Objects Database

Hand made ice axe

Accession Number

002.2007.1

Object Name

Hand made ice axe

Created

21/11/2007

Creator

Maxine Willett

Accession Date

21/11/2007

Brief Description

Hand made ice axe, steel head, wooden shaft, serrated pick, adze. Metal ring around wooden shaft with wrist leash attached. Screw, in wooden shaft, to prevent metal ring coming away from axe. Pointed spike on ferrule.

Materials

Steel, wood, canvas

Dimensions

30.2 (w) x 68.5 (l) x 7.7 (d) cm

Number Of Objects

1

Colour

Grey, brown

Maker

James Murray

Object Production Place

UK

Object Production Date

c.1944

Provenance

Mick Tighe did lecture tours in the 1980's and 90's and James Murray was a regular attendee.(we think he came from Paisley) He brought this ice-axe along to one of the talks and donated it to the collection. Mick asked him to make a few notes about its construction which he did there and then - fabulous.

"Head forged from high carbon steel then ground and filed to shape. Tubing shaped and welded to head. The head was then hardened and tempered. the spike on the end of the shaft was a type(used to stamp letters on steel) The shaft was a Mundy hammer shaft uncut with the tapering end into the head. The wood filler was to smooth off shaft to head.
Made when I was an apprentice fitter about 1944.
It would still be in use had I not made more modern style ones.
PS There was a war on and ice axes, karabiners etc. could not be bought. If you wanted them you had to make them."

Acquisition Method

Donated by James Murray

Acquisition Date

21/11/2007

Condition

Fair, rusty metalwork

Condition Check Date

21/11/2007

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

28/04/2009

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