{"product_id":"hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-curved-ash","title":"Hand Forged Bushcraft Axe, 19 Inch Curved Ash Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirewood is not one job. It is a hundred small ones over a season, most of them done at a block by the back door with whatever axe is nearest. This is that axe. 19 inches overall, a 1095 high carbon head on a curved ash handle, sized for the work that comes round weekly, splitting kindling and taking a round down to what the stove will take.\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\u003e4 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, curved, with a lanyard hole at the butt\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 head is 1095 high carbon, 6 inches long with a 4 inch edge. The dark skin and the heavy hammer texture are left as they came off the anvil, and only the bevel is taken bright. The bit is a shallow curve, not a flat line, so a cut starts at one point and rolls along the edge instead of all at once. Thickness in the cheeks behind that bevel is what pushes a small round apart. Carbon steel darkens with use and will rust if you put it away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh is in tool handles everywhere. It is springy and it soaks up shock instead of sending it into your hand. This one is curved, with a lanyard hole through the butt. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through the head from below, a wooden wedge goes into the top to spread it tight, and a steel wedge is set across that. At 19 inches you can work one handed at a block and still choke up near the head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery axe gets a cover made for its own head. The leather is vegetable tanned and cut to the outline of this bit. It is hand stitched with a welt in the seam, a strip of leather between the two faces so the edge never rides on the thread. The face is stamped in a basket weave and a brass snap holds the strap. Put it on dry. Leather holds water against steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the person who burns wood and wants one axe by the door.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone putting up a season of firewood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who want one axe, not a shed full\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers splitting kindling for a fire ring\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers replacing a hardware store hatchet\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 leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn engraving note\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach head is forged, ground and heat treated one at a time, so runs stay small and no two finish the same. The hammer texture sits where the hammer put it. Ash varies in color and in how the grain reads down the handle. Yours will not match the photographs exactly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use. Oil the steel before storage and put the cover on dry. The handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats on a new handle over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never stand a loose head in water. Oily rags can catch fire by themselves, so spread them flat outside. Sharpening is a file, then a stone, then a strop. More on our \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 per piece and goes on the cheek of the head. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date reads better than a sentence. A proof image comes to you before the laser runs. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat holds the head on?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is wedged. The handle comes up through the head from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight, and a steel wedge crosses that. Rehandling means cutting the old wood out, never burning it, since heat ruins the temper.\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\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the head rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Carbon steel does. Wipe it dry, oil it before storage and keep it out of a damp cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is the handle curved?\u003c\/strong\u003e The curve sets your bottom hand at an angle that is easier to hold onto over a long stretch at the block.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it split rounds?\u003c\/strong\u003e Small ones at the block, yes. Anything much over a foot across wants a maul and wedge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I use the back of the head as a hammer?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The poll is not hardened for pounding, so keep it off nails and stakes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you want this head on a straight stick, there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-ash\"\u003ehand forged bushcraft axe on a straight ash handle\u003c\/a\u003e, and the pattern welded version is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-bushcraft-axe-walnut\"\u003eDamascus bushcraft axe on walnut\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit 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\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44143524315254,"sku":"VEF-BSH-HC-439","price":175.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/bushcraft-04-carbon-ash_326759da-ad1c-4521-a75d-42ac85cae12d.jpg?v=1788835259","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-curved-ash","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}