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A grotty-looking hatchet I picked up at the local tip - rusty, head loose, edge as blunt as a very blunt thing, poll damaged from hammering - turned out to be a Brades Criterion 378. About pound and a quarter weight head, made in (I think) Nottingham, in the 1950's. Everything on this is recycled - the head (obviously), the helve is from a broken sledge hammer, the wedges are from the hatchet as found and the mask is one I made for a customer which went slightly awry (the mask, not the customer!). I then re-sized the mask for this head. Even the paracord whipping on the end of the helve is an offcut from another job. The handle is finished with Danish oil and a little beeswax. It is fast becoming my go-to tool for splitting kindling - the straight handle is easier to be accurate with than a deer-foot type, and the extra length gives plenty of power for splitting logs up to about 4" diameter. Shown with a Gransfors Bruks Wildlife hatchet for comparison. Masked... 
Unmasked   The manufacturer's stampings are still just visible beside the poll - this side reads "Criterion 378", the other side "Brades".  |
Copyright Peter Nicholson 2009. And just for spam-bots
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