AB Gefle Smidesfabriker (Gefle Vapen) Axes
Early 1900s
Gävle, Sweden
I consider this article to be incomplete. If you have any information, tips, or images that might help fill in the blanks, please comment below or email me at museum@axeandtool.com – Thanks, Jim.
AB Gefle Smidesfabriker was a forge founded around the turn of the century (1900), in or around the city of Gävle, Sweden (called Gefle at the time). They had a line of axes branded “Gefle Vapen” (Gefle Arms) produced in the first few decades of the 1900s, likely named for the city’s military history.
For non-Swedish folks (like myself), the name AB Gefle Smidesfabriker can be a little intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple to break down:
- “AB” stands for “Aktiebolag” which designates the company as a corporation.
- “Gefle” is the town the company was from (now called Gävle).
- “Smidesfabriker” translates to “Forging Factories”.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to establish any fixed dates for the company outside a stock certificate from 1917. Overall information is scarce, so if you have more details please leave a comment or email. But, what I do know is on the page.
Gefle Vapen (Gefle Arms)
I believe the “Gefle Vapen” branding comes from the town’s history of forts and defense.
With access to the Baltic Sea, Gävle has a long history as an important port in Sweden, with numerous fortifications going back to the 14th Century. The last fort (closed in the 1860s) wasn’t dismantled until 1902 to make way for a new port – a similar moment in time to when the forge was created.
Additionally, the forest likely made other things than just edge tools, and I have heard anecdotes that suggest they produced things like cannons as well (which could make sense for ships).
Gefle and the timeline
The name “Gefle” was used from the 1500s to the early 1900s for the town now called Gävle. Multiple corporations in the area cropped up from around the 1860s to 1900 and used “Gefle” as part of their naming.
In the history of the axe maker Wetterlings, they mention a group of Swedish axe makers (including AB Gefle Smidesfabriker) all popping up around the year 1900. While this is useful, I suspect that might have been a simplification of a short online history, and that AB Gefle Smidesfabriker may have started a little earlier with the other manufacturing corporations in and around Gävle.
I have found nothing to suggest when the company shut down, or even what they made beyond axes.
I’m looking for more information on this brand. If you have more details, please share and help grow the site: museum@axeandtool.com