Viking Hatchet, Hand Forged Carbon Steel with Charred Wood Handle

A hatchet is the small axe you keep in a pack or by the wood stove, sized for one hand and for work that does not call for a full length haft. This one runs 14 inches overall with a 5 inch head and a 4.5 inch cutting edge, forged from 5160 spring steel and hung on a birch handle charred black over the lower half. It splits kindling and cuts firewood to stove size.

Specification

The head

The steel is 5160 spring steel, what real axe makers use, tough enough to take an impact without chipping and easy to bring back on a stone. The head is 5 inches long with a 4.5 inch cutting edge, a compact Norse profile, the edge curved through its length so it bites on an angle rather than landing flat. The cheek is dark gray off the hammer with the forging marks showing, and the bevel is mirror bright. 5160 is carbon steel, which is the honest trade, so it darkens and wants drying.

The handle

The handle is birch, close grained and pale, charred black over the lower half and then sanded back so the grain comes up through the burn. The char is burned into the wood rather than sprayed on as a stain, and it gives the lower hand some grip. At 9 inches you can choke up behind the head for fine splitting, which is the point of a hatchet. It is driven through the eye with a wedge driven into the top, spreading the wood tight against the steel.

The leather head cover

The cover is cut for this head, so the edge sits down inside it. The leather is vegetable tanned. A belt loop is stitched to the back, a strap with a snap closes over the top, and a welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching stays clear of the steel. All of the stitching is done by hand. The face is hand tooled with carved Norse knotwork inside a stamped border, cut and shaded rather than printed. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather. This is the rest of it.

Who it suits

A hatchet is the piece people actually use, so this one sells as a working tool as often as it sells as a gift, and the charred handle is what makes buyers stop and look at it.

• Campers splitting kindling
• Anyone who heats with wood
• Bushcraft and pack users
• Hunters who want a light head
• Gift buyers who want something used

What comes in the box

• The viking hatchet
• The tooled leather head cover
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Every head is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out alike. The hammer marks, the char on the handle and the tooling all shift from piece to piece. Yours will not match the photograph exactly.

Looking after it

Wipe the head dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina that builds on 5160 is normal and protects the steel. Oil the head before storage and oil the handle now and then, since a dry handle shrinks and a loose head is dangerous. Check the head is tight before every use. Sharpen with a file and a puck, following the bevel already there. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a head or a handle, and clean line art engraves better than a photograph. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a hatchet for? Splitting kindling and cutting firewood to size in one hand.

Why is the handle charred? The burn is sanded back so the pale birch grain shows.

How do I sharpen it? With a file and a puck, following the bevel already there.

Will this steel rust? It can, so dry the head and oil it before storage.

Is the head tight? Yes, the handle is wedged in the eye. Check it before every use.

How sharp is it? Sharp enough to use straight away, and sharpening is free for life.

For the same steel on a longer handle, see the carbon steel bearded axe on ash, and for a lighter head the hand forged throwing axe. More sits in axes and hatchets, in carbon steel axes, and in viking axes.