The one that got away...

Dmitry · 2nd February 2010, 04:50 PM

No need to lament just yet. This is not a boarding axe. The blade and the pick are paper-thin. There is no taper at all.

The one that should be lamented is this -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I bought it.

M ELEY · 2nd February 2010, 10:02 PM

Now that WAS a steal, Dmitry!

Congrats on that one. As a person of limited income for collecting, I can appreciate a bargain and every once in a blue moon, one comes around.

Actually, now that you point it out, the blade on the axe does look a little on the thin side. Still, an old piece. There is such a fine line when it comes to these, as ship-board fire axes literally evolved from their fighting predecessors. I feel better now. Again, good job on landing that beautiful sword! Now, I can lament not seeing your sword auction-

Dmitry · 2nd February 2010, 10:21 PM

Let's save these photos for posterity.
Look at the pick end again, and imagine if you'd drove it into, say, an oak door. Do you think a flat-planed blade would be easy to pull out, provided it didn't break upon impact?
Paraphrasing the great Levine - "Read the axe, not the story". In this case the seller was right - it is a fire axe, [probably used to hang on a wall of a janitor's closet].

M ELEY · 3rd February 2010, 08:18 AM

Again, I now see your point and agree fire axe, but wouldn't a fire axe be made to chop down doors as well? You mention a "flat-planed" blade. Are you referring to the fact that the blade isn't tapered or bearded? Again, early Brit boarding axes had blades with this shape to them, straight-bladed almost wedge shape-

Dmitry · 4th February 2010, 12:57 AM

Look at the blade from the top down, it's almost paper thin; then compare it with the axes in Gilkerson. The pick has to be wedge-shaped on all angles to avoid getting it stuck.
Why it's a fire axe, and it's so thinly-sliced; perhaps because it's a modern implement that only exists for the sake of the fire inspector..
Fire Extinguisher - check
Bucket with sand - check
Fire Axe - check
etc.
Perhaps it's old movie prop..

Compare this beefy axe to the ebay one.

Hotspur · 4th February 2010, 02:09 AM

Quote:

I bought it.

You scoundrel

What a strange season continues. WIth this Discussion goes a Meaningful Auction Not to be missed. An odd one you may have spotted already Dmitry, a Philadelphia special.

That one I wish I could.

There was once a really nice axe site and iirc archive.org might bring it back up for reading. There was an entire page of boarding vs ice vs fire axes.
http://members.tripod.com/tomahawks-r-tatca/id19.htm

A leftover (maybe defunct now) forum attached to that information
http://www.network54.com/Forum/147444/

Cheers

GC

M ELEY · 4th February 2010, 02:39 AM

Thanks, Hotspur. If I read your message right, you lost out on Dmitry's sword. Bummer...

I used to frequent that site and know the gent who ran it. It is archived and I'll try to find that link again (I copied it out on paper).

But, here's the thing... I agree that this axe in retrospect is too thin in the blade, but with one posted by Dmitry with the beefy blade is also NOT a boarding axe. The site you mentioned shows that it was a service axe distributed to both wilderness survival and to some soldiers in the trenches of WWI. Note how short the lagets are compared to some other boarding axes. Again, now you see why I've posted this thread and others in the past. For those who collect naval/nautical implements, there are the ones used by the govt navy and those many many others used for private purchase. These are the elusive pieces that are mimiced by British fire axes, camp axes, tomahawks, trade axes, trench axes, ice cutting axes, and even European boy-scout type camp axes. It becomes both confusing and frustrating to try and distinguish between the two-

I currently have an axe in my collection that I've never posted that I believe to be the real deal, but with such broad questions still remaining as to what constitutes a boarding axe, I think there will always be gray areas of doubt. For instance, not all boarding axes had wedged spikes. Yes, these did help sailors wrench hotshot impaled in the deck free, but the boarding axe was a direct development of the trade tomahawks that came before them. Early boarding axes had spiked tips that would leave a wicked hole in an enemies skull. The Dutch entrebil axe likewise had a wicked spike, as did the French patterns. In any case, when i have time, I'll try and post a pick of my axe, with the risk of dodging cannon-fire-

2nd February 2010, 04:50 PM	#1
Dmitry Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 607	No need to lament just yet. This is not a boarding axe. The blade and the pick are paper-thin. There is no taper at all. The one that should be lamented is this - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT I bought it. Attached Images Last edited by Dmitry; 2nd February 2010 at 05:23 PM.

