{"product_id":"hand-forged-viking-hand-axe-oak","title":"Hand Forged Viking Hand Axe, 15 Inch Oak Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eMost of the wood cut in a day is small. Kindling for the stove, a stake pointed, limbs off a branch that came down. None of it is worth walking back for a felling axe. That is the work this one is built around. It is 15 inches overall, a 1095 high carbon head on oak, light enough that it goes in the bag instead of staying behind.\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\u003e15 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e15 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 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 high carbon, 5.5 inches long, left dark from the fire with the hammer marks showing and the bevel taken up bright. The edge is 3.5 inches, short enough that everything you swing lands in one small place. A long edge spreads the blow and a short one concentrates it, which is why a small head sinks further into a green limb than its weight suggests. There is meat behind the bevel so the edge is not standing alone. Carbon steel goes grey with use and spots if put away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOak is hard and heavy and does not dent when the handle knocks a log. The eye is wedged. The handle is driven up from below, a wooden wedge is set into the split in the top to spread it tight against the steel, then a steel wedge goes across. At 15 inches your hand sits close to the head, which is why the short one gets picked up. Hold it near the head to pare, or drop back to the butt for a full swing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather head cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to this head's own outline and stitched by hand, with a welt in the seam so the thread never lies on the edge. The face is stamped in a basket weave, one press at a time. The stamp lands differently on every hide. A snap strap closes over the poll and keeps it on in a pack. It goes on dry. A covered wet head is worse off than an open one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe axe that gets used is the one that came with you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants an axe in the pack rather than the truck\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople cutting kindling and small limbs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who work one handed close to the wood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who found a full size axe stays at home\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 15 inch hand axe on oak\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, so no two leave here alike. The dark skin lands where the fire and the hammer put it. 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 photograph.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe it dry and put a film of oil over the head. The cover goes back on only when the head is dry. A new oak handle takes 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. Linseed rags go flat outside, since a rag balled up indoors can catch fire on its own. More is 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 on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name or a date. Not much flat on a head this size, so the letters go small and we show you where. A proof image comes to you for approval, then add 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 or more, and 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\u003eIs 15 inches too short to be useful?\u003c\/strong\u003e Not for small wood. It is too short to fell anything, and we would rather say so.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy not just carry a longer axe?\u003c\/strong\u003e Because you would not. A short axe fits the pack and comes along, and the one in your hand does more than the one at home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I use it one handed all day?\u003c\/strong\u003e That is what the length is for. The head is small and the weight sits near your fist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is the head fitted?\u003c\/strong\u003e A wedged eye. The handle comes up from below, a wooden wedge spreads it in the top, then a steel wedge is driven across.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Dry it, oil it, and never leave it under the cover wet.\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\u003ePattern welded steel in the same size is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-viking-hand-axe-walnut\"\u003eDamascus hand axe on walnut\u003c\/a\u003e, and more edge on more handle is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-viking-bearded-axe-ash\"\u003e24 inch bearded axe on ash\u003c\/a\u003e. It lives in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/viking-axes\"\u003eviking axes\u003c\/a\u003e, plain steel in \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":44145789403254,"sku":"VEF-VKA-HC-2003","price":149.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/viking-axe-03-carbon-hand-axe-oak_9748e030-5435-4052-a313-97cbab770d18.jpg?v=1788854904","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-viking-hand-axe-oak","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}