My boarding axe...

broadaxe · 15th February 2010, 10:32 AM

Intersting axe. As you have stated, I would also call it a hybrid of the Brtish and the French boarding axes, though I think the spike is more of the Brit tradition and the flaring blade has a French taste.
Having some experience with such items, it is very hard to tell when the late boarding axe ends and when the early personal fire axe begins. Both have shared some amount of service period along each other.

M ELEY · 15th February 2010, 04:12 PM

Hello and thanks for responding. Yes, this one definitely does have characteristics of both the French and British forms. You will note the forward and rear-facing langets so common on French pieces. You are right on when it comes to the whole transition from boarding axe to fire axe. You have probably heard me rumble on about the need for someone to write a book about so-called private purchase items. The govt naval examples are documented, but the vast majority of merchant examples are left to question...

broadaxe · 16th February 2010, 06:31 PM

Yep, I do remember that rumble. Such book will be of great help. The major problem I can forsee is where to find documents regarding private issue equipment; I guess in the UK it is reasonabely in order. What about other countries with great marine tradition? Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Greece and so on.
I myself have several so-called boarding axes that I cannot identify or tell from early fire axes.

M ELEY · 18th February 2010, 03:33 AM

Ohhh, you must show the pics!

Any pics of axes are most welcome, as they are not seen here much. Amen, about the "lost " axes of maritime countries. It is interesting that you don't see this as much with the other boarding-type weapons. Cutlasses, in their very design, are immediately classified as 'possible' naval items. Certain brass blunderbus flintlock pistols are likewise thrown into this questionable pot of naval artifacts. Any trench spear or pike "might" have served aboard a naval vessel. I guess the reason that axes are treated differently is that they:

a) Survived into the modern era, unlike cutlass/pike/pistols (Ahh, if only cruise lines still had access to pikes for when pirates attack-

AND-

b) Because the boarding axe did make an evolution into the modern fire axe with only slight changes.

I think the typical features of a 'possible' private purchase boarding axe of the later period include a stout haft, thick blades, many with bearded blades, 4-sided spike points, some which curve downward. Many might have been hand-forged, but trip hammer casting began as early as 1830, with later boarding axe cast heads made as late as 1890's. The French patterns had squared eyes with front/rear-facing langets (this aspect however, is a common finding on some Euro camp axes I've seen), while Brit pieces had half-bearded blades and round eyes, with side langets an intregal part of the head itself (problem again, is that Brit fire axes continued the side langets, but they are typically shorter and flat ended vs rounded). One can only guess what the Scandanavian, Bavarian, Dutch, Imperial Russian, etc, types might have looked like. Gilkerson has some pics of the early Swede patterns, so we could extrapolate on those, I suppose. I was also curious if the E Indian sub-continent had adopted the Brit pattern boarding axe for their naval pattern (I've seen an Indian axe/percussion cap blunderbus combination whose axe blade looks remarkably similar to the French hache de borde). Anyway, an interesting subject for a book.

So, are you going to post those pics?

broadaxe · 18th February 2010, 06:55 AM

Yes, I'm going to take some pics and post them here. After all, we share the same thoughts.

broadaxe · 27th February 2010, 10:40 PM

Here are some photos. Pleae note I included a pair of poll-axes, because they share marine details and I believe they are boarding axes, too - well, one is obviously of the French type.
Feel free to refer to any of them (yes I know, within the three hanging axes, the central one is a common British fire axe, I was too lazy to take them off the wall).

M ELEY · 28th February 2010, 04:21 AM

Very nice examples, BroadAxe. It is nice to see positive proof that there are, in fact, private purchase boarding axes loosly based on the known naval patterns out there. I would like to call attention to the french piece with fancy blade, brass butt cap and forward/rear-facing langets! Very nice piece and green with envy! Note the classic diamond-shaped downward spike of classic French style. The blade style reminds me of some of the native-American tomahawks. It is a well-known fact that some of the well-known types of boarding axes ended up in tribal hands and were decorated accordingly (I've seen some in fur-trapper museums with the brass tacks, burned wire spiral decoration, etc).
The hammer pole axes show the direction that some of these axes were taking in regards to losing the spike in place of a practical tool end. Civil War boarding axes were complete with heavy blades, hammer ends and nail-pulling slots (these started to appear around 1850).
Nice collection you have there. I only have a few axes that I'll try to post here soon...

