Damascus Throwing Hatchet, 16 Inch Rosewood Handle

Throwing is repetitive work. You walk down to the board, pull the axe out, walk back and do it again, and over an afternoon you end up looking at the same head a few hundred times. That is the case for this one. It runs 16 inches overall, the head is Damascus pattern welded over a high carbon core, and the handle is rosewood.

Specification

The head

Damascus is two steels, forge welded into one stack then drawn out until it holds a few hundred thin layers. Grooves cut across the flat and forged level again pull those layers into the rungs of the ladder. The etch draws nothing, it only eats one steel faster than the other. The head is 5.5 inches long with a 3.5 inch edge, ground thin and even so it enters wood cleanly and comes back out. Under the etch it is carbon steel, so it darkens with use and rusts if left wet.

The handle

Rosewood is dense and close grained. It finishes dark, with red and brown streaks under a bright etched head, and dense wood takes the shock of a hit without going soft at the eye. The eye is wedged. The handle goes up through the head from below, a wooden wedge is driven into the top to spread it against the steel, then a steel wedge across that. At 16 inches you can swing it one handed and still get speed into it.

The leather head cover

The cover is vegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline so it sits close. A welt sewn into the edge keeps the stitching off the steel, and the seam is closed by hand. The face is stamped in a basket weave, worked into damp leather, and a brass snap holds the strap shut. Put it on dry. Leather holds water against steel, and that is how rust starts.

Who it suits

Most people who buy this one have thrown for a while on plain steel and have never owned a pattern welded head before.

• Throwers buying their first Damascus head
• Anyone who wants to know what is under the etch before paying for it
• People who like a dark handle against bright steel
• Buyers shopping for somebody who already throws

What comes in the box

• The Damascus throwing hatchet on its rosewood handle
• The hand stitched leather head cover
• A care card
• Lifetime warranty against defects and free sharpening for life

Every piece is different

Every head is forged, ground and etched by hand, so runs are small and no two come out the same. The ladder moves with how deep the grooves were cut and how the bar drew out. Rosewood varies too, from near black to a warm red brown. Yours will not match the photograph line for line.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after a session and oil it before it goes away. A new handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never stand a loose head in water. Spread linseed rags flat outdoors to dry, because screwed up indoors they can catch fire on their own. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits. On a Damascus head we put the text on the handle so the ladder stays whole, and rosewood marks cleanly. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is Damascus steel made of? Two steels forge welded into one bar, folded until it holds hundreds of layers, then etched so they show.

Does the pattern go all the way through? Yes. The layers run through the head, so sharpening only takes the etch back at the edge.

How is the head held on? The handle is driven through the eye from below, a wooden wedge spreads it against the steel, and a steel wedge goes across that.

Will it rust? It can. The core is carbon steel. Dry the head, oil it, and put the cover on dry.

Can I pound with the back of the head? The poll is not hardened for it. Use a mallet and keep the axe for cutting.

How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

Two others worth a look. The Damascus throwing axe on ash is the same steel on paler wood, and the Damascus tomahawk on hickory suits anyone who wants a hawk. The rack sits under throwing axes, the pattern welded heads under Damascus axes, and this timber under rosewood handles.