{"product_id":"damascus-bushcraft-axe-rosewood","title":"Damascus Bushcraft Axe, 19 Inch Rosewood Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eKindling for a stove, tent pegs from a green branch, a limb cut to lengths a fire will accept. That is the week this axe is built around. It stands 19 inches overall, the head is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core, and the haft is rosewood. Most buyers pick it for the pattern, and there is nothing wrong with that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\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\u003e3.25 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\u003eRosewood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDamascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEtched ladder pattern running the whole head, fine bright edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEye\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWedged, wooden wedge with a steel wedge across it\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\n\u003ch3\u003eThe head\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDamascus means layers of steel forged together and drawn out, then etched so the light and dark bands show. Here it reads as a ladder pattern across the head. Now the honest part. The pattern is there to be looked at. The cutting is done by the high carbon core under it, the same core as in our plain axe. The bit is 6 inches with a 3.25 inch edge, ground fine and left bright, the weight behind the bevel. Carbon steel darkens with use and rusts if left wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRosewood is dense and oily. It takes a knock without denting the way a soft wood does, and stays smooth in a working hand. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through the head from below, a wooden wedge is driven into the top to spread it tight, and a steel wedge is set across that. At 19 inches you can choke up under the head to shape a peg, or drop to the butt and let the head swing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline so it sits close and does not rattle. The edge is welted, a strip of leather between the bit and the stitching. It is hand stitched throughout, the face carries a stamped basket weave you can feel, and a brass snap closes the strap. It goes on dry, never over a wet bit, or you trap water against the steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt suits people who want the look and the work in one tool and are honest about the first half.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want a patterned head that still gets used\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone with a plain axe wanting better beside it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople buying a gift that has to hold a room\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWoodsmen who prefer a dark dense haft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus bushcraft axe, hung and wedged\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand stitched leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card covering oiling and sharpening\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLifetime warranty and free sharpening for life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach head is forged, etched and hung by hand, so runs stay small and no two finish alike. The ladder pattern never repeats, so yours will read differently from the photographs. Rosewood varies too, near black to warm brown. Take the images as the make, not a portrait of your axe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use and oil it before storage. A file first if the edge is damaged, then a stone, then a strop. The handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats when new, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never soak a loose head. Linseed rags can catch fire on their own if left screwed up indoors, so dry them flat outside. More in our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date is comfortable. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. It is free on orders of 10 or more. Clean line art engraves well, photographs do not. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the pattern make it cut better?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The pattern is cosmetic. The edge is what cuts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSo what is the extra money for?\u003c\/strong\u003e The look, and the hours of forging and etching behind it. The plain axe does the same work for less.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the Damascus only on the surface?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The layers run through the head over a high carbon core, and the etch brings them to the surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is the head held on?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is wedged. The handle goes up from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight inside the eye, and a steel wedge crosses that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Dry the head after use and oil it before storage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long is shipping?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf the pattern is not worth the difference, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-ash\"\u003ehand forged bushcraft axe in plain carbon steel\u003c\/a\u003e is the same tool with a plain head. If it is the rosewood you like, we hang the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-tomahawk-rosewood\"\u003eDamascus tomahawk on the same rosewood\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-axes\"\u003ebushcraft and forest axes\u003c\/a\u003e, the patterned heads in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-axes\"\u003eDamascus axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and everything else in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-steel\"\u003eDamascus steel\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44143115370614,"sku":"VEF-BSH-DAM-429","price":239.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/bushcraft-03-damascus-rosewood_bd927cb4-f797-40ad-a685-d179637eeda5.jpg?v=1788832841","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-bushcraft-axe-rosewood","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}