27th February 2010, 10:40 PM	#6
broadaxe Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 334	Here are some photos. Pleae note I included a pair of poll-axes, because they share marine details and I believe they are boarding axes, too - well, one is obviously of the French type. Feel free to refer to any of them (yes I know, within the three hanging axes, the central one is a common British fire axe, I was too lazy to take them off the wall). Attached Images

15th February 2010, 10:32 AM	#1
broadaxe Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 334	Intersting axe. As you have stated, I would also call it a hybrid of the Brtish and the French boarding axes, though I think the spike is more of the Brit tradition and the flaring blade has a French taste. Having some experience with such items, it is very hard to tell when the late boarding axe ends and when the early personal fire axe begins. Both have shared some amount of service period along each other.

15th February 2010, 04:12 PM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Hello and thanks for responding. Yes, this one definitely does have characteristics of both the French and British forms. You will note the forward and rear-facing langets so common on French pieces. You are right on when it comes to the whole transition from boarding axe to fire axe. You have probably heard me rumble on about the need for someone to write a book about so-called private purchase items. The govt naval examples are documented, but the vast majority of merchant examples are left to question...

16th February 2010, 06:31 PM	#3
broadaxe Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 334	Yep, I do remember that rumble. Such book will be of great help. The major problem I can forsee is where to find documents regarding private issue equipment; I guess in the UK it is reasonabely in order. What about other countries with great marine tradition? Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Greece and so on. I myself have several so-called boarding axes that I cannot identify or tell from early fire axes.

18th February 2010, 03:33 AM	#4
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Ohhh, you must show the pics! Any pics of axes are most welcome, as they are not seen here much. Amen, about the "lost " axes of maritime countries. It is interesting that you don't see this as much with the other boarding-type weapons. Cutlasses, in their very design, are immediately classified as 'possible' naval items. Certain brass blunderbus flintlock pistols are likewise thrown into this questionable pot of naval artifacts. Any trench spear or pike "might" have served aboard a naval vessel. I guess the reason that axes are treated differently is that they: a) Survived into the modern era, unlike cutlass/pike/pistols (Ahh, if only cruise lines still had access to pikes for when pirates attack- AND- b) Because the boarding axe did make an evolution into the modern fire axe with only slight changes. I think the typical features of a 'possible' private purchase boarding axe of the later period include a stout haft, thick blades, many with bearded blades, 4-sided spike points, some which curve downward. Many might have been hand-forged, but trip hammer casting began as early as 1830, with later boarding axe cast heads made as late as 1890's. The French patterns had squared eyes with front/rear-facing langets (this aspect however, is a common finding on some Euro camp axes I've seen), while Brit pieces had half-bearded blades and round eyes, with side langets an intregal part of the head itself (problem again, is that Brit fire axes continued the side langets, but they are typically shorter and flat ended vs rounded). One can only guess what the Scandanavian, Bavarian, Dutch, Imperial Russian, etc, types might have looked like. Gilkerson has some pics of the early Swede patterns, so we could extrapolate on those, I suppose. I was also curious if the E Indian sub-continent had adopted the Brit pattern boarding axe for their naval pattern (I've seen an Indian axe/percussion cap blunderbus combination whose axe blade looks remarkably similar to the French hache de borde). Anyway, an interesting subject for a book. So, are you going to post those pics?

18th February 2010, 06:55 AM	#5
broadaxe Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 334	Yes, I'm going to take some pics and post them here. After all, we share the same thoughts.

28th February 2010, 04:21 AM	#7
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Very nice examples, BroadAxe. It is nice to see positive proof that there are, in fact, private purchase boarding axes loosly based on the known naval patterns out there. I would like to call attention to the french piece with fancy blade, brass butt cap and forward/rear-facing langets! Very nice piece and green with envy! Note the classic diamond-shaped downward spike of classic French style. The blade style reminds me of some of the native-American tomahawks. It is a well-known fact that some of the well-known types of boarding axes ended up in tribal hands and were decorated accordingly (I've seen some in fur-trapper museums with the brass tacks, burned wire spiral decoration, etc). The hammer pole axes show the direction that some of these axes were taking in regards to losing the spike in place of a practical tool end. Civil War boarding axes were complete with heavy blades, hammer ends and nail-pulling slots (these started to appear around 1850). Nice collection you have there. I only have a few axes that I'll try to post here soon...