{"product_id":"damascus-camp-axe-hickory","title":"Damascus Camp Axe, Hand Forged Hatchet with Hickory Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eA camp axe is the one that goes in the pack when you are only taking one. Short enough to swing in one hand, heavy enough to split kindling and limb a branch, and flat at the back so it drives tent pegs. This one is a hand forged Damascus head with a 4 inch cutting edge on an American hickory handle, 16 inches overall, with a lanyard hole and a tooled head cover.\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 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCutting edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e11 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle wood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAmerican hickory, lanyard hole\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDamascus 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 pattern, mirror bright bevel, squared poll\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTooled leather with snap strap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 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 and etched so the light and dark layers show across the cheek, and the bevel is mirror bright. The head is 5 inches long with 4 inches of cutting edge, the compact shape a camp axe wants for kindling and limbing. The back is a squared poll, flat and blunt, for driving tent pegs and tapping a splitting wedge. A 4 inch edge will not fell standing timber, and the carbon core darkens and rusts if it goes away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican hickory is the working axe wood here, denser than ash and stiff enough to keep the head going where you pointed it. That density earns its place on a short axe, where 11 inches of handle gives you less leverage. The handle is driven through the eye and a wedge is driven into the top of it, spreading the wood tight against the steel. A lanyard hole through the butt takes a wrist cord or hangs the axe at camp.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover is cut for this head, so the bevel goes in snug. The leather is vegetable tanned. A belt loop is stitched to the back, a strap with a snap closes over the top, and a welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching sits clear of the bevel. The stitching is done by hand. The face is hand tooled with a carved leaf pattern inside a stamped border, cut and shaded rather than printed. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather. This is the rest of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the axe for people who camp with what they can carry on their back, and the Damascus makes it a piece that gets passed around the fire.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers who want one axe for firewood and pegs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBushcraft and green wood workers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone building a pack kit around a short axe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSomeone shopping for a gift for an outdoors buyer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus camp axe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe tooled leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA free laser engraving quote on request\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach axe is forged, ground and finished by hand in small runs, so no two come out alike. The Damascus pattern, the hickory grain and the depth of the tooling will differ from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina that comes with use is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen with a file and a puck or a stone, following the bevel already there. Oil the handle too, since dry wood shrinks and a loose head is dangerous. Check the head is tight before every use. More in our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare 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 on a head or along the handle, and clean line art comes out sharp where a photograph does not. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e for the details.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a camp axe?\u003c\/strong\u003e A compact working axe with a squared poll, sized for firewood and camp chores.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the squared poll for?\u003c\/strong\u003e Driving tent pegs and tapping a splitting wedge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the lanyard hole for?\u003c\/strong\u003e A cord through the butt, looped over your wrist or hung at camp.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill this steel rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can, since the core is carbon steel. Dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow sharp is it out of the box?\u003c\/strong\u003e Sharpened by hand and ready to cut on arrival.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill my axe look exactly like the photo?\u003c\/strong\u003e No, the pattern and the tooling differ on every one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor a lighter head on the same hickory try the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-throwing-axe-hickory\"\u003ehand forged throwing axe in hickory\u003c\/a\u003e, and in carbon steel the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/viking-hatchet-carbon-steel-charred-handle\"\u003eviking hatchet with the charred handle\u003c\/a\u003e. More sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-axes\"\u003ebushcraft axes\u003c\/a\u003e, in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-axes\"\u003eDamascus axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/axes-hatchets\"\u003eaxes and hatchets\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44134767100022,"sku":"VEF-AXE-DAM-CMP-409","price":169.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/damascus-camp-axe-hickory-handle_cad0170e-e73f-4075-b5ef-084b2b55bfd1.jpg?v=1788742095","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-camp-axe-hickory","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}