That's probably a firemans axe too. Has your got any markings on it?
Look here...
http://winrelic.com/Sales/trade_axes.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23753521@N02/2941838215/
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Modifying the Cold Steel Trail Hawk, an instructional...
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That's probably a firemans axe too. Has your got any markings on it?
Look here...
http://winrelic.com/Sales/trade_axes.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23753521@N02/2941838215/
Ah! here we are!
i have one of these as well is there anybody on here that could reshape more like a hawk ?
could be. Theres no markings on it though.
I once owned a real old firemans axe head. A bit heftier than this, it had a crown stamped on it, (the rest of the mark was illegible) and an odd way of fitting to the haft. (long gone)
Instead of those two lugs, the head had a long flat tang, which went in a slot in the haft. This was then fitted with a steel sheath and rivetted on.
It was very heavy.
I once owned a real old firemans axe head. A bit heftier than this, it had a crown stamped on it, (the rest of the mark was illegible) and an odd way of fitting to the haft. (long gone)
Instead of those two lugs, the head had a long flat tang, which went in a slot in the haft. This was then fitted with a steel sheath and rivetted on.
It was very heavy.
I'm pretty sure mine is a firemans axe but it's also a close enough rep. for a boarding axe so that will be it's new role in life.
Yours looks to be in better condition than mine though.
Yours looks to be in better condition than mine though.
Or... sell the old firemans axe and use the money to pay a smith to forge you a custom hawk?
These old firemans axes fetch good money.
Bit more info for you...
The other axe you refer to, was probably sheathed in rubber, not steel (though there may have been a steel sheathed variant). The rubber handle was supposed to protect from high voltage.
These axes were never intended as wood cutting/splitting axes, there were actually an early form of forced entry tool, used mainly for breaking doors down, smashing windows, chopping cables etc. There were generally fairly flat bladed and not very suitable as wood cutting tools. Given that old naval boarding axes were mainly used for cutting lines, opening hatches and knocking down cabin doors, the similarity to the firemans axe is unsurprising. In fact, it may be that early firemans axes were actually naval boarding axes.
This is the more modern type with the rubber handle...
They are often found with the rubber missing or damaged and have a flat steel shaft running the length of the handle. They are made from a single piece of flat steel, but have the same head & spike profile as the earlier version.
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Back to the subject of the Trail Hawk. I've got mine now. It came with a horribly loose head held in place by the Allen key. The head had gouged shelves for itself in the handle. The head was really tough to get off and as has been stated, shaved the handle most of the way down. My handle is not great and has some cross-grain and grain break-outs. Not sure how long it will last.
So far I have smoothed the head burring, stripped off the head paint, re-profiled the edge with a mill file to a convex (but left it quite thick), patina'd the head in some vinegar then oiled it, sanded the handle to get rid of the shelves, applied a little wood dye to the handle and oiled it and refitted the head. I like some further mods I have seen : sheath (will have to do this), leather laced over-strike protection (looks nice but doesn't this defeat the purpose of being able to slide the head off?), and a wrapped cord at the end of the handle to stop it sliding out of the hand (ditto). What are folks' thoughts on these? All in all a very nice portable tool for about £120 less than the GB version...
A quick chop at some kindling proved it to be fairly effective on small wood.
The Cold Steel catalogue that came with it had some dodgy stuff in it and went straight in the bin !
NS
So far I have smoothed the head burring, stripped off the head paint, re-profiled the edge with a mill file to a convex (but left it quite thick), patina'd the head in some vinegar then oiled it, sanded the handle to get rid of the shelves, applied a little wood dye to the handle and oiled it and refitted the head. I like some further mods I have seen : sheath (will have to do this), leather laced over-strike protection (looks nice but doesn't this defeat the purpose of being able to slide the head off?), and a wrapped cord at the end of the handle to stop it sliding out of the hand (ditto). What are folks' thoughts on these? All in all a very nice portable tool for about £120 less than the GB version...
A quick chop at some kindling proved it to be fairly effective on small wood.
The Cold Steel catalogue that came with it had some dodgy stuff in it and went straight in the bin !
NS
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I ordered two and one of them arrived on Christmas Eve morning 
Luckily (for me) the one that I have was drop dead easy to remove the head from. I removed the set screw and gave the whole assembly an experimental tap on the pavement and, to my amazement, the head slipped effortlessly off the handle without any witness marks left behind.
