Songye axes - different types

[pindang]

Originally Posted by Mefidk

Congratulations Pingdang, that is a really nice first axe (or even first African piece). Its a Nsapo axe (they are a subgroup of the Songye). Very nice example of the type with ropelike metalwork and copper covered shaft.
I would say that this blade edge shape is a bit less common than most of the ones I posted, being almost an exact pair to the axe in the second part of first group.
You might want to gently remove the active rust, especially if you live in a damp climate - fine wire wool works wonders.
Btw that black coating on the blade is probably soot - it was used to protect the weapons in the early 20C after they were collected. Its quite common to see these Congo axes looking black.

Thank you so much for the info and the tips sir, have a great weekend!