{"product_id":"damascus-viking-axe-olive-wood-brass-inlay","title":"Damascus Viking Axe, Olive Wood Handle with Brass Inlay","description":"\u003cp\u003eA grip has to fill a hand and stay in it, and a smooth round stick does neither for long. This one has brass wire let into a spiral down the grip, which gives the palm something to sit against. People notice it before anything else. The axe is 19 inches overall on olive wood, the head Damascus over a high carbon core.\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\u003e4.5 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\u003eOlive wood with brass wire inlaid in a spiral down the grip\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\u003eWedged, wooden wedge and a steel cross 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 oak leaf and acorn 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\u003eDamascus is layers of steel welded into one bar. Ladder comes from cutting grooves across that bar and forging it flat again, so the layers lie in even rungs and acid opens them out. The pattern is decoration. The rungs run across the head. The high carbon core under it takes the edge and holds it. The etch runs to the edge with no bare bevel left showing. The head is 6.5 inches with a 4.5 inch edge, so the weight stays near your hand. The steel darkens with age and pits if stored wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOlive wood is dense and full of figure, dark streaks wandering through pale ground. A shallow groove is cut down the grip in a spiral, the wire is laid in and hammered until it fills the cut, then the grip is sanded back so brass and wood finish level. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight against the steel in the top, then a steel wedge is set across. Nineteen inches keeps it one handed with the spiral under your fingers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline and hand stitched, with a welt in the seam so the thread never lies on the edge. The face is cut, not stamped. Oak leaves with acorns between them, cut into damp hide with a swivel knife and worked with punches so the leaves stand off the ground. A snap strap shuts over the poll. It goes on dry, never over a wet head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeople buy this one with their eyes first and then find it works.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want brass and figure in a grip\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone giving an axe as a gift\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like a spiral under the fingers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors who keep an axe out where it shows\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus axe on olive wood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved oak leaf and acorn cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFree sharpening for life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOlive wood is never twice the same, so the figure runs where the tree put it. No two handles read alike. The spiral is cut freehand, so its pitch wanders a little on each handle. The rungs in the etch land where the grooves were cut. Yours will not match the photograph.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOil goes on the pattern once the head is wiped dry. The cover goes on dry. A new olive wood handle takes boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days, then once a year, and the oil does the brass no harm. Never varnish it. Leave used rags flat and outside, because linseed oil in a crumpled rag can catch on its own. That page on \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare and sharpening\u003c\/a\u003e has more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser work is 20 dollars a piece, picked here with the axe. About 30 characters go on, a name or a date. Letters go on the cheek, since a spiralled grip has nowhere flat for them. You approve a proof image first, which adds 3 to 5 business days. Ten or more and it costs nothing. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e covers the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the brass stand proud?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. It is hammered into the groove and sanded flat, so you feel the line, not an edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan the wire work loose?\u003c\/strong\u003e The cut is narrower at the mouth than at the bottom, so hammering locks the wire in. Keep the handle oiled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the brass go dull?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, to a darker tone. Polish it back if you want it bright, or leave it to settle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the head wedged or pinned?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wedged eye. Wood swells the haft into the eye and a steel wedge across it holds that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. It is carbon steel under the etch. Keep it dry and keep it oiled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does delivery take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrass around the eye rather than down the grip is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-viking-axe-rosewood-brass-collar\"\u003erosewood axe with a brass collar\u003c\/a\u003e, and the same ladder on a longer handle is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-viking-bearded-axe-hickory\"\u003eDamascus bearded axe on hickory\u003c\/a\u003e. It sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/viking-axes\"\u003eviking axes\u003c\/a\u003e, etched steel in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-axes\"\u003eDamascus axes\u003c\/a\u003e, older outlines in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/historical-blades\"\u003ehistorical blades\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145797595254,"sku":"VEF-VKA-DAM-2008","price":319.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/viking-axe-08-damascus-olive-wood_3801a50a-e69c-428d-8185-22986ea48974.jpg?v=1788855086","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-viking-axe-olive-wood-brass-inlay","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}