{"product_id":"damascus-bushcraft-axe-walnut","title":"Damascus Bushcraft Axe, Curved Walnut Handle, Carved Cover","description":"\u003cp\u003eShaping a tent peg is steering work, not force. You hold the stick against a block and the edge has to land where you look. The head is small on purpose, Damascus over a high carbon core, and it sits on a curved walnut handle. At 19 inches you can choke up under the head for close cuts or swing it from the elbow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5.5 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\u003eWalnut, curved\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, hand carved acanthus scroll 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 steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core, so the layers run through the body while the cutting part underneath is solid carbon steel. The etch pulls up a ladder pattern across the whole head, and the bevel is taken back bright and fine. The head is 5.5 inches with a 3.5 inch edge. Less steel out front means less weight to hold back. The poll is not hardened, so leave the hammering to a hammer. Carbon steel darkens with use and it rusts if you leave it wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe handle is walnut with a curve through it, so your palm settles into the sweep at the butt. Walnut is here because it is dense and stiff and the grain is worth looking at. 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 against the steel, and a steel wedge is set across that. The 19 inches still gives you a swing at a log.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, with a welt between the two faces so the thread never sits against the bit. It is cut to this head's own outline rather than a stock shape, so it holds close. The face is hand carved with an acanthus scroll, and a brass snap takes the strap round the handle. Put it on dry. Leather traps damp against steel and that is where rust starts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis suits people who do more shaping than felling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers who carve pegs and pot hangers at the fire\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants a small bit for close work at the block\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers after a pattern welded head with a carved cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople giving a piece meant to get used\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus bushcraft axe on its curved walnut handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved leather cover with its brass snap\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLifetime warranty against defects and free sharpening for life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe head is forged, ground and etched by hand, so the ladder rungs sit at their own spacing on every one. Walnut varies as well, light in one handle and almost purple in the next. The carving on the cover is cut freehand. Yours will not match the photographs, and that is the point.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use and oil it before it goes away. The cover goes on dry. The handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats on a new one over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it. Rags with linseed oil in them can catch fire on their own if they are left screwed up indoors, so spread yours outside. Never soak a loose head in water. 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 sit fine. We send a proof image before the laser runs and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art marks well, photographs do not. Free on orders of 10 or more. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is this head smaller than your other bushcraft axes?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is easier to steer up close. A small bit turns in the wood and stops where you put it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it split kindling?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, on wrist sized wood. Rounds off a log want a heavier head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat holds the head on?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wooden wedge driven into the top of the handle spreads it tight in the eye, with a steel wedge set across it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes Damascus rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It does, it is carbon steel under the etch. Dry it and keep a light oil on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the scroll on the cover stamped?\u003c\/strong\u003e No, it is cut with hand tools, so no two run the same.\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\u003eFor the same shape in plain carbon steel there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-curved-ash\"\u003ehand forged bushcraft axe on curved ash\u003c\/a\u003e, and the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-tomahawk-olive-wood\"\u003eDamascus tomahawk with a carved cover\u003c\/a\u003e if the carving is what caught you. The rest sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-axes\"\u003ebushcraft and forest axes\u003c\/a\u003e, in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-axes\"\u003eDamascus axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gifts-for-him\"\u003egifts for him\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44143532638326,"sku":"VEF-BSH-DAM-440","price":249.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/bushcraft-05-damascus-walnut_d061ba9d-2ab2-4348-8ff9-30fd97ddb8d5.jpg?v=1788835302","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-bushcraft-axe-walnut","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}