Unfortunately, the I've had no time to tinker with it as yet, but I have grand plans. I intend making a twin-handle arrangement where a pair of handles will be carried with the head fitted to the longest. I have a daft idea for a shorter handle for kindling and carving work, and a longer one for scalping zombies...
I think two handles and one head make a lot of sense and, combined, they probably take up no more room with no weight penalty when compared to my Scandinavian Forest Axe.
To be honest, my most used axe for camp-related stuff is probably my GB wildlife hatchet, which is almost right on the money for the vast majority of what I do outdoors. The mini hatchet is just a shade too small for me, but the wildlife hatchet is pretty close to ideal, so carrying the Scandinavian Forest Axe is serious overkill on my part and always means I am overgunned and under-utilised. I am a great believer in gathering suitable material rather than trying to reduce unsuitable material to a desired size and/or shape with lots of unnecessary labour intensive axe work. Anyway, I will join into the fray in a few days when I get the opportunity to play
Luckily (for me) the one that I have was drop dead easy to remove the head from. I removed the set screw and gave the whole assembly an experimental tap on the pavement and, to my amazement, the head slipped effortlessly off the handle without any witness marks left behind.
Unfortunately, the I've had no time to tinker with it as yet, but I have grand plans. I intend making a twin-handle arrangement where a pair of handles will be carried with the head fitted to the longest. I have a daft idea for a shorter handle for kindling and carving work, and a longer one for scalping zombies...
I think two handles and one head make a lot of sense and, combined, they probably take up no more room with no weight penalty when compared to my Scandinavian Forest Axe.
To be honest, my most used axe for camp-related stuff is probably my GB wildlife hatchet, which is almost right on the money for the vast majority of what I do outdoors. The mini hatchet is just a shade too small for me, but the wildlife hatchet is pretty close to ideal, so carrying the Scandinavian Forest Axe is serious overkill on my part and always means I am overgunned and under-utilised. I am a great believer in gathering suitable material rather than trying to reduce unsuitable material to a desired size and/or shape with lots of unnecessary labour intensive axe work. Anyway, I will join into the fray in a few days when I get the opportunity to play
The suspense is killing me Martyn....need more info on this cracking project....
Roll on phase 3....pleeeeease....
ATB, Jon.
Roll on phase 3....pleeeeease....
ATB, Jon.
So far my thoughts are much like yours, apart from the edge guard, they seem visually nice but problematic in a practical sense to me.
We'll see what Martyn has to say about them.
As I said in the OP....
Without being able to easily take the axe down, it's no more or less useful than any other hatchet really. However, the (oiled) leather over-strike protector, though largely cosmetic, just slips on and off. The handle is slightly conical all the way down, so the collar gets tighter as you slide it up to the head. The last inch or so has to be forced on, but it still comes off easily enough to allow easy take down. If ever it gets too loose, you just re-tie the laces. The leather braid is just looped through the lanyard hole with a Prusik knot, so dead easy to remove.
But yes, anything that stops you taking the head off easily is a bad idea IMO and limits the function of the axe for no good reason.
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I havent forgotten mate, honestly. I'm still waiting for Royal Fail/Parcel Farce to deliver my new batch of Ferric Chloride crystals.
Start mine this weekend, borrowed a mates sander to make the job easier!
Mine is an older one though, no grub screw and no sticker (it was given by the same mate & noted collector of sharp and shineys!)
Who knows how long it had been in a drawer before I got it!
Is anyone making & selling sheaths for these yet?
Mine is an older one though, no grub screw and no sticker (it was given by the same mate & noted collector of sharp and shineys!)
Who knows how long it had been in a drawer before I got it!
Is anyone making & selling sheaths for these yet?
Identical..............as far as I can see.
My mate did used to be a very active collector/importer, I'm certain it will be a genuine CS model. I guess I'll have to see how I get on with it
My mate did used to be a very active collector/importer, I'm certain it will be a genuine CS model. I guess I'll have to see how I get on with it
C'mon Royal mail! You're killing us here
It's beyond a joke, though not RM...
Paid for it on 9th December.
If it's the standard round pellet Ferric Chloride crystals you are after I have half a dozen or so bags in the workshop right now.
Most of my work is either forge welded and/or has a hamon so I always keep plenty to hand.
Most of my work is either forge welded and/or has a hamon so I always keep plenty to hand.
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