2nd February 2010, 10:21 PM	#3
Dmitry Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 607	Let's save these photos for posterity. Look at the pick end again, and imagine if you'd drove it into, say, an oak door. Do you think a flat-planed blade would be easy to pull out, provided it didn't break upon impact? Paraphrasing the great Levine - "Read the axe, not the story". In this case the seller was right - it is a fire axe, [probably used to hang on a wall of a janitor's closet]. Attached Images

4th February 2010, 12:57 AM	#5
Dmitry Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 607	Look at the blade from the top down, it's almost paper thin; then compare it with the axes in Gilkerson. The pick has to be wedge-shaped on all angles to avoid getting it stuck. Why it's a fire axe, and it's so thinly-sliced; perhaps because it's a modern implement that only exists for the sake of the fire inspector.. Fire Extinguisher - check Bucket with sand - check Fire Axe - check etc. Perhaps it's old movie prop.. Compare this beefy axe to the ebay one. Attached Images Last edited by Dmitry; 4th February 2010 at 01:23 AM.

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2nd February 2010, 10:02 PM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,211	Now that WAS a steal, Dmitry! Congrats on that one. As a person of limited income for collecting, I can appreciate a bargain and every once in a blue moon, one comes around. Actually, now that you point it out, the blade on the axe does look a little on the thin side. Still, an old piece. There is such a fine line when it comes to these, as ship-board fire axes literally evolved from their fighting predecessors. I feel better now. Again, good job on landing that beautiful sword! Now, I can lament not seeing your sword auction-

3rd February 2010, 08:18 AM	#4
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,211	Again, I now see your point and agree fire axe, but wouldn't a fire axe be made to chop down doors as well? You mention a "flat-planed" blade. Are you referring to the fact that the blade isn't tapered or bearded? Again, early Brit boarding axes had blades with this shape to them, straight-bladed almost wedge shape-

4th February 2010, 02:39 AM	#7
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,211	Thanks, Hotspur. If I read your message right, you lost out on Dmitry's sword. Bummer... I used to frequent that site and know the gent who ran it. It is archived and I'll try to find that link again (I copied it out on paper). But, here's the thing... I agree that this axe in retrospect is too thin in the blade, but with one posted by Dmitry with the beefy blade is also NOT a boarding axe. The site you mentioned shows that it was a service axe distributed to both wilderness survival and to some soldiers in the trenches of WWI. Note how short the lagets are compared to some other boarding axes. Again, now you see why I've posted this thread and others in the past. For those who collect naval/nautical implements, there are the ones used by the govt navy and those many many others used for private purchase. These are the elusive pieces that are mimiced by British fire axes, camp axes, tomahawks, trade axes, trench axes, ice cutting axes, and even European boy-scout type camp axes. It becomes both confusing and frustrating to try and distinguish between the two- I currently have an axe in my collection that I've never posted that I believe to be the real deal, but with such broad questions still remaining as to what constitutes a boarding axe, I think there will always be gray areas of doubt. For instance, not all boarding axes had wedged spikes. Yes, these did help sailors wrench hotshot impaled in the deck free, but the boarding axe was a direct development of the trade tomahawks that came before them. Early boarding axes had spiked tips that would leave a wicked hole in an enemies skull. The Dutch entrebil axe likewise had a wicked spike, as did the French patterns. In any case, when i have time, I'll try and post a pick of my axe, with the risk of dodging cannon-fire-