"The making of a Seventeenth Century Iron Trade Axe"
(Tim Kenyon "The making of a Seventeenth Century Iron Trade Axe" KEWA October 1987 87-7-:5-9)
The long search for a blacksmith ended in 1978 when Doug Cole (of Ste. Marie among the Hurons) recommended the Amber Forge, located in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This firm specialized in antique hardware, and had produced a number of iron reproductions for museums. I contacted the proprietor Mr. Ed Thalmann and showed him a 17th century trade axe from the Walker site (courtesy of W .A. Fox) as well as the illustrations in Peterson's book. Luckily, LVIr. Thalmann already had an order for this style of axe and set up a date (27 April 1978) when the axe would be forged, agreeing to let me record the process. The place was to be a small blacksmith shop that was part of Amber Forge, but as the interior was dark I installed four lOOO-watt photo lamps. Using two 35mm cameras, one for black and white prints, the other for colour transparencies, each step in the making of the axe was recorded. The resulting black and white prints were mounted in sequence into a book. This was then shown to the blacksmith, Arnold Lepp, and his comments on each print were recorded on a tape recorder. The text for this article was derived mostly from this recording, with the simple line drawings based on the photographs. This was the first time that Arnold had made an axe using the "fold over" technique: reproduction axes are made normally from a solid bar of mild steel with the eye punched out and the blade then being drawn out by heating and hammering.
The bar was then placed in the forge and the eye area heated to a dark yellow (I). As bituminous coal of good quality was difficult to obtain, coke was used as the fuel. Thinning of the eye area was started using a double faced sledge and this thinning and expanding of the eye was continued with a "top fuller" held by blacksmith Arnold Lepp, with helper Eugene Hardie doing the sledge hammering (2). This operation was repeated until the eye area consisted of a series of fuller marks (b). The eye area was reheated and a "flatter" was used by Mr. Lepp, with Mr. Hardie again sledging (3). This smoothed, further thinned, and expanded the eye and at the same time the bottom area was expanded downwards. This part formed the lip at the lower end of the eye (c). Further work with the flatter included edging, straightening and smoothing the eye section. Using the Walker axe as a guide, the thickness was checked with calipers (4). The original dimensions of the eye, 3/4" x 2" x 3", by now was 5/16" x 2 1/4" x 5 1/2".
The blade end was reheated and tapered, then the middle was reheated and cut on the third mark over a "hardy" cutting tool. The bar was turned over and cut on the other side, releasing the axe portion from the bar (d & 5). The other blade end was reheated and the end tapered: this was to allow an insert of high carbon steel. The eye part was reheated and, holding the axe with his flat-nosed tongs, the blacksmith quickly bent the eye area to form the axe (e,f & 6,7). A high carbon steel file was used as an insert and it was placed between the two blades (g & 8). The axe with its insert was reheated and the excess of steel file was trimmed. Next the edges of the blades were forged downward and tapered (h & 9).
The axe was then reheated to a welding temperature. In this "hot" state, sand was applied to prevent the sticking of scale and the burning of steel. The process of welding and shaping of the blade began, and as Arnold noted "a good weld is not only hard physically but demands much knowledge and experience of the blacksmith." In this operation the top and bottom parts of the blade were forge welded (10), the blade drawn out both in width and length (i) and flattened around the eye with a small flatter (II). The eye was reheated and a drift that was especially made for this operation was hammered into the eye (j,k & 12). This gave the eye of the axe a shape which is wider at the top than at the bottom. The axe was then turned over (I) and using a small nail anvil (13) the inside edges of the eye were joined and welded together until it formed one piece (m & 14).
The next operation consisted of more "hard-hammer" welding and the use of the sand flux. The blade was drawn out further, thinned, and shaped until it closely resembled the shape of the prototype Walker axe (n,o,p & 15,16). Using a power grinder, the axe was ground top and bottom, and the blade further shaped and sharpened (q & 17). The leading edge of the blade was finished with a fine-tooth file (18).
Next, the middle part of the axe was reheated and, using a special tool made for this occasion, three marks were punched on each side of the axe (r & 19). An IIX" design was chosed because it is the most common mark found on 17th trade axes in Ontario.
During the final stage of production, a "blacksmith's temper" was applied. Arnold explained:
That in this temper, the axe is heated to a cherry red (20) and the blade part is immersed into water until the edge to be tempered is cool. The axe is then taken out of the water and the blade "shined" (cleaned). The heat which is still in the back of the axe is then allowed to come down into the edge of the axe until the right colour is reached for the temper. Starting at the back, the colours range from pigeon blue through to dark yellow and then light yellow. Purple is the softest temper with light yellow the hardest. After the colour desired is reached, the axe is fully immersed into the water until it is completely cool.
For this particular axe a medium straw colour was chosen (5). When the axe was dry, it was given a light coating of preservative oil. The finished axe (t), recorded using my standardized data sheet (Figure 3), was somewhat larger and heavier than the prototype Walker specimen. The back of the blade was given an uncharacteristic sweeping concave shape, perhaps the result of some artistic licence by Arnold to give it more "pizazz".
After six hours of arduous blacksmithing, Arnold Lepp proudly displayed the finished axe on his 300 pound anvil (21 ).
References
Peterson, H.L. 1965 American Indian Tomahawks. Contributions from 1 American Indian, Heye Foundation, Vol. 19. New York.
Figure 3: The Prototype Walker Axe (left) and the Axe Made by Arnold Lepp (right) These drawings are examples of the standardized data sheets. Note that the drawings, originally made at actual size, are reduced here; measurements (A-R) are given in mm.
Manufacturing of the French Trade Axe by Russel Bouchard (*with the author's permission)
Russel Bouchard, 1976, Les armes de traite. Sillery (Québec), Boréal Express, 118p.
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Examining closely the surface of the metal on a trade axe quickly reveals the manufacturing process. Apparently two methods were used to manufacture them using a one or two piece method. The one piece method The first and simplest method of the two does not require a great deal of knowledge as far as steeling is concerned. The blacksmith needed to heat a single metal strap that is folded on itself around a mandrill to form an eye for the handle. The two piece method The second method required the blacksmith to hammer two separate pieces together to achieve a solid weld. Once these two pieces combined, the blacksmith could hammer and shape the head as he wanted. This method had a major flaw in that the blade of the axe would separate causing the blade to become very dull quickly wearing down the blade. This method was however very popular during the French colonial period. This characteristics of the second method can clearly be seen on rusted specimens showing the manufacturing method as per the picture below.
The steel edge of the blade for both methods was prefabricated and then forge welded it to the head (view picture - top left). |
1. Russel Bouchard, 1976, Les armes de traite. Sillery (Québec), Boréal Express, 118p.
2. (Tim Kenyon "The making of a Seventeenth Century Iron Trade Axe" KEWA October 1987 87-7-:5-9)