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Posted By: gunnut308 Vintage Norlund Hatchet find - 08/12/22
These any good? Head was loose so I wiped it down with gun oil and soaked it overnight. Tightened it up but it probably won’t stay that way long. Needs a blade touch up smile. I’ll make a sheath out of something. Cool little cutter, I’ll stick’r in my pack and piddle with it this fall. It’s 12” long and weighs 1lb-3oz.
I was traveling and found it at a sale the other day for a whopping $5.

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Roger, super find. I'd give it a really good polish, replace the handle (or refinish it), and ad a sheath. You've got a good one. Or use it as is and you've still got a good one.
I found a like-new one in dads stuff after he died. Didn't much care for the handle, so rehandled with one from House Handle. Made a kydex edge cover..... It is about the same size as a GB Wildlife hatchet.

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Thanks David, I’ll definitely put the spit shine to it and hack a hog apart with it when the weather cools down. 🐗

Don those are dandies! The new handle looks great. When my Dad passed on, I found an ice chest that was slam full of fixed blade and folding Case and Buck knives. I’m pretty sure I gave at least one knife to every fella in the county.
Nice find..👊🏻
Great find!

I watch for quality axes at garage sales but most aren't worth the price of a new handle.
My dad found something similar a few months back.

At one of those 100 mile yard sales. 😂😂🤣😂

My dad didn’t know what the brand was.. just saw it in an old dudes sale pile in a bucket.

How much?

I’ll take $5.

😂😂🤣
gunnut308;
Good morning to you sir, I hope the day's as bright, clear and finally cool in your part of the world as we're getting here and that all who matter to you are well.

With the understanding that I'm an expert on not very much, but tend towards diving into things with "too much enthusiasm"....

Photo for examples...

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For years I wouldn't pass up an axe head that said either Sweden, USA, Canada or had a brand I recognized. Someday I'll throw all the axes on the place together for a photo, but suffice to say that was just one batch I was working on at that time. My elder brother actually was gifted either a twin to your axe when he was a teen. Actually when I think about it, my lusting after that little hatchet is likely where some of my axe/hatchet/tomahawk addiction comes from. grin

Link to a site for addicts like me which contains the history of Norlund axes.

http://www.yesteryearstools.com/Yesteryears%20Tools/Home.html

If the axe you bought was in my shop, it'd get a 100% vinegar bath for 3 days. It looks like nothing is happening for the first day by the way and by the third day there's enough gunk coming off of it that you can't see the axe heads anymore and you're sure they've dissolved. A couple of them in the photo above were in way, WAY worse condition than yours is and the vinegar bath stopped all oxidization.

After they come out of the vinegar, then rinse repeatedly with water, then liberally coat with your favorite preservative oil. I use a penetrating oil from a long gone company I worked for - maybe Move It????

Afterward if you want to paint it, just clean the head with either white gas or lacquer thinner first and apply as much of your color of choice as you feel inclined.

Another photo to show painted and not painted - along with different length handles.

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Depending upon my mood at the time and what I think the axe head might be good for, I'll put a variety of handle lengths onto different size heads. So the hatchet head with the long handle was built for a specific task and then I've got a 2½lb wedge banger set up with a short handle too - not pictured but hopefully that makes sense.

Personally besides the cool factor I really find axes of all sizes useful tools. If one looks at the history of the fur trade, it's pretty easy to see why the First Nations folks bought so many tomahawk and axe heads.

Hopefully that was useful to you or someone out there. If you think of questions then by all means either shoot me a PM if you're inclined.

All the best and good luck with the wonderful little project.

Dwayne
Norlund’s are wonderful axes. I have two myself. One original @ about 26” long, 3# head.

The other I bought without a handle. 5# head. Had it fitted with correct, hand made handle. It’s in fantastic shape and is used year round.
Thats a Goodun!!!
I have two that were Dad's. One looks like it was never used, the other, some light use but no appreciable wear on the edge. Congrats on the find.
And to think that those were once a favorite in some of the early box stores. I've always liked them...didn't realize I was missing a great investment opportunity back then.
Good and useful little hatchet,they go for top dollar among the bushcraft crowd.
I've been a fan of the Norlund axes since I bought my first one, a Hudson Bay pattern in my mid teens. Always wanted to add a hatchet to the collection. Nice find and should be a fun project.
I have the head for a Norlund Hudson Bay style Axe that my father/mother bought for me, over 50 years ago, the kind that they called a tomahawk style, probably to stay out of conflict with the HBC. IIRC, Norlund axes and hatchets were vacuum sealed on a cardboard sheet and hung on pegboard display hooks. It needs to be sandblasted, sharpened, and a new handle installed, maybe someday.
Norlund is very well thought of. That is a fine hatchet. I have a few. My first one was lacking the handle, and I made a new handle for it from a log of very tight grained Arizona Ash I found washed up in the arroyo behind my house. I'll have to go dig it out of the tool chest in my shop and post a pic. But right now, it's pouring a huge monsoon rain and I think I'll just stay inside.
Cheers,
Rex
They're good. Its weird to me that there an industry now that's cropped up around dudes hunting down "vintage" axes and that it's such a thing. The prices on this stuff is astounding. Shocking really.

Oh well, that's OK by me as it's most likely a passing fad because of youtube, survival shows and those bushcrap forums. Most wouldn't know how to properly use an axe anyway and an proper full on felling axe is wasted on the masses but an little Norland hatchet is an little tool with an good number of uses.
Posted By: MW999 Re: Vintage Norlund Hatchet find - 11/22/22
you could be arrested for robbery, five dollars for that. very nice. not beat up at all.
Posted By: hanco Re: Vintage Norlund Hatchet find - 11/22/22
Good find, lots on eBay, but they ain’t 5 bucks!
What are you guys paying for a good handle and from whom?
Nice find!

I used to drool over the Norlund hatchets and axes on display in Western Auto when I was a kid in the 70's but they were priced out of my reach. I still think they're one of the classiest looking things of their type.
Originally Posted by VernAK
What are you guys paying for a good handle and from whom?

Huntsman22 mentioned this place. Lots of good stuff-

https://www.househandle.com/products.html#scout
Originally Posted by gunnut308
These any good? Head was loose so I wiped it down with gun oil and soaked it overnight. Tightened it up but it probably won’t stay that way long. Needs a blade touch up smile. I’ll make a sheath out of something. Cool little cutter, I’ll stick’r in my pack and piddle with it this fall. It’s 12” long and weighs 1lb-3oz.
I was traveling and found it at a sale the other day for a whopping $5.

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Dude that's an American classic and a very desirable axe. I'll buy it if you don't want it smile
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