{"product_id":"damascus-viking-axe-rosewood-brass-collar","title":"Damascus Viking Axe, Rosewood Handle with Brass Collar","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe swing that comes up short is the one that ends a handle. The edge misses, the log catches the top of the haft, and a few of those chew the wood through behind the eye. That is an overstrike, and it kills more handles than anything else. A brass collar sits where this haft meets the eye. The axe is 19 inches overall, rosewood below the collar, Damascus over a high carbon core above.\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\u003eRosewood with a brass collar at the eye\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 raindrop 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 scroll and vine 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 starts as many layers of steel forged down into one bar. Raindrop comes from sinking dimples into that bar and forging it flat, so the layers ring around each dent and acid opens them into loops. The pattern is decoration. Turn it in the light and the loops move. Underneath, the high carbon core is what sharpens up. The etch runs to the edge with no bare bevel left. The head is 6.5 inches with a 4.5 inch edge, so the weight stays close to your hand. Carbon steel darkens with use and spots if put away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRosewood is dense and oily in the grain, so it polishes rather than furs up. The brass collar wraps the top of the grip under the eye, which is the strip of wood an overstrike lands on. Brass dents instead of splitting. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight against the steel, then a steel wedge crosses that. At 19 inches it swings one handed with the collar under your knuckles.\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. A welt in the seam keeps the thread off the edge. The face is carved, not stamped, a scroll and vine cut into damp hide with a swivel knife and worked with punches until the stems lift clear. A snap strap closes it over the poll. It goes on dry, since damp under leather does the steel no favours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost people who ask about a collar have replaced a handle once and did not enjoy it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who has chewed the top of a haft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want brass against dark wood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople working one handed close to a block\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who likes carved leather with an etched head\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus axe on rosewood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved scroll and vine 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\u003eRosewood runs from red to nearly black in the same board, so no two handles read alike. The raindrops land where the dimples were sunk. No two are the same. The collar is fitted to its handle and filed flush, so the line where brass meets wood is different every time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry the head after use and put a film of oil over the etch. The cover goes on dry. Rosewood takes boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days on a new handle, then once a year. No varnish, and never stand a loose head in water. Lay oily rags flat outside, since a screwed up rag indoors can catch fire on its own. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e covers the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving costs 20 dollars for each piece. You get roughly 30 characters, so keep it short. The collar is no place for letters, so they go on the cheek where the pattern is quietest. The proof image reaches you first and the work takes 3 to 5 business days longer. Ten or more and it 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\u003eWhat is an overstrike?\u003c\/strong\u003e A swing that lands short, so the log meets the handle below the head instead of the edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the collar stop that damage?\u003c\/strong\u003e It takes the hit that bare wood would take. It does not make the handle immune, and a hard miss is still a hard miss.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan the collar come off?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is fitted to this handle and stays with it. If the handle is ever replaced, so is the collar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is the eye fitted?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wedged eye. The haft is pulled through from underneath and both wedges go in at the top, wood first and then steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. High carbon steel sits behind the etch. Dry it and oil it.\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\u003eBrass worked into the grip rather than around it is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-viking-axe-olive-wood-brass-inlay\"\u003eolive wood axe with brass inlay\u003c\/a\u003e, and shorter with the same carved leather is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-viking-hand-axe-walnut\"\u003eDamascus hand axe on walnut\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, the rest in \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":44145794383990,"sku":"VEF-VKA-DAM-2006","price":279.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/viking-axe-06-damascus-rosewood_3d7f46e0-c425-4fbe-86f1-06b66ac397b1.jpg?v=1788855013","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-viking-axe-rosewood-brass-collar","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}