BW Engineer's Claw Hatchet, Surplus

The Swiss army has their own knife but it is nothing in comparison to the West German army multi-hatchet. Buy a wicked cool hatchet, get a hammer and a nail-puller at the same price. A fascinating addition to your military axe collection and an easy axe restoration project for DIY folks. Of course also perfectly usable with just some sharpening. Make a new shingle roof or something.

Features

Truth be told, this hatchet design isn’t only of West German origin, it has been used in many other countries, too, especially across the pond. In Finland, Billnäs manufactured a similar design in three sizes under the model number 47.

Claw hatchets have been used for repairing roofs at least from the19th century onward. The claw pulls out the nails; the axe splits new shingles, the hammer nails them in place.

This hatchet has a short handle and a head with the regular axe blade at one end and hammer & claw for pulling out nails at the other. Even though the handle is short, the head is quite heavy, so you can put nice oomph in your blows. Feature-wise these are all identical but the looks can vary to some extent. The handles especially since they have probably been exchanged at least once during their lifetime. The shape of the part of the head around the eye can also vary from more square to more rounded.

Size info

The handle is c. 35 cm (14") long, and the head measurements are c. 16,5 x 9,5 cm (6.5" x 3.7"). The axe weighs about 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs). The measurements and weight vary to some extent because the handles aren’t identical and the head shape and size can vary a tad.

Condition

Used West German military surplus. These are decades old and seen plenty of action, so the condition varies. Some are in very good condition for their age, some have been used more. So, the head can have dents, rust, and patina, and probably needs some sharpening. The handle can also have dents, stains, and other signs of use. Some heads are also a bit loose, so they might need a new wedge. You won’t need any big stuff though, like forging a new blade part. So, you can make these look very nice quite easily.