. Spike axes were traded with the native Americans and quite popular. This one has a single-bearded blade, no steel bit, original old haft and a blacksmith repair in its working life. (Often a blacksmith/fur trader lived near the tribe to trade. There are several examples of repaired axes in Hartzler's book), Note the squared notch cut into the blade later. It is not a nail-pull, but used by trappers as a trap chain pull (you go sticking your hand in frigid water all day and see why they did this to the axe!). Old brownish-red primer and deadly spike. Attached Images Last edited by M ELEY; 22nd March 2010 at 12:15 AM.