{"product_id":"hand-forged-throwing-axe-oak","title":"Hand Forged Throwing Axe, 16 Inch Oak Handle with Thin Bit","description":"\u003cp\u003eThrowing is repetition. You walk up, you pull, you walk back, and you do it again until the light goes. What decides whether that walk ends in a hit or in a rattle on the floor is the shape of the bit. This one is 16 inches of oak under a 1095 high carbon head, ground thin so it goes in and stays there.\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\u003eOak\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 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, 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\u003e1095 high carbon, 5.5 inches from bit to poll, with 3.5 inches of cutting edge. The forged skin is left dark under a light hammer texture, with the bevel polished bright. The bit is ground thin. A thick bit shoves the wood sideways without opening it, and the head comes back at you. A thin one parts the fibres and buries itself in the first inch. The poll is plain and not hardened, so keep it away from stakes and nails. Carbon steel darkens with use and rusts if you leave it wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOak, 16 inches, straight. Oak is stiff and heavy for its size, and stiffness is what you want under a thrown head, since it goes where your wrist sent it instead of flexing late. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through the head from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that. 16 inches is a one hand length, long enough for a full turn at most board distances.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, stitched by hand, with a welt in the seam so the thread sits back from the edge. It is cut to this head's own outline, so the bit has nowhere to move inside it. The face is stamped in a basket weave and a snap strap holds it shut over the haft. It goes on dry. Put a wet head into leather and they sit there rusting all week.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is for somebody who throws often enough to care what the bit does on landing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone setting up a board in a yard or barn\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who want a plain axe they can throw hard\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThrowers moving up from a hardware store hatchet that bounces\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who would rather sharpen a thin bit than fight a thick one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 16 inch throwing axe\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\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 in small runs, so no two come out the same. The hammer texture lands where the hammer landed. Oak grain runs how the tree grew it, pale in one handle and browner in the next. What turns up will be close to the photographs, not a copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDry the head after a wet session and oil the steel before it goes away. The cover goes on dry, never over a damp bit. A new oak handle takes three to five coats of boiled linseed oil over as many days, then one a year. No varnish. Lay oily rags out flat outdoors, since one left screwed up can catch fire on its own. More is 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 and you add it here on the product page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date works better than a sentence. We send a proof image before the laser runs, which adds 3 to 5 business days. It is free on orders of 10 or more. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e has the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\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\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It will if you let it. 1095 darkens with use and spots if it is put away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat holds the head on?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wedged eye. The handle comes up from below, a wooden wedge spreads it against the steel, and a steel wedge crosses that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is the bit thin?\u003c\/strong\u003e It opens the wood instead of pushing it aside, so it goes in on less speed and stops there.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat should I throw into?\u003c\/strong\u003e Soft end grain, pine or poplar rounds stood on end. The board is a consumable. It gets eaten and you rebuild it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it sharp when it arrives?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, sharpened by hand before it ships.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the same 16 inches with a pattern in the steel, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-throwing-hatchet-olive-wood\"\u003eDamascus throwing hatchet on olive wood\u003c\/a\u003e has an etched head. For a longer haft and a wider bit meant for wood, there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-oak\"\u003ebushcraft axe on a 19 inch oak handle\u003c\/a\u003e. This one sits with the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/throwing-axes\"\u003ethrowing axes\u003c\/a\u003e, plain steel heads are under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e, and the rest are in \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":44144478257270,"sku":"VEF-THR-HC-443","price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/throwing-08-carbon-oak_a267c9f9-18fb-4fd2-ae57-bb809b60a57e.jpg?v=1788841044","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-throwing-axe-oak","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}