{"product_id":"damascus-tomahawk-hickory","title":"Damascus Tomahawk, 19 Inch Hickory Handle, Raindrop Pattern","description":"\u003cp\u003eKindling for the stove, and a tarp peg pointed up before the light goes. Small jobs, and a light head on a long handle does them without asking much of your shoulder. This one is 19 inches overall, Damascus over a high carbon core, hung on hickory. Hickory is the plainest wood in the batch. It is also what most makers reach for, and not for its looks.\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 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\u003eHickory\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 raindrop 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\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, 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\u003ch3\u003eThe head\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core, so the layers wrap one working steel down the middle. The etch lifts a raindrop pattern across the whole head and down to a fine bright edge. The bit is 3.5 inches on a head of 6 inches, ground thin behind the edge so it parts wood rather than pushing it. The head is light and the mass sits forward, which is what does the cutting. Carbon lives under the pattern. It darkens with use and spots if left wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHickory is stringy stuff. The grain runs long and it bends before it lets go, which is what you want in a handle. It is not the prettiest wood we hang. It is the one that takes a knock and stays whole. The eye is friction fit, so the tapered haft slides in from the top with no wedge. Pull the head off and a fresh haft goes on in a minute. At 19 inches there is room for two hands.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, cut to the outline of this head, then stitched by hand. A welt sits along the edge so the thread lies in its own channel, not against the bit. The face is stamped in a basket weave, pressed into damp leather, and a brass snap holds the strap over the haft. It goes on dry. Wipe and oil a damp head first. Leather holds water against steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the buyer deciding between a handle that looks good and one that is still under the head in five years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants pattern in the steel and plain wood under it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople splitting kindling around a camp\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSomeone who has broken a handle before\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who would rather fit a new haft than start again\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 19 inch Damascus tomahawk on hickory\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA gift box\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach head is forged and etched one at a time, so the raindrop pattern pools differently on every one. Some come out tight, others open. Hickory moves too, pale in one haft and darker in the next. Yours will be close to the photographs without being the piece in them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry and oil the steel before it goes away. Never put it under the cover wet. The hickory wants boiled linseed oil, three to five thin coats over as many days when it is new, then once a year. No varnish. Rags with linseed oil in them can catch alight on their own, so lay them flat outside rather than balled up indoors. More in 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, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so nothing permanent happens until you have seen it. Add 3 to 5 business days to the order. Ten pieces or more and the engraving is free. 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 hickory when other woods look better?\u003c\/strong\u003e The grain runs long and gives before it breaks, so it takes knocks that split a showier haft.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow does the head stay on with no wedge?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is friction fit. The tapered haft drops in from the top, and every swing seats it further down the taper. Tap the butt if it feels loose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill Damascus rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. There is carbon steel under the pattern, so wipe it dry and oil it before storage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I drive things with the back of the head?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The poll is not hardened for pounding.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if the handle breaks?\u003c\/strong\u003e Pull the head off and fit a new tapered haft. Plain hafts are cheap, which is one more point for plain wood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf the pattern is not for you, the same shape comes in plain carbon on the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-tomahawk-oak-handle\"\u003ehand forged tomahawk on oak\u003c\/a\u003e. If you would rather have figure in the wood, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-tomahawk-olive-wood\"\u003eDamascus tomahawk on olive wood\u003c\/a\u003e has it. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tomahawks\"\u003etomahawks\u003c\/a\u003e, with more of this steel under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-axes\"\u003eDamascus axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gifts-for-him\"\u003egifts for him\u003c\/a\u003e if it is a present.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44143528149110,"sku":"VEF-TOM-DAM-432","price":219.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/tomahawk-06-damascus-hickory_de5c2db0-986e-4aee-8ec3-60499aa31cef.jpg?v=1788835275","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-tomahawk-hickory","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}