{"product_id":"hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-ash","title":"Hand Forged Bushcraft Axe, 19 Inch Ash Handle, Hammer Poll","description":"\u003cp\u003eA week in the woods puts most of the work on one tool. Kindling for the fire, tent pegs cut and pointed, a pole trimmed for the tarp, a dead limb brought back to stove length. That is the job this axe was drawn up for. At 19 inches overall it rides on a pack frame or lies under a canoe seat. The head is 1095 high carbon. The handle is ash.\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\u003eAsh\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark forged skin with heavy hammer texture, bright polished bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEye\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWedged, wooden wedge with a steel wedge across it\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 1095 high carbon, 6 inches of head with 3.5 inches of edge. The forged skin is left dark and the hammer texture stays on it, because that is how it came off the anvil. The bevel is polished bright and left a little full behind the edge, so it goes into green wood without sticking. There is a poll at the back. It is not hardened, so leave nails and steel stakes to a hammer. Carbon steel darkens as it gets used and rusts if you put it away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh is the right wood under a working head. It grows long straight grain and it bends a little rather than jarring your hands. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through it from below, a wooden wedge is driven into the top to spread the wood tight against the steel, and a steel wedge is set across that. Nineteen inches gives you two grips. Hand at the butt for splitting, hand up under the head when you are pointing a peg.\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 rather than a shape that fits everything. A welt is sewn into the seam so the stitching sits clear of the edge, and that stitching is done by hand. The face is stamped basket weave and a brass snap holds the strap. Put it on dry. Leather holds damp against steel, so a cover over a wet head is how rust starts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is for the person carrying one axe that has to do everything.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCanoe trippers and long walks in\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCutting kindling and stove wood at camp\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShaping pegs, tarp stakes and green wood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA first proper axe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe bushcraft axe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand stitched leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYour engraving, if you add it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery head is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so batches stay small and no two come out the same. The hammer texture falls where the hammer fell. Ash runs from near white to light honey and the grain goes its own way in each handle. The basket weave sits differently on every cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry and oil it before it goes in the pack. The handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats on a new one over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it and never stand a loose head in water. Spread linseed rags flat outdoors to dry, because a rag left screwed up can catch fire on its own. A file first for damage, then a stone, then a strop. More on 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 and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date, or the year of a trip. We send a proof image before the laser runs and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Orders of ten or more are engraved free. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e for what fits.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs one axe enough for a week out?\u003c\/strong\u003e For camp work, yes. It cuts kindling, brings down dead limbs and shapes green wood. Standing timber wants a saw.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it fit on a pack?\u003c\/strong\u003e Nineteen inches lashes to the outside of most frames and lies flat in a canoe with the cover on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is the head held on?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is wedged. The handle comes up through it from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that. It does not lift off like a friction fit head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. It is carbon steel. Wipe it dry, oil it before storage, and never snap the cover onto a wet head.\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\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes it come sharp?\u003c\/strong\u003e It ships sharpened, and sharpening is free for life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you want a curve under your hand, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-hickory\"\u003ebushcraft axe on curved hickory\u003c\/a\u003e is the same idea in hickory, and the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-bushcraft-axe-rosewood\"\u003eDamascus bushcraft axe on rosewood\u003c\/a\u003e is the one for a pattern showing. The rest are in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-axes\"\u003ebushcraft and forest axes\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/axes-hatchets\"\u003eaxes and hatchets\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44143104622710,"sku":"VEF-BSH-HC-427","price":169.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/bushcraft-01-carbon-ash_bdf9ce58-7bc6-4614-88f3-62ff9850b555.jpg?v=1788832757","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-ash","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}