{"product_id":"hand-forged-throwing-axe-ash","title":"Hand Forged Throwing Axe, 16 Inch Ash Handle, Thin Bit","description":"\u003cp\u003eThrowing is its own job. You are asking a head to turn once in the air and land edge first in soft wood, and that wants a thinner bit than the axe you split kindling with. This one is 16 inches over, 1095 high carbon in the head, ash under your hand. It is the plainest head we grind, and that is deliberate.\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\u003e16 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16 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 light 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. The skin is left dark off the forge with a light hammer texture, and the bevel is polished bright so the grind shows. The head is 5.5 inches long with a 3.5 inch cutting edge, ground thin behind that edge. A working hatchet is ground fatter, because a thick shoulder splits wood sideways. This one has to enter and stay in. Thin does that, and it means knots mark it. Carbon steel darkens with use and rusts if you leave it wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh is right for this. It is springy, so it takes a shock and gives some of it back instead of sending it all into your wrist, and the grain runs straight from eye to butt. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven through from below, a wooden wedge goes into the top to spread it tight against the steel, and a steel wedge sits across that. Sixteen inches keeps the rotation easy to count and the axe light.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, with a welted edge so the thread sits behind leather rather than on the bevel. It is cut to this head's own outline and closes with a brass snap. The face is stamped in a basket weave. It goes on dry. Leather holds damp against steel, so wipe the head and oil it before the cover goes back on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the least costly way into the category that we make, and it is not a lesser axe for it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone buying a first throwing axe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who want a thin bit, not a hatchet grind\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThrowers who like a short handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers paying for grind, not wood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe throwing axe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 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\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery head is forged, ground and sharpened by hand, so no two finish alike. The hammer texture lands where it lands. Ash runs from near white to a pale brown and the grain never repeats, and the leather takes the stamp differently every time. Yours will not match the photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry and oil it before storage. 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 soak a loose head. Linseed rags can catch fire on their own if left bunched indoors, so lay them flat outside. Sharpening is a file, then a stone, then a strop, free for life. 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. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a year sits comfortably. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days to the order. It is free on orders of 10 or more. Details sit on the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is the bit thinner than on your hatchets?\u003c\/strong\u003e A throwing head only has to go in and stay put. A hatchet bit is thicker because it has to split. One grind will not do both.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I split kindling with it?\u003c\/strong\u003e You can, but a thin bit takes more damage from knots. Keep a hatchet for the wood pile.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is the head held on?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is wedged. The handle comes up from below, a wooden wedge is driven into the top so the wood spreads against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that. Not a friction fit, so a new handle is a bench job.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, if you let it. It is carbon steel. Dry it, keep a film of oil on it, and let it go dark.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I hammer with the back?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The poll is not hardened for it. Use a hammer.\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\u003eFor a wider bit and hickory under it, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-throwing-axe-hickory-16\"\u003ehand forged throwing axe on hickory\u003c\/a\u003e is next along. The \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-throwing-axe-walnut\"\u003eDamascus throwing axe on walnut\u003c\/a\u003e is the same job in pattern welded steel. The group sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/throwing-axes\"\u003ethrowing axes\u003c\/a\u003e, this steel is in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and the rest is under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/axes-hatchets\"\u003eaxes and hatchets\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44143507964022,"sku":"VEF-THR-HC-434","price":139.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/throwing-05-carbon-ash_7c7907bc-6f60-4cce-b05c-b808b771d543.jpg?v=1788835175","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-throwing-axe-ash","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}