{"product_id":"hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-hickory","title":"Hand Forged Bushcraft Axe, 19 Inch Curved Hickory Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eKindling has to be split before a fire takes, and that is most of what an axe this size does on a long trip. The head is 1095 high carbon set on a hickory haft, and the axe runs 19 inches overall. What separates it from the straight version is the curve in the wood. Buyers ask about that curve more than anything.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\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\u003e3.25 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\u003eHickory, curved\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 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\n\u003ch3\u003eThe head\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe steel is 1095 high carbon. The head keeps its dark forged skin and the hammer texture that came with it, and the bevel is polished bright so you can see where the edge sits. The bit is 3.25 inches on a head 5.5 inches front to back, small as axe heads go. It is ground thin at the edge to slice green wood, with enough steel behind to open a dry round instead of burying. Carbon steel darkens as you use it, and it rusts if you put it away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHickory is what axe makers here settled on. It is springy across the grain, so shock that would jar your wrist gets soaked up. The curve drops the butt and gives your lower hand something to pull against at the end of a stroke. The eye is wedged. The haft goes through from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight against the steel, and a steel wedge sits across that. At 19 inches you can grip up under the head or drop to the knob.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, with a welt sewn into the edge so the thread sits behind the leather. The face is stamped in a basket weave. It is cut to this head's own outline, so it fills out and the snap strap closes with no slack. Put it on dry. A cover over a damp bit holds water against the steel, and that is how an edge goes orange.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis one is for people who have swung a straight handle and want to know what a curve changes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone choosing between a curved haft and a straight one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers taking one axe along for firewood and camp jobs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like the knob to sit under the palm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want plain carbon steel over a pattern\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\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\u003eEngraving details\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery head is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out alike. Hammer texture lands where the hammer landed. Hickory shifts from pale cream to a brown streak, and each grip is worked to its own stave. Yours will not match the photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use and oil it before it goes away. The handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days when new, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never stand a loose head in water. Lay linseed rags flat outdoors to dry, since a rag left screwed up can catch fire on its own. More on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, enough for a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so nothing goes on the steel you have not seen. Add 3 to 5 business days. On orders of 10 or more it is free. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCurved or straight, which should I buy?\u003c\/strong\u003e Take the curve if you swing one handed and like the butt seated in your palm. Straight ash suits shaping more than splitting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the curve throw the head off line?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The bit lines up through the middle of the haft. The curve changes your grip, not the steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat holds the head on?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is wedged. The haft goes through from below, a wooden wedge spreads the top against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Dry it after use and keep a film of oil on it. Never snap the cover over a wet bit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I pound with the back of the head?\u003c\/strong\u003e Leave that alone. The poll is not hardened for it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf the curve is not for you, the same axe on a straight stave is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-ash\"\u003ehand forged bushcraft axe on straight ash\u003c\/a\u003e. For something shorter that leaves the hand, there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-throwing-axe-walnut\"\u003ehand forged throwing axe on walnut\u003c\/a\u003e. It sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-axes\"\u003ebushcraft and forest axes\u003c\/a\u003e, alongside the rest of the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and often in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gifts-for-him\"\u003egifts for him\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44143111372918,"sku":"VEF-BSH-HC-428","price":159.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/bushcraft-02-carbon-hickory_6b0eb9cf-da66-41a0-bb5a-027a26b3017a.jpg?v=1788832799","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-hickory","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}