The story of the axe and the elbow

[Muddy Boots]

Hi guys I know a few people have mentioned about finding axe heads at car boot sales and I thought I would post up my latest purchase.

I was having a stroll round the local market today and came across a small hatchet.

I brought it home and had a little bit of a clean up on it and found these markings on the head.

If it is not clear from the picture the markings are

PARKES
BIPED
960
There is a symbol of a pair of legs and feet on it as well.
There is also another embossed mark on it but I can't make it out.

The axe was pretty grotty when I got it and clearly has had a hard life and at some point the head has been repaired.

The grain of the handle is pretty poor as well but the head is not loose onto the shaft.

Grand total for this was £2.00

I intend to work on it and see how good I can get the blade but I can see this is going to take some time.

Oh and if you were wondering about the elbow bit in the title:

This is the result of a snow boarding accident a week ago hence it might take a while to get the hatchet project underway.

Any ideas on the heritage on this type of axe or advice on restoration / snow boarding greatly received.

Muddy

 

[Arri]

Found another item with the same logo, which makes me to assume that "Parks Biped" was an old smithy or something and the number identifies the product.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GOOD-VINTAGE-...temQQimsxq20100108?IMSfp=TL100108225002r19084

 

[John Fenna]

Ouch - did a similar thing going over a mini ski-jump on a plastic "shovel" type sledge a number of years ago.....thought I had bust my elbow.
Hint - do not use your limbs as landing gear in ice hardened snow conditions...but I guess you might know that by now....
Nice looking tool though!

 

[_scorpio_]

lol found something similar at my granddads garage (along with loads of pick axes...and guns...) except much larger and longer with a 6lb head.

 

[Andy2112]

Massive hicky Muddy, lol.

 

[Arri]

Few more hits from the forum's archives:

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11084

 

[Muddy Boots]

It looks like I have put me elbow into a plate of chicken tikka masala.

The elbow isn't that painful its the bust rib that is giving me the real problem at the moment.

 

[John Fenna]

Yeah - ribs is BAD!
Had my fair share of those busted too, Karate, carcrash, falling off my van, fights (both "play" and real)and teaching the Wife how to look after herself... but thats another story!
Did 2 of mine last Easter - just before going to walk Hadtians Wall!
Try not to laugh - that is when bust ribs hurt most!

 

[Ogri the trog]

John, you can't say.....

falling off my van!

.... without going into much more detail - it sounds like a story worth telling........

Well......

Ogri the trog

 

[Adze]

Try not to laugh - that is when bust ribs hurt most!

I found sneezing the worst - with hiccoughs next. There's nothing you can do about either, when they're going to happen they're going to happen.

 

[John Fenna]

John, you can't say.....


.... without going into much more detail - it sounds like a story worth telling........

Well......

Ogri the trog

Unloading my canoes, feet slipped on the "fixed" ladder on the back ..I caught the top of the roof rack with my hands...ribs met the ladder rather hard...2 busted ribs!

 

[markheolddu]

Parks are a good make I have a billhook by them, holds a great edge. With a bit of work should be a great axe. Dont forget to show is the after pic aswell.

Mark

 

[addo]

Looks like it'll clean up nice. Robin Wood put up a cracking thread about re-handling axes if yours isn't right.

Ribs rearly are bad news when broke. Busted mine a few times in trees and at martial art. The pain creeps up on me after a few days feeling ok, then breathing, laughing moving and walking is a real pain in the ...errm side

 

[Muddy Boots]

Ok guys just need to bounce this thread again.

I have been working on the Parkes axe and I have a few questions that I could do with some help with.

The grind on this axe seems very wide. I have sharpened and honed it to the point where it will cut paper but a few test swings into a stump shows that it tends to strike wood in the same way a maul axe head would.

I'm not sure whether I need to narrow the grind of the blade with further filing or this is the standard type of cut for an axe like this?

The test swings showed up another problem. The head of the axe was loose and as the grain on the handle is a poor as it gets, I have removed it.

I thought while the head is off the axe it will make it much easier to do the heavy duty filing work.

The axe head has been repaired at some time in its history and the advantage of removing the shaft reveals that the weld repair has been undertaken with a great deal of skill.

Here are the photos

The other axe head in the photo below is my next project. Again it's another market find and I have done some work on it already.

It has stamped on it 1 1/4 S (crown symbol) J UK (think it is Spear and Jackson)

Final shot

Again any advice and info here chaps is always a help.

Any info on this axe head again gratefully recieved.

 

[Peter_t]

i have one of those spear and jackson axes! i too found mine at a car boot sale, cost me 75p
fitted a new handle and reprofiled it and it has been great

i posted a thread a while back of how i did it if your interested
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41399


pete

 

[hiho]

got a parks axe hiding in the garage soemhwere.. found hiding in a field