Damascus Viking Axe with Olive Wood Handle and Tooled Leather Cover

This is the bearded axe in its dress version, the one people buy to hold and then leave out where it can be seen. The head is hand forged Damascus with a narrow brass line inlaid into the cheek, and the handle is olive wood with heavy honey and brown grain. It measures 19 inches overall with a 6 inch head and a 5 inch cutting edge, so it still cuts.

Specification

The head

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark layers run across the cheek, with the bevel polished mirror bright. Behind that bevel sits a narrow line of polished brass, inlaid so it catches light against the dark etch. The shape follows the Norse bearded pattern, where the lower edge hangs below the eye in a long curve and leaves an open hollow behind it. The core is carbon, the honest trade, so the head darkens and can rust if left wet.

The handle

Olive wood is a dress wood and it is the reason this axe looks the way it does. The grain is wavy and strong, honey colored in places and close to brown in others, and no two handles come out the same. At 13 inches it is long enough for a real swing and short enough for one hand. The handle is driven through the eye with a wedge driven into the top, spreading the wood tight against the steel.

The leather head cover

The cover is cut for this head and the edge sits down inside it, which is how you store an axe without dulling it. 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 never rides on the steel. The stitching is done by hand. The face is hand tooled with a carved floral pattern inside a beaded border, cut and shaded rather than stamped flat. Other sellers say genuine leather and stop.

Who it suits

This one goes out as a gift more than most, because the olive wood and the brass line read across a room. It still holds a working edge, so nobody has to treat it as decoration only.

• Buyers who want a display piece that works
• Damascus collectors
• Anniversary and birthday shoppers
• People drawn to Norse shapes
• Anyone buying their first bearded axe

What comes in the box

• The Damascus viking axe
• The tooled leather head cover
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

The Damascus pattern comes out of the forging and the etch, so it never repeats. Add the grain of the olive wood and the depth of the tooling, and the axe that ships to you will read differently from the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after use and never put it away wet. Carbon under the pattern means the head darkens, and that gray patina is normal and protects the steel. Oil the head before storage and oil the olive wood now and then, since a dry handle shrinks and a loose head is dangerous. Check the head is tight before every use, and dry the leather away from heat. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a head or a handle, and clean line art comes out better than a photograph. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a bearded axe? An axe whose lower edge hangs below the eye in a curve.

What is the beard for? It gives a long edge on a light head and lets you grip behind the blade.

What is the brass line? A narrow strip of polished brass inlaid into the cheek.

Will this steel rust? It can, since the core is carbon, so dry it and oil it.

Will it look like the photo? No, the pattern and the olive grain differ on every piece.

How long until it ships? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

For the same steel on a darker wood, see the Damascus axe in rosewood, and for runes the rune etched Damascus axe. More sits in Damascus axes, in viking axes, and in gifts for him.