{"product_id":"hand-forged-viking-bearded-axe-ash","title":"Hand Forged Viking Bearded Axe, 24 Inch Ash Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eShaping a log on the ground means working close to the wood, hand low, eye down the line. A long edge hanging below the eye is what lets you do it. That hanging part is the beard, and it is the point of the whole shape. The head is 1095 high carbon steel, the handle is ash, and the axe runs 24 inches overall with five inches of edge on the front of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHead length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e7 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCutting edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24 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 clear 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, 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 is plain high carbon steel and it moves well under a hammer. The skin stays dark the way it came out of the fire, hammer marks and all, with the bevel polished bright so the two finishes meet along a clear line. The head is seven inches from eye to toe and most of that is beard, a thin sweep of steel dropping below the eye where a hatchet carries nothing. Thin steel there keeps the weight sensible while the edge stays long. Carbon steel darkens with use and spots if left wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh is springy. It gives under a hard swing and comes back, which is why so many handles are cut from it. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up through from below, a wooden wedge goes into the split in the top to spread it tight against the steel, then a steel wedge is set across that. Nothing here slides off. At 24 inches you work one handed close in, or put a second hand on the butt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline rather than folded from a rectangle, since a beard is not the shape of a hatchet. A welt in the seam keeps the stitching off the edge, and every stitch goes in by hand. The face is stamped in a basket weave, one press at a time, and a snap strap closes it over the poll. It goes on dry, because leather holds damp against steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeople who come looking for a beard usually own something compact and keep running out of edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone shaping green wood close to the ground\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want a long edge on a light head\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWoodworkers who hold the head under the beard\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who has outgrown a short hatchet\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe bearded axe on its 24 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. Hammer marks land where the hammer put them. Ash is sawn from a board, so the grain in your handle will not match the photograph. The curve of the beard is filed by eye and settles differently each time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the head dry when you stop and leave a film of oil on the steel. The cover goes on dry, never over a wet head. Give a new handle boiled linseed oil, three to five coats over as many days, then once a year. Never varnish it, and never stand a loose head in water. Lay linseed rags flat outside, since a rag screwed up indoors can catch fire on its own. More on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare 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 here on the page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name or a date rather than a sentence. The flat cheek behind the beard gives the letters room. A proof image comes back first, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 or more. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e shows what fits.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the beard actually for?\u003c\/strong\u003e More edge on the same head, and somewhere to hold. Grip the steel under the eye and pare with the toe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the thin beard weak?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is thin, not weak. Keep it out of knots and dirt and it does what it was drawn for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes a hooking edge pull differently?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes. The heel bites first and the cut runs up the edge, so it slices along the grain rather than landing flat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is the head held on?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wedged eye. The handle comes up from below, a wooden wedge spreads it tight in the top, then a steel wedge crosses it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Bare steel greys with use and spots if it goes away damp. Dry it and oil it.\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\u003eThe same outline in pattern welded steel is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-viking-bearded-axe-hickory\"\u003eDamascus bearded axe on hickory\u003c\/a\u003e, and smaller again is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-viking-hand-axe-oak\"\u003e15 inch hand axe on oak\u003c\/a\u003e. It sits with the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/viking-axes\"\u003eviking axes\u003c\/a\u003e, plain steel under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/carbon-steel-axes\"\u003ecarbon steel axes\u003c\/a\u003e, the rest 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":44145786290294,"sku":"VEF-VKA-HC-2001","price":189.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/viking-axe-01-carbon-bearded-ash_22ec247b-a517-4a36-905c-8c1a6ca1d55c.jpg?v=1788854827","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-viking-bearded-axe-ash","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}