{"product_id":"damascus-viking-hand-axe-walnut","title":"Damascus Viking Hand Axe, Walnut Handle and Carved Cover","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn axe head that travels needs something over it, and most covers are a folded rectangle with a stud. This one is cut to the head and carved by hand, acanthus leaves worked into damp hide with a swivel knife. The axe under it runs 15 inches overall, a Damascus head over a high carbon core, hung on walnut. Close to a third of what it costs sits in the leather.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5.5 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\u003e15 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e15 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle wood\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWalnut\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 acanthus leaf 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 forged into a single bar. Raindrop comes from sinking dimples into the bar and forging it flat again, so the layers ring around each one and acid lifts them out as loops. The pattern is decoration. Look into it and the loops sit in rows. The high carbon core under it takes the edge. The etch carries down the bevel with no plain steel showing. The head is 5.5 inches with a 3.5 inch edge, small and close to the hand. Carbon steel colours with age and rusts where water sits.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWalnut is middling hard with open grain, and it darkens where hands work it. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through from below, a wooden wedge goes into the split in the top so the wood spreads tight against the steel, then a steel wedge is set across. At 15 inches the head sits near your fist, which suits paring rather than long swings. Walnut is here for how it looks beside brown carved leather. We will say so plainly.\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 carved, not pressed. Acanthus leaves are cut into damp hide with a swivel knife, then beaten down with punches so the leaves stand off the ground. A stamped face takes minutes. This one takes most of a day. A snap strap closes it and it goes on dry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNobody needs a carved cover. People buy one because the axe gets looked at as often as it gets used.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want the leather to match the steel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone marking an occasion with a tool\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like carved work over stamped work\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors who keep an axe 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 hand axe on walnut\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved acanthus leaf 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\u003eThe raindrops fall where the dimples were sunk, so no two heads read the same. The carving is cut freehand into hide, and hide is skin, so it takes the knife differently every time. Walnut varies from board to board. Yours will be close to the photograph, not a copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry and leave a film of oil over the pattern. The cover goes on dry, never over a wet head, since damp under carved leather marks both. A new walnut handle takes boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it. Used rags go flat in the open air, since linseed oil balled up can heat until it burns. More sits on the \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 a piece, chosen before checkout. Around 30 characters fits, a name or a date. On this one we would rather talk about placement first, since the pattern and the carving both have opinions. Nothing is cut until you approve a proof image, adding 3 to 5 business days. Orders of ten or more carry no charge. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e covers it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy does a carved cover cost so much more?\u003c\/strong\u003e Hours. A stamp is struck in minutes. This face is drawn on, cut with a swivel knife, then shaped punch by punch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the carving flatten out?\u003c\/strong\u003e The lines are cut into the hide rather than pressed on, so handling darkens the leather but the relief stays.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I use it or is it for show?\u003c\/strong\u003e Use it. The cover will pick up scuffs and look better for them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat holds the head on?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wedged eye. The haft is fitted from underneath, then opened at the top with a wooden wedge and locked with a steel one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. The core beneath the pattern is carbon steel. 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\u003eThe same size with a stamped cover is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-viking-hand-axe-oak\"\u003e15 inch hand axe on oak\u003c\/a\u003e, and more carved leather sits on the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-viking-axe-rosewood-brass-collar\"\u003erosewood axe with a brass collar\u003c\/a\u003e. It is 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":44145792057462,"sku":"VEF-VKA-DAM-2004","price":259.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/viking-axe-04-damascus-hand-axe-walnut_1d2582cc-4a90-4eee-9ce4-0a782fb225e4.jpg?v=1788854941","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-viking-hand-axe-walnut","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}