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Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: wtr100 on January 17, 2013, 11:58:19 AM

Title: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: wtr100 on January 17, 2013, 11:58:19 AM
From Rodger's Rangers 'Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, 60 rounds powder and ball and be ready to march at a minute's warning.'

What was the point of scouring the hatchet?  Was that another way of saying sharpen?
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: JC5123 on January 17, 2013, 12:31:41 PM
Good question, My uneducated guess would be that to make sure your hatchet wasn't rusty.
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: wtr100 on January 17, 2013, 12:46:09 PM
Quote from: JC5123 on January 17, 2013, 12:31:41 PM
Good question, My uneducated guess would be that to make sure your hatchet wasn't rusty.

so uncouth to use a rusty hatchet on a Red Coat ...
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: MikeBjerum on January 17, 2013, 12:54:43 PM
In reading definitions from a few hardcover and electronic dictionaries I have come to the final thought:

To scour your hatchet, you are maintaining and preparing it for use.  Much like cleaning and oiling your firearms for use.
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: PegLeg45 on January 17, 2013, 02:09:38 PM
Quote from: wtr100 on January 17, 2013, 12:46:09 PM
so uncouth to use a rusty hatchet on a Red Coat ...

Absolutely!!!

To invite tetanus, along with the misery of the hatchet wound itself......well, that would just be......well, barbaric indeed.  ;)







^^^^^^^^^
**SARCASM**
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: MikeBjerum on January 17, 2013, 05:28:13 PM
Done correctly tetanus would be the least of their worries  ::) Actually they would have no worries  ;D
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: cookie62 on January 17, 2013, 06:02:30 PM
A little off topic, butt what the hell ;D. I remeber reading somewhere that during some war they put feces on the bullets before shooting to give those shot more of an infection.
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: Solus on January 17, 2013, 06:19:42 PM
Might that be where the term  'Poop Chute'  came from?   ;D ;D
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: tombogan03884 on January 17, 2013, 06:33:47 PM
Hatchets were scoured to get blood and brains off the blade since they invited corrosion.
In a time when guns were able to fire 4 shots a minute a lot of the fighting was done with knives and hatchets, or "Tomahawks" .
Steel technology was not very advanced so a small bit of corrosion at a critical point in a blade could be fatal to the blade, and it's owner.
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: fatbaldguy on January 17, 2013, 06:36:44 PM
What Tom said, and as an aside, Rogers Rangers fought Indians and French.  They were actually a part of the British Army.
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: Big Frank on January 17, 2013, 06:54:44 PM
Blood is corrosive like salt water so it makes sense to clean it off.
Title: Re: why does one scour a hatchet?
Post by: PegLeg45 on January 17, 2013, 07:00:52 PM
Quote from: jumbofrank on January 17, 2013, 06:54:44 PM
Blood is corrosive like salt water so it makes sense to clean it off.

Yes it is.

It'll also tarnish a silver coin in your pocket.  ;)