GrantThompsonIII
32 Cal
Will look into a Ft. Miegs Hatchet. Yea I definitely didnt intend on sparking a war on the forum... I guess i started a small skirmish in this thread. Oops...
Questions about all the knives and axes
- Thread starter GrantThompsonIII
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Brokennock
Cannon
As said earlier, the Fort Miegs axe provenance is shakey at best. I don't get the impression that something like this was all that common...
It is also really tiny. Check it out, but keep in mind what you may want or need to use it for. How useful is an axe that size?
Sparked a war? Nah! You ain't seen nothin' yet.....lol Stick around and you'll get to see a bunch of old farts gettin' snippy with other on a regular basis.
nchawkeye
58 Cal.
This is what I carry, from Track of the Wolf...Good luck!!!
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Track of the Wolf and Townsends have some nice knives at a good price.
TDM
Cannon
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Crazy Crow too.
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A useful knife, but no where near period correct for 18th c. if that is a concern at all.
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My advice is dont "dive in" slow down and go step at a time, consider what historical impression holds your interest; F&I War, Eastern Long Hunter; Mountain Man etc.
Give priority to your Possible bag and its contents, Patch Knife, then period clothing including Head wear.
I recommend Mark Bakers 2 volumes of "A Pilgrims Journey" for a good research beginning, whatever you choose get it right first time around, dont waste your hard earned $$ and time with impulsive buying.
Theres a tidal wave of good valid advice on this forum, use it to search widely and make notes if it suits the direction you want to go.
All the best in the journey ahead, embrace it and let it enrich your life.
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Agreed.
There were sort of two different "hatchets" the round eye tomahawk, the kind folks throw at targets. That was definitely a pattern. If a soldier had a rifle without a bayonet lug he would often carry one of these throwing tomahawks. The hawk could snag a musket with a bayonet. The other style was a small, blocky hatchet with a poll and was more suitable for camping- driving in a tent peg, etc.
The tomahawks were often stuck in a belt diagonally across the small of your back. The hatchets had short handles and were more often carried in some type of sheath. I believe there is a painting of Daniel Boone with one of these short handle, block head hatchets and a loop on his belt through which the hatchet handle ran, if I recall the blade was exposed.
The tomahawks were often stuck in a belt diagonally across the small of your back. The hatchets had short handles and were more often carried in some type of sheath. I believe there is a painting of Daniel Boone with one of these short handle, block head hatchets and a loop on his belt through which the hatchet handle ran, if I recall the blade was exposed.
I have a pinned knife from crazy crow and close to same knife from Townsend
Blade shape is incorrect on both, but I’m not enough of a knife guy to see the difference easily
Knifes back in the day had boxwood handles, a man might replace it, but except for a few fancy fighting knifes, knifes were plain tools, comparable to mallets.
So the handle on both these guys is also incorrect
The tangs in early knifes tended to be half tang.
So these two guys are correct except for the blade,handle and tang
Most knifes tended to be simple and about this length. And for me they are ‘close enough’
That’s not everyone’s standard
Now I’m not knocking Townsend, who is one of the best, and personally I think Jon is a star of the living history world. Back when they were a candle lantern company they were trying to offer as close as economical HC stuff ‘over the counter’
That said I can’t tell a dimes worth of difference between these two knifes. One home made and one from India
The Indians smooth blade is in fact more correct than Townsend hammered look.
Both got wicked sharp and hold an edge.
Carteret Kid
45 Cal.
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Carteret Kid
45 Cal.
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The Avalon Forge knife, shown to scale.
TDM
Cannon
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Looks good!
Brokennock
Cannon
Yup, good thinking...
and ask questions. Question what advice you've gotten, research it more ones self, cross reference it.
There is also a tidal wave of bad advice and rehashing of old advice, myths, and false legacy.
TDM
Cannon
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Brokennock
Cannon
Everyone decides whether they get what they want, what appeals to them, or if they will get what solid research says was common. All good either way, but it confuses me when folks ask for historical advice when that’s not really their interest.
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Not bad overall. Better than many as far as cosmetics. Don't know about performance.
