{"product_id":"hand-forged-tomahawk-ash-handle","title":"Hand Forged Tomahawk, 19 Inch Ash Handle with Hammer Poll","description":"\u003cp\u003eCamp chores are small and dull and they still have to get done. Kindling for the morning fire. A branch across the trail that catches everybody in the face. That is the work this one is for. It runs 19 inches overall, a 1095 high carbon head on an ash haft, plain enough that you will not mind the scratches.\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\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\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\u003eFriction fit, tapered haft, no 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\u003eThe steel is 1095 high carbon, forged to shape and left with its dark skin and the hammer marks on it. Only the bevel is taken bright, polished back from a 3.25 inch cutting edge on a head of 6 inches. The grind is thin behind the edge so it bites instead of bouncing, and the edge carries a gentle sweep, which lets you roll a slicing cut through a limb rather than hacking down at it. Carbon steel darkens as you use it and it rusts if you put it away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh is what a lot of tool handles get made from. It is springy, so a bad hit goes into the wood and not up your arm. The eye is friction fit. The haft tapers and drops in from the top, no wedge anywhere, and the head lifts off if you tap the butt. A broken handle is a picnic table job. At 19 inches you get a real swing out of one hand and can still choke up under the head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cover is vegetable tanned leather, cut to the outline of this head and no other, then stitched by hand. There is a welt inside the seam so the thread sits in its own channel and never rides against the bevel. The face is stamped in a basket weave and a snap strap holds it shut. Put it on dry. Leather over a wet bit holds the water against the steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a first tomahawk. Nothing on it is precious, so it lives in the pack and comes out when there is work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSomebody buying their first one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers who want one tool for kindling and clearing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who would rather use a thing than look at it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like a handle they can swap themselves\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 19 inch tomahawk on its ash haft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather head cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA gift box\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery head is forged one at a time, so the hammer marks land where they land and the dark skin comes out lighter on one and deeper on the next. Ash varies as well. One haft runs almost white, another carries a streak of brown through it. The photographs are of one head, not yours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry after use and oil it before it goes away. The haft wants boiled linseed oil, three to five coats on a new one over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it. Lay the oily rags flat outdoors to dry. Screwed up in a bin indoors they can catch fire on their own. Sharpening is a file first, then a stone, then a strop. 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, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, which is a name and a date, or the trip it is going on. We send a proof image first, so nothing permanent happens until you approve it. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Orders of ten or more are engraved free. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a sensible first tomahawk?\u003c\/strong\u003e That is the idea. Nothing on it is decorated, so you learn on it and will not mind a scratch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow does the head stay on with no wedge?\u003c\/strong\u003e The eye is friction fit. The haft tapers, drops in from the top, and every swing seats it tighter. Tap the butt and it lifts off, and a fresh haft goes in about a minute.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I hammer with the poll?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The poll is shaped but not hardened, so keep it off nails and pegs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Wipe it dry after use and oil it before storage. The darkening is normal, the rust is not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does it really do in camp?\u003c\/strong\u003e Kindling, small limbs, a point on a green stick. It is not a felling axe.\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 the same shape with a pattern on the steel, there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-tomahawk-rosewood\"\u003eDamascus tomahawk on rosewood\u003c\/a\u003e. For a wedged head and a bit more axe, look at the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bushcraft-axe-ash\"\u003ehand forged bushcraft axe on the same ash\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tomahawks\"\u003etomahawks\u003c\/a\u003e, with more of this steel under \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":44143109996662,"sku":"VEF-TOM-HC-421","price":159.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/tomahawk-01-carbon-ash_889f78ff-65e5-4f3f-b34b-954725f2b302.jpg?v=1788832788","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-tomahawk-ash-handle","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}