{"product_id":"hand-forged-long-hafted-viking-axe-ash","title":"Hand Forged Long Hafted Viking Axe, 40 Inch Ash Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eWorking standing up is what a long handle buys you. Limbs off a trunk on the ground, brush at the edge of a field, anything low enough that a short axe puts you on your knees. This one is 40 inches overall on ash, with a 1095 high carbon head that is wide and thin rather than heavy. Laid on a table it takes up more room than people expect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCutting edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e7 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e40 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e40 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 hammer marks, bright polished bevel\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, stamped basket weave face inside a stamped border, 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, dark from the fire with the hammer marks in it and the bevel brought up bright. Eight inches of head carrying a seven inch edge, all of it drawn thin. That is the character of the piece. A compact head puts mass behind a short edge and drives it in. This one spreads the same steel across a long arc, so it comes through green wood quickly and does not sink far into hard seasoned timber. Speed instead of mass. Carbon steel greys as it works and rusts wherever water stands.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh is springy and light for its length, which matters at 40 inches, since a stick that long tires an arm before the head does any work. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through from below, a wooden wedge is set into the split in the top to spread it tight against the steel, then a steel wedge crosses that. Forty inches is two hands and full reach. The lower hand stays near the butt and the upper one slides down as the swing comes round.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's outline rather than a shape that fits anything. A welt in the seam keeps the stitching clear of it, and every stitch goes in by hand. The face is stamped in a basket weave inside a stamped border, one press at a time. No two covers take the stamp quite alike. A snap strap holds it shut. It goes on dry, never over damp steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeople underestimate 40 inches on a screen. Then it turns up and the hook it was going on is too small.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone clearing brush and light limbs standing up\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want reach more than weight\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople with wall or rack space for a long handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who prefers a wide thin edge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe long hafted axe on its 40 inch ash handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather head 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\u003eEvery head is forged and ground by hand in small runs. On a head this wide the hammer texture has room to wander and lands its own way each time. Ash is sawn from a board, so grain and colour shift between handles. What arrives will be close to the photograph, not a match for it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry and leave a film of oil on the steel. The cover goes on dry. A new ash handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days, then once a year, and there is a lot of handle here. Never varnish it. Any rag with linseed on it lies flat outside, since a heap of them can start burning. Our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e has more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEngraving is done with a laser at 20 dollars a piece. Thirty characters or so, a name or a date. A head this size gives the letters somewhere to go, out on the cheek clear of the bevel. A proof goes out before anything is burned in, so add 3 to 5 business days. At ten pieces the charge goes away. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow much room does it need?\u003c\/strong\u003e Forty inches overall. Measure the wall or the rack before you order.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does a wide thin head change?\u003c\/strong\u003e It cuts a long slice rather than a deep notch. Good in green wood, less use on seasoned stuff.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it a felling axe?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. There is not enough mass behind the edge, and we would rather tell you now.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan the head work loose?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is a wedged eye. Wood spreads the haft tight inside the eye and a steel wedge is driven across to hold that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Dry the head, oil it, and never put the cover over wet steel.\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\u003eHalf the handle with a taller edge is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-viking-broad-axe-ash\"\u003e20 inch broad axe on ash\u003c\/a\u003e, and one you can swing single handed is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-viking-bearded-axe-ash\"\u003e24 inch bearded axe on ash\u003c\/a\u003e. This one sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/viking-axes\"\u003eviking axes\u003c\/a\u003e, plain steel in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e, older outlines in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/historical-blades\"\u003ehistorical blades\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145792450678,"sku":"VEF-VKA-HC-2005","price":229.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/viking-axe-05-carbon-long-haft-ash_dd08c388-7296-450e-a75d-3a20c0066666.jpg?v=1788854976","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-long-hafted-viking-axe-ash","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}