The ax has been known to mankind since primitive times. His first prototype was an ordinary pointed stone in the hand of our ancestor. This tool was also used as a weapon, hammer, chisel, scraper, etc. In the classical sense, an ax, which had a blade and a hilt, begins its history about thirty thousand years ago.
Probably, the ax is one of the few tools whose appearance has not changed over time. Currently, there are a sufficient number of these tools on the market, but the quality of many leaves much to be desired. An example for them is the products that are produced in factories with a rich and long history. Which always put in the first place the quality of their axes, confirming this with a mark on the metal of the blade.
History of the Trud factory
Such enterprises, whose axes are still highly regarded by experts, include the Vach factory under the name "Trud". And the axes "VACHA" made by him. Persons who are engaged in antiques do justice to this tool. It is considered good luck when the Vacha ax falls into their hands, the mark on the blade of which confirms the time of its manufacture.
This company is located in the urban-type settlement Vacha, which is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region of the Russian Federation. It is the administrative center of the district, near the highway Nizhny Novgorod - Kasimov.
The factory owes its appearance to the industrialists Kondratov, who gradually, from 1830, turned the small workshop in which they produced bread knives into a large enterprise.
The factory got its current name in 1920 after nationalization by the Soviet government. It began to be called "Labor." The main products - axes "VACHA" are especially popular and popular.
Currently, it is an open joint stock company, which in Russia is ranked as a leader in the production of forged hand tools. Its products are known outside of Russia, in the CIS countries, in the Baltic states.
History of the stigma of the ax "Vacha"
Manufacturers branded and branded axes in order to fix their relationship to a particular manufacturer. They were supplemented with other characteristics, among which: country of manufacture, steel grade, size, purpose, year of manufacture, price.
The axes “VACHA Labor” are branded with various signs. They changed over the years, periods in the history of the plant and the country.
So, before nationalization, the company was called Kondratov. This name was applied to all axes manufactured by the plant. The name of the city was also on the blade. Often the image of the state emblem supplemented the stigma.
Soviet period
In 1920, after nationalization, the stigma of the Vacha ax changed. In symbolism, a new name for the enterprise appeared. So, the blades wore the following signs: “Zd Trud”, “Zavod Trud Vacha”, “Zd Trud Vacha”. Such stamps were on products until 1950.
Between 1950 and 1956, branding was somewhat modified. Axes "Vacha" received two wide letter characters - "T" and "Z". At the same time, the letter “T” was slightly higher and ahead of “Z”.
Another change in the stigma of axes “Labor Vacha” occurred in 1957 and existed on them until 1975. It consisted of three capital letters. In the middle was a “T”. On either side of it are “Z” and “B”, which are connected by a line.
In the period from 1975 to 1992, the axes "Vacha" in their stigma had the letters "O" and "T". In this case, “O” was crossed by the letter “T”, as a result of which “O” was not visible.
It should be noted that the stigma of axes “Labor VACHA” conceived contained additional information. So, on some models there was an inscription Made in USSR, as well as letters that indicated the size of the product.