{"product_id":"hand-forged-throwing-axe-hickory-16","title":"Hand Forged Throwing Axe, 16 Inch Hickory Handle, Wide Bit","description":"\u003cp\u003eThrowing is hard on wood. Sooner or later a rotation comes up short, the handle takes the impact the bit was meant to take, and what you replace is the wood, not the steel. So this one is built to be re handled. The head is 1095 high carbon, the handle is hickory, and it runs 16 inches overall. Fit one yourself and stop worrying.\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\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\u003eHickory\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\u003ch3\u003eThe head\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe head is 6 inches from bit to poll with 4 inches of cutting edge, a wide bit for this length, so more edge lands where you wanted. The steel is 1095 high carbon, left dark where the hammer worked it and polished bright back from the edge so the bevel reads clear. The grind is shallow, closer to a splitting bevel than a slicing one, because a fine edge folds when it finds a knot in a board. Carbon steel darkens with use, and it will rust if it is left wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHickory, 16 inches, the length most people settle on for a one hand throw. Hickory bends before it lets go and holds a shock better than the prettier woods, which is why working axes here get hung on it. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through the eye from underneath, a wooden wedge goes into the kerf on top to spread it tight against the steel, then a steel wedge is set across that. Sanded, oiled, never varnished.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline rather than a general shape, so the bit drops in and stays put. The edge is welted, a strip of leather between the faces keeping the stitching off the steel. Stitched by hand, closed with a brass snap, face stamped basket weave. Put it on dry. Leather holds water against a bit, and that is how an edge goes orange in a week.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis one is for somebody who throws enough to have snapped wood, or is about to.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThrowers who would rather re handle than replace\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone starting out on plain steel and wood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want the wide bit, not the thin one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who already keep hickory tools\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe throwing axe, handle fitted and wedged\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stitched leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLifetime warranty and free sharpening for life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach head is forged one at a time, so the hammer texture lands where it lands. Hickory grain runs its own way, so your handle will not match the photographs. Weights sit in a small range because the steel is moved by hand. That is what hand work looks like.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after a session and oil it before it goes in the cover. A new handle wants boiled linseed oil, three to five thin coats over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it, never soak a loose head. Lay linseed rags flat outside to dry, because balled up indoors they can catch fire on their own. File, then stone, then strop. More on the \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 works. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of ten or more, which is why group orders arrive as one. 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 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 to spread it against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat do I do when I break a handle?\u003c\/strong\u003e Saw it off flush, drive the stub up and out through the top of the eye, then wedge in a new hickory blank. An hour, mostly patience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I burn the old wood out?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The heat pulls the temper out of the steel and it does not come back. Get it out cold.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Dry the head after a session, oil it, never shut it in a wet cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat size is it?\u003c\/strong\u003e The head is 6 inches long with a 4 inch cutting edge, on a 16 inch hickory handle. Those are the measurements, and we claim nothing past them.\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\u003eFor a thinner bit, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-throwing-axe-ash\"\u003ehand forged throwing axe on ash\u003c\/a\u003e, and for the same wedge under a pattern welded head, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-throwing-axe-ash\"\u003eDamascus throwing axe on ash\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/throwing-axes\"\u003ethrowing axes\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e and \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":44143516156022,"sku":"VEF-THR-HC-435","price":149.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/throwing-04-carbon-hickory_7b10358b-2fc5-41f0-b467-726233c9a529.jpg?v=1788835218","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-throwing-axe-hickory-16","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}