Idrija Municipal Museum, Prelovčeva 9, SI-5280 Idrija.
Ownership
Public
Owner
Municipality of Idrija, Mestni trg 1, SI-5280 Idrija
Local / Original ID Number
510:IDR;EZ-110
Type of Object
Mine
Description
Short description
A two-handed carpenter’s axe has a characteristically long sharpened blade and a long handle. Its specialty is in the way it is sharpened. The inner side was sharpened in a straight way and the outer side (where the wooden chips fell out) was sharpened in an oblique way.
Measures
Length 96 cm, width 21 cm.
Materials
Iron, wood.
Dating
The time of creation is unknown.
Author / Producer
Manufacturer information is not known.
Picture attachments
Original use
The carpenter’s axe was used in the Idrija Mercury Mine for hewing logs and wooden sleepers. It was used for the preparation of logs in auxiliary mine plants or on worksites in the pit. Hewing means processing wood with iron tools. The point of these skills and crafts is in connecting two or more wooden elements, which is called the joint or wooden connection. This way, individual wooden parts are joined into a firm and stable structure. The joints are made at spots where the support elements and supported elements of a structure are joined. In the Idrija Mercury Mine, this hewing technique was most commonly used for supporting mine tunnels.
Present use
The described object is being preserved, secured and presented as important technical mining heritage of Idrija with exceptional universal values. It is a part of the mining collection of the Idrija Municipal Museum. It is stored in the depot. It may be used for temporary museum exhibitions and various forms of promotion of mercury heritage.
Original location
Idrija surroundings.
Present location
Idrija Municipal Museum, Prelovčeva 2 depot.
STATE OF CONSERVATION
History of conservation:
The object was restored in the Goriška Museum workshop. Additional interventions are not necessary. Security of the premises is ensured.
Present state
good
Necessary activities:
Regular seasonal maintenance.
DOCUMENTATION
Addresses / collections / links etc. where further in-depth information is accessible: