{"product_id":"damascus-tomahawk-ash-handle","title":"Damascus Tomahawk, Ash Handle with Hand Carved Cover","description":"\u003cp\u003eA branch comes down in the yard and needs cutting into stove lengths. Kindling wants splitting on a cold morning. Then it goes back on the peg where it can be seen. That is what this one is for. The head is Damascus over a high carbon core, etched in a ladder pattern, on an ash haft that puts it at 19 inches overall.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6.5 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\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\u003eAsh\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 ladder pattern, bevel etched to the edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEye\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFriction fit, tapered haft, no wedge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand stitched leather, hand carved thistle and 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 pattern is decoration. Layers of steel are forged together so the lines run in even bands, then the head goes in acid so those bands stand apart. What cuts is the high carbon core. The bevel is etched to the edge, so you see where the pattern stops and the working steel starts. The head is 6.5 inches long with a 4 inch edge, a shallow curve that keeps most of it in the cut. Carbon steel darkens as it works, and spots with rust if it goes away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh is springy. It soaks up the shock of a stopped cut instead of putting it in your wrist, and the grain runs long and straight, which is what a haft wants. The eye is friction fit, with no wedge. The haft is tapered, slides in from the top, and the swing seats it tighter. Pull the head off and a new handle goes in inside a minute. At 19 inches there is room for two hands, and it still swings on one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline and stitched by hand, with a welt inside the seam so the thread sits clear of the edge. The face is carved rather than stamped, a thistle with scrollwork running off it, cut into damp leather by hand. A snap strap holds it shut. Put it on dry. Damp leather against steel is how a bit gets pitted, so wipe the head first.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuyers here usually want two things at once, something worth looking at and something they can take outside.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants a pattern welded head that gets used\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who hang a piece up and take it down to work\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGift buyers who want a name on the steel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOwners who would rather refit a haft than retire a tool\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus head on its 19 inch ash haft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved leather cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn engraving proof if you order one\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 ladder never lands twice in the same place. Ash has its own grain and takes oil unevenly. The carving is cut freehand, so the thistle leans its own way on every cover. Yours will not match the photographs, and that is rather the point.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry and put a film of oil on it before it goes away. The haft wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats on a new one over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it. Lay oily rags flat outside to dry, because screwed up indoors they can catch alight. A file first for damage, then a stone, then a strop. 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, so a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so nothing goes onto the steel unseen. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Orders of 10 or more are engraved free. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e has the details.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs Damascus stronger than plain carbon steel?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. It is layered for the look. The high carbon core holds the edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it only for the wall?\u003c\/strong\u003e Use it. Marks on a working axe are not a fault.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow does the head stay on with no wedge?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is friction fit, the haft tapers, and the swing tightens it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Carbon steel darkens with use, and it spots if it is left damp. Dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the pattern wear off?\u003c\/strong\u003e The etch is in the steel rather than on it. Sharpening takes a little back at the edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhen will it get here?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days. Engraving adds a few days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf the pattern is not the point, the plain forged one is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-tomahawk-curly-maple\"\u003eHand Forged Tomahawk on curly maple\u003c\/a\u003e, and for something shorter there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-throwing-hatchet-olive-wood\"\u003eDamascus Throwing Hatchet in olive wood\u003c\/a\u003e. Other friction fit heads sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tomahawks\"\u003etomahawks\u003c\/a\u003e. The etched work is gathered in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-axes\"\u003eDamascus axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and the whole range is under \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":44144472195190,"sku":"VEF-TOM-DAM-442","price":245.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/tomahawk-09-damascus-ash_6c1de4bc-f6f2-4dcf-ad27-1a7001a3547b.jpg?v=1788841002","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-tomahawk-ash-handle","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}