The Welland Vale All Steel: A Canadian Etched Axe
1886* – 1928s*
Welland Vale Mfg Co.
St. Catherines, Ontario
The Welland Vale All Steel was a high-end axe produced and sold by Welland Vale Mfg Co. It had a triple steel overcoat bit, a full-polished finish, and was one of few large etch designs made in Canada. The earliest known listing for the axe is from 1886 and the last in 1928.
However, the new discovery of a stamped “All Steel” shows the brand may have been produced briefly after Welland Vale was purchased by The American Fork & Hoe Co. in 1930.
The “All Steel” brand was introduced as a premium full-steel option at a time when many other axes were still made with an iron body with steel only used for the bit. The axe was still made in two pieces, with the steel body formed with a softer than the bit. But softer steel is still much more resilient than iron.
An ad from 1886 prominently calls out “Solid Steel”, and this would also justify the large detailed etch design which would only be done to a full-steel head.
Welland Vale All Steel in the early 1900s
The Welland Vale All Steel appears to have continued for decades relatively unchanged. Even though by the early 1900s all axes were made with steel, the “Welland Vale All Steel” brand was able to leverage long-lasting brand recognition, and the triple steel bit was still a feature only found in premium axes.
The marketing also provided more detailed descriptions and finish options, and a listing from 1923 offered finishes in polished, blue, or bronzed. Plus, even in the 20s etched axes were still ‘cool’.
Double refined crucible steel; full polished and deep etched; tempered to the highest degree of perfection; carefully ground and sharpened.
H. S. Howland, Sons & Co – Catalog (1923)
Welland Vale All Steel Double-Bit
The listing in the 1923 catalog for Starke-Seybold Limited (Montreal) includes the option to order etched All Steel double-bit heads. This is the only reference I have found to date, and I have never seen an image of one. But it seems they did exist.
The Stamped Welland Vale All Steel
As the golden age of axes was ending (the late 20s to early 30s), the extra cost of etching axes and detailed stamps (already rare in Canada) became too costly to continue and was ditched in favour of simplified brand stamps.
Welland Vale took the approach of using a simple oval stamp for a couple of their own brands, as well as contracted axes (Check out these examples Howland, Howden, and Owl examples).
The exact date of the oval stamps is unclear, it could have been the model sold in 1928. However, I suspect they were implemented after the company was bought in 1930 by American Fork and Hoe.
After the acquisition, the ownership cut most of the brands being produced to focus on the most popular lines (Lion, and Black. Prince). This stamp has the word “brand” at the bottom (I know it’s a little hard to read), but it makes me think it was done after the company changed hands, as they were figuring out which lines to cut.
Either way, the oval-stamped Welland Vale All-steel was likely not produced for very long, as the example in my collection is the only one I have seen to date (although I am sure there are more out there).
It’s worth noting the axe still has an overlaid bit, like the original etched models.
Pricing and Comparison to Other Premium Welland Vale Axes
The Welland Vale All Steel was always considered a premium axe and priced near or at the top. It was more expensive than the popular “Black Prince“, and priced equal/similar to Garrett’s Black Diamond, the Model Axe (Welland Vale’s self-described “best axe”), and the Welland Vale Special.
It appears that the “All Steel” brand may have also been used for international export early on but likely stopped as full steel axes became the norm.
Help the site grow!
Did I get something wrong? Do you know more than me? Please share any pictures, information, or insights to help fill the archive.
Email: museum@axeandtool.com
Sources
- “Axe Makers of North America” by Allan Klenman (second edition – editor: Larry McPhail), 1990
- Yesteryearstools.com – Welland Vale Co.
- H. S. Howland & Sons General Catalog No. 24, 1923 – Fisher – University of Toronto
- Starke-Seybold Limited, General Catalog 1923 – Canadian Centre for Architecture
- Wood, Vallance & Co. Catalog (1886)