Modifying the Cold Steel Trail Hawk, an instructional...

[Martyn]

Yes, just half a kilo of the regular brown crystals. I had a refund this morning and have ordered some from elsewhere. It's a bit of an experiment really, cos the main passivation will be achieved through using Birchwood Casey's Plum Brown Barrel Finish (which I already have here), I just wanted to experiment with alternate coatings of FeCl and plum brown to see what would come out. I just used plum brown last time as my pot of FeCl had got too much copper in it and was copper plating everything.

 

[Drummertist]

Please hurry. This really is killing me here. I'm on the floor bleeding. Really. Call for help.

...oh and I'm new to the forums by the way. Nice to meet everyone. I should probably do a better intro...

 

[Wayland]

 

[marcelxl]

Did mine last night, most enjoyable and pics to follow. Hope to get out this weekend for a play with it to see how practical it can be for me...........

I've only gone and got it shaving sharp though. Need a sheath for it, any made one who fancies making another?

Cheers!

Marc

 

[Drummertist]

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.

I had the same idea for when I get mine. I actually want to make a 30" handle (for two handed use), a 24" handle (for greater one-handed reach) and a 10" handle (or shorter; All I need is a nub) for choking up on the head for finer work. Actually, I might make curved handles, reverse-curved handles, ornate handles...okay this is getting out of hand!

 

[marcelxl]

Got mine just about as far as I want to go now, and a lovely leather cover came today for it from the excellent robevs73 so I am comfortable packing it without worries for my digits whilst blindly fishing about in a pack!

I just intend on fitting a lanyard with a tube in the shaft and coating the head and calling it good..................what do more experienced metal workers suggest for coatings?
Might fashion a "rustic" looking handle just using the head as per the video just for the hell of it!

I took mine out to see how the improvements are in practical application and its pretty awesome, I took it to a few wind blown trees including one limb around 5" as well as other whittling, pointless carving, feathering and the like. So much potential that I don't see any other axe/hatchet coming out for the foreseeable!

 

[Drummertist]

Geez, Martyn...do you live on a deserted island where the mail only comes once every couple of months or something?

 

[Wayland]

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

This is making me want another axe....... Bad Wayland !!

 

[R.Lewis]

Ok, this thread finally went and did it. I had to get one! Arrived today and couple hours later this is the result.....

 

[Totumpole]

Excellent thread. The Trail Hawk has just jumped into the top 5 of my wish list!

 

[Big E]

Has anyone seen this video for the Trail Hawk. lol. The guys pull some funny tough man faces.

http://www.coldsteel.com/trailhawk.html

There are more videos on you tube for coldsteel stuff, each as funny as the last.

 

[Corso]

Thats Lynn Thompson marketing for you

 

[Everything Mac]

Has anyone seen this video for the Trail Hawk. lol. The guys pull some funny tough man faces.

http://www.coldsteel.com/trailhawk.html

There are more videos on you tube for coldsteel stuff, each as funny as the last.

Glad to know that when I want to smash in the bonnet of enemy number ones car, the hawk is up to the task! lol!!

 

[Biker]

I've just sold two take down tomahawks that are far and away better than this any day of the week. IMO. (Let me know how get on with them chaps please.)

"Great if you want to smash things with" Sheeesh! Why oh why do they feel the need to ham everything up so much like that in that sales video?

Nice mods on the axe in the thread by Martyn.

 

[Martyn]

I've just sold two take down tomahawks that are far and away better than this any day of the week. IMO. (Let me know how get on with them chaps please.)

Maybe so, but good quality, antique forged, takedown tomahawks dont pop up all that often. The marketing on the CS stuff is truly horrible, and most the stuff they sell, I wouldn't stop to pick up off the floor. But the trail hawk isn't a bad little tool if you can see past all the rubbish. Granted in the state they arrive, they need some serious attention, but they can fairly easily be made into a very good axe. It's just hickory and carbon steel. What were yours made of?

 

[Asa Samuel]

Sorry if I missed a post but when is part 3 scheduled?

 

[Biker]

Maybe so, but good quality, antique forged, takedown tomahawks dont pop up all that often. The marketing on the CS stuff is truly horrible, and most the stuff they sell, I wouldn't stop to pick up off the floor. But the trail hawk isn't a bad little tool if you can see past all the rubbish. Granted in the state they arrive, they need some serious attention, but they can fairly easily be made into a very good axe. It's just hickory and carbon steel. What were yours made of?

Hi Martyn,
Not sure what mine are made of and saying "metal" would be just too obvious. However they are old tools I look for and restore before then end up in a landfill site. The tomahawks I have are made by old established tool companies such as Peugeot Frerres or Goldenberg to name just two.

I have no idea how to test the carbon content of the blades nor can I test their hardness. Suffice to say they've gotta be pretty bloody good to have survived some of the abuse I've seen inflicted on them before restoring 'em. Anything less wouldn't have made it though the decades.

You can see a couple of examples in the member classified, I just put one up for sale in there.

No disrespect intended for the axes themselves, I was just disgusted by their OTT sales advert, but it does strike me as odd that you buy a tool from them and effectively have to "finish" it to make it good. That's sad. I'm also more than a little put off to read that the axe heads are made in Taiwan. Not a good origin for anything sold as a "quality tool".

 

[Shinken]

im also more than a little put off to read that the axe heads are made in Taiwan. Not a good origin for anything sold as a "quality tool".

There is nothing wrong with the axe heads at all, Good tough steel and good heat treat

 

[SteveW]

I have heard some good things about them, they are not at all expensive to buy new, (though I'm looking for a couple of second-hand ones to keep the cost down) good( easy to keep sharp in the field) steel and heat treat for the money, and very adaptable as a tool, hence me looking for them. Nice mods btw Martyn