{"product_id":"damascus-bushcraft-axe-hickory","title":"Damascus Bushcraft Axe, Curved Hickory Handle, Raindrop Pattern","description":"\u003cp\u003eGreen wood does not wait. You limb a pole, you split kindling by the fire, and most of that happens with one hand while the other holds the wood. This one is set up for that work. The head is Damascus over a high carbon core, the haft is hickory with a curve in it, and the axe is 19 inches long.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCutting edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e3.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e19 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e19 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle wood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHickory, curved\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDamascus, high carbon core\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEtched raindrop pattern, bevel etched to the edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEye\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWedged, wooden wedge and a steel cross wedge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand stitched leather, stamped basket weave face, snap strap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLaser engraving, 20 dollars per piece\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe head\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe head is Damascus over a high carbon core, etched so the raindrop pattern stands up in the light, rings of it one inside the next. The etch is carried down to the edge, so the pattern does not break at the grind. The head is 6 inches long and the cutting edge is 3.5 inches with a curve in it, so the corner enters the cut first and the rest follows. Damascus is carbon steel under the pattern. It darkens with use and it will rust if you put it away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHickory is springy without being soft, so a bad hit goes into the wood and not your wrist. This one is curved. The swell sits into the heel of your palm and the wrist arrives at the same angle every swing. The eye is wedged. The handle goes up through the head from below, a wooden wedge spreads the top against the steel, then a steel wedge across that. At 19 inches it swings one handed and takes two when the wood is thick.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline, so it sits over the bit without slack. It is hand stitched with a welt in the seam, so the edge rides on leather instead of stitching. The face is stamped basket weave, worked in with a stamp and a mallet. A snap strap holds it shut. Put it on dry. Leather over a wet bit holds water against the steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSwing a straight hatchet all afternoon and the wrist starts arguing back. A curved haft takes that argument out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers working green wood one handed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone whose wrist objects to a straight haft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want a patterned head they will use\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who find a felling axe too much\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus bushcraft axe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand stitched leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn engraving card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery head is forged and etched by hand, so the raindrop pattern lands where it lands. Rings sit tight on one and open up on the next. Hickory does the same. The grain runs differently through every haft and the color moves from pale straw to brown. Yours will not match the photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use. Oil the steel before it goes away. The handle takes boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it. Oily rags can catch fire on their own if you screw them up indoors, so lay them flat outside. To sharpen, a file first, then a stone, then a strop. More on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date, or a short line. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so read it properly. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Order 10 or more and the engraving is free. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e has the detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is this haft curved when a throwing axe is straight?\u003c\/strong\u003e A curve earns its keep on a longer handle swung from the shoulder, lining the wrist up at the bottom of the arc. A short axe has no arc, so a straight haft is right there.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the curve change how I hold it?\u003c\/strong\u003e Bottom hand into the swell and leave it. You stop thinking about the angle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is the head fixed on?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up from below, a wooden wedge spreads the top against the steel, and a steel wedge across that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill a Damascus head rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes. There is carbon steel under the pattern. Dry it and oil it before the cover goes on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the pattern only skin deep?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The layers run through the head, so the etch shows again after sharpening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does delivery take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf the pattern is not the point, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-oak\"\u003eoak handled bushcraft axe\u003c\/a\u003e does the same work on a straight haft, as does the shorter \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-throwing-hatchet-olive-wood\"\u003eolive wood throwing hatchet\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-axes\"\u003ebushcraft axes\u003c\/a\u003e, the patterned heads in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-axes\"\u003eDamascus axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and the whole lot in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/axes-hatchets\"\u003eaxes and hatchets\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44144504143990,"sku":"VEF-BSH-DAM-446","price":255.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/bushcraft-07-damascus-hickory_7ec50b33-a7cd-48f2-a6ad-b4b17c2a7172.jpg?v=1788841172","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-bushcraft-axe-hickory","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}