cold steel spike hawk cant get the set screw out

D

decimuses

Joined
Jul 20, 2015
Messages
4
i have put all my effort into this thing it wont come out i dont know what im doing wrong the screw is all side to side wobbly but it will not at all budge and its position buried in the wood anybody have an idea on how to get it out
 
Came here looking for help - same problem. I've broken (snapped in half) 3 hex wrenches trying to get the set screws out of my 2 Norse Hawks. Broke 1 on the first 1 before it came loose and then broke 2 more on the 2nd NH. Ran out of hex wrenches. The screw is still stuck. Almost like they put JB Weld on them, but I don't see any on the first 1 that came out.

I guess I'll have to go out and buy some left-handed bits. This should NOT be happening. Especially since I have 5 more NHs enroute. I guess I'm gonna have to invest in a hex wrench making company.
 
if it is loctite or regular jb weld use localized heat, like a small soldering torch. also, i would use an allen socket with ratchet. my set screw on my last riflemans was a little tight. i dont remember seeing loctite on mine, and I'd go look, but it rolled into the grass
 
If you have an L shaped hex wrench, try tapping on the back end with a hammer. Sometimes that is enough to break a frozen set screw loose.
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

BB, I don't have a torch, but I do have a regular electric soldering iron. Would that get hot enough to do the job? Or do I need a propane gas torch?

Mossy, I'd go try that right now, but I'm still out of hex wrenches "that size" until I go "to town" tomorrow. 20 mile drive to the nearest lumber yard / hardware store.
 
It's a dilemma for the manufacturer. Some of their customers want to be able to take apart the tool for modifications. But most want to buy a tool that stays together for the life of the tool. Difficult to satisfy both groups. Economics demands building for the lowest common denominator.

Drill. Easy out. Hope.
 
you could try the soldering iron, set on high. or, if you or someone you know smokes cigars use a torch lighter.
 
Square_peg said:
It's a dilemma for the manufacturer. Some of their customers want to be able to take apart the tool for modifications. But most want to buy a tool that stays together for the life of the tool. Difficult to satisfy both groups. Economics demands building for the lowest common denominator.

Drill. Easy out. Hope.
Click to expand...

Yep. Hope. A big dose.:D I'm not gonna mod them so much as remove the screw entirely. Just seems like a failure point for introducing stress to the handle to cause it to split out easier. I just started throwing hawks and my intuition says "remove it" so I am.

BigBuddha76 said:
you could try the soldering iron, set on high. or, if you or someone you know smokes cigars use a torch lighter.
Click to expand...

I'll try the soldering iron tomorrow after I buy some more wrenches. :rolleyes: If that doesn't work, I'll try to find something. No one I know or hang out with smokes so that's out. Worst case, left-hand bits should do it.
 
Cold Steel Knives said:
Give our team a call toll free at (800) 255 4716
They may have some suggestions.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Cold Steel moderator,

With years of real world testing and tons of feedback by your customers isn't it time for Cold Steel to make the set screw go away? Except for the most inexperienced outdoorsman/woman or the youngest pre teen user; no one, anywhere, any time, on any forum, in any discussion, has ever spoken positively about the set screw.

It is technically incorrect for the friction fit tomahawk and in practice that tiny set screw mounted directly in the wood haft has zero chance of performing the desired function. It simply could not work fo any length of time without wallowing out the wood and becoming loose. So why the resistance removing it? For a company that has so many great products and coming from a big fan of Cold Steel products, this one is a real head scratcher!?!

It is an incorrect part for a tomahawk, it cannot and does not perform the intended function and your customers not only hate it but, as a matter of fact, it is removed and discarded the moment it comes out of the box. That is, if you can get it out. Can you please forward this to whoever has the ability to make such decisions?
 
CS Mod, Thanks passing it on.

Might add that removing it would reduce manufacturing cost - elimination of 5 steps - 1) buying/inventorying/storing the set screws and hex wrenches 2) distribution of set screws and hex wrenches to the assembly stations 3) punching the hole 4)threading the hole 5) inserting and tightening the set screw

win-win-loose situation

lower manufacturing costs - Cold Steel wins
no set screws - customers win
fewer set screws made and sold by set screw manufacturer - set screw manufacturer looses sales

Well, we can't make everyone happy all the time but 2 wins >> 1 loose :D especially when you're one of the winners :D:D
 
Well, the soldering iron attempt was a big fail. I was using the soldering iron at an electronics soldering station that had one of those illuminated 15x magnifying glass. It looked like the threads of the set screw were rusted into the threads of the hawk head. I guess bi-metallic galvanic corrosion (dissimilar steels in contact with each other in a humid condition) stuck'em together.
 
I totally agree. I fill mine with JB weld.

shortwinger said:
Cold Steel moderator,

With years of real world testing and tons of feedback by your customers isn't it time for Cold Steel to make the set screw go away? Except for the most inexperienced outdoorsman/woman or the youngest pre teen user; no one, anywhere, any time, on any forum, in any discussion, has ever spoken positively about the set screw.

It is technically incorrect for the friction fit tomahawk and in practice that tiny set screw mounted directly in the wood haft has zero chance of performing the desired function. It simply could not work fo any length of time without wallowing out the wood and becoming loose. So why the resistance removing it? For a company that has so many great products and coming from a big fan of Cold Steel products, this one is a real head scratcher!?!

It is an incorrect part for a tomahawk, it cannot and does not perform the intended function and your customers not only hate it but, as a matter of fact, it is removed and discarded the moment it comes out of the box. That is, if you can get it out. Can you please forward this to whoever has the ability to make such decisions?
Click to expand...
 
ok BF won't let me post all the steps I did for some reason :(, but I eventually got it out with a drill press table vice, drill press and multiple bits.
 
Not only are the screws problematic from a customer preference standpoint, but often the handle shrinks slightly from its factory-set position, causing the head to wobble significantly. This drastically increases the likelihood of handle failure if not corrected, and once you remove the set screw you then have a nice deep divot in the wood, so even if you wanted to seat it again you're going to have two divots, not just one. In my experience (and I hand-inspect every piece I sell, so I've experienced a lot of them) it is actually more common for the head to be loose from than it is to be properly seated. The nice thing with slip fit eyes is that the head can't ever fly off the end of the handle as long as it's correctly sized. If the wood shrinks the head just rides up on the handle a little.
 
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