Decorating Hawk Handles

J

jaysmith

Joined
Sep 17, 2006
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18
Thanks in part to this forum, I have recently gotten into tomahawks. Primarily throwing hawks, but I plan to start collecting pipe and other tomahawks.

I am looking at ways to customize the handles of my hawks and I am hoping that those of you with experience can help me out with a couple of questions:

1. Can I/Should I shorten the amount of the handle above the hawk head? If so, how much is safe to leave? I have seen some hawks with as little as ¼” above the head, while some of mine have 1-1¼“.

2. Can stain be used in addition to trweating with boiled linseed oil?

3. When wrapping the handle on the underside of hawk head with wet rawhide stips/laces, is there a particular knot that is better than others for staying secure?

4. What’s the best way to do decorative scorching on handles?

5. Is it better to leave the lower grip area bare for throwing, or can it be wrapped/leather covered without decreasing throwing performance?

6. Who offers the best handles, for replacement purposes, and will they fit in other maker’s tomahawks?

I currently have a CS frontier and a Cabela’s hawk (btw, what is the best way to sharpen a tomahawk? The Cabela’s hawk desperately needs it). I am planning on getting a H&B Shawnee, a Fort Turner Buck (and maybe Iroquois), and a Beaver Bill hawk by/for X-mas to get a feel for the different types out there.
 
I'll help you out with what I can,

1) I have done this myself a little bit to remove the indentations on the top of some handles but note that as you use the hawk and keep punding the head tighter you may run out of space and the head would slide off the top so I wouldn't cut it too short.

2) This is a question i've been trying to figure out myself

3) I've messed around with this a bit but havn't figures out a good knot yet

4) never done this

5) For throwing I prefer it bear, it slides out of your hand easier when you release.

6) With some work you oculd makes most handles fit most hawks but you'd probably be best buying a replacement from the company who sold you the hawk (unless it's crap) for an easier fit. CS has some pretty stout handles but i've always had a hard time getting them on tight.

To sharpen my hawks I have a bastard file and a puck sharpener, i'll hold the hawk in place either by slammin gthe spike into a log or with a vice then work the file on the edge as well as the side a bit then put honing oil on the puck and use it in circular motions. It seems easier to sharpen some hawks than others.
 
I've scorched a couple of hawk handles and a few walking sticks. Just messing around I've found that my trusty old propane torch does a real nice job. Just make sure you don't actually catch the wood on fire and make sure you're not somewhere that you'll set off the smoke alarm (like my basement... boy was the wife mad.). Then I stained them with a nice rosewood stain and they came out very nice. Oh yeah, you might want to practice on some junk wood before you work on the real deal. Had to get a new handle for my Norse hawk. Lesson learned...
 
If you want to use a file on the scorching, heat it up and roll the handle over the hot file. EZ
 
I'm a newbie at hawk making, but I'm an old hand at wood working.

Finishing: I've made a few dozen custom gun stocks using the following technique:

Woodburst oil based stains: sand your handle down to a likeable grit, then wet sand with 200+ grit using Woodburst as your vehicle. Woodburst comes in lots of nice colors. The oil base of Woodburst is natural tung oil. You can put just about any finish on top of it.

As a top finish, I use Birchwood Casey Tru Oil. This is a mix of BLO (boiled linseed oil) and polyurethane. I put enough coats till I'm happy. It will finish gloss, but you can buff it down with 0000 steel wool to a pleasant satin finish. Tru Oil is easy to touch up.

Here's a rifle stock I finished recently using this technique:
DSC05225.jpg


Wood burning: 1) a pastery torch or cigar torch works good for big/rough designs. 2) for more detailed designs, buy a pyrograph pen. You can get these at most craft stores (Hobby Lobby, Micheal's) They cost about $10. It's like a soldering iron with a sharp tip. You can do some beautifull work with a pyrograph (Google "pyrography" for some ideas).

For handles: Just bought a few from this guy: Ragweed Forge. He has handles that fit the CS hawks for $5. I bought a few for finishing practice.
 
That handle looks great, what do you mean by wetsand? Do you put the woodburst on the sandpaper then sand with it?
 
Also I see they offer them in 2 oz sizes to try, about how many oz do you need for a handle?
 
Brody R. said:
Also I see they offer them in 2 oz sizes to try, about how many oz do you need for a handle?
Click to expand...

The Woodburst 2 oz bottles will usually finish 2 or 3 gunstocks. I'll bet one bottle will finish a dozen or more hawk handles.

Wet sanding is sanding with a liquid 'vehicle'. This is usually done with your higher grain sand paper. You need to buy sand paper that is designed for wet sanding (it will say 'wet/dry' on the package). The idea behind wet sanding is to fill the pores in the wood to produce a very smooth, uniform finish. The vehicle and the dust form a fine paste that fills every nook in the wood. For a vehicle, you can use water, oils (tung or BLO), polyurethane, etc... If you want a really weather resistant finish, try wet sanding after spraying a light coat of Spar Urethane. The urethane is the vehicle. That gives one of the toughest, most weather resistant finishes you can find.
 
so buy wet sandpaper then apply the finish on the paper or on the wood followed by a sanding?
 
Brody R. said:
so buy wet sandpaper then apply the finish on the paper or on the wood followed by a sanding?
Click to expand...

I apply the vehicle to the wood, but you could do it either way. With any new finishing technique, do some practice pieces first. I have a collection of unfinished walnut rifle stocks that I use for practicing new techniques or finishes. The stocks were factory rejects from Boyd Rifle Stock company (google them). They usually have a 'junk' pile where you can get some practice timber for cheap.

And remember, for a good finish, you need to sand with progressive grits. I usually start with 60, then 120, then 180, then 320. If I plan to wet sand, I usually do that at 400 grit. For really fancy finishes (furniture, etc...), I will even take the grit up to 800. I think that is overkill for a tomahawk handle. That is not the 'perfect' way, but it is the way that works for me.
 
You want at least 1/2 inch of handle above the hawk head . This is after you have used it a while and pounded it back into position several times . In truth I think 3/4s of an inch would be more secure . This depends on the wood used to make the handle and the taper of the eye .

You don,t ever want a head to come off when you are throwing . It might cause another head to come off . L:O:L
 
Did you ever get an answer for the rawhide wrap knot ? I tried it a couple of times myself . The rawhide would just slip as it dried no matter what knot I tried , no matter how tight I wrapped the hide underneath would slip loose . Good question .
 
We may be getting a bit off track but there is rawhide and sinew. Today everyone uses rawhide but I think sinew is the historical choice.
1, You can use a double loop surgeon's knot or you can use the method for snowshoe webbing, slit the ends of the rawhide and thread/loop the sections together.
Hide glue was made by Indians by boiling down hoof and hide until a goo-glue was created. Hide glue is still sold but it isn't water proof- one reason the Indians carried their bows in a leather bow cover soaked in grease. The Indians would put a layer of hide glue on the bow stave and lay down strips of sinew. You couldn't pull it off the bow- the wood would split first.
IN ANY EVENT- I wrap the hawk handle/helve with strips of rawhide just below the head in a bed of wet glue and that works well. The last few wraps I tuck under- like a nail knot. Sinew however would be more historically correct. You can buy sinew from Crazy Crow(on the web). Good luck.
 
Slyone its not really off topic as the original post asked how to work rawhide as well . I,ll check out crazy horse sinew . I have a fair amount of rawhide . That is why I wanted to use rawhide . Your looping the ends of lengths together sounds good . I have never hear of the nail knot . I will check out the surgeons double knot as well .

I had used a leather glue underneath my wraps of rawhide . I underwrapped the start of my wraps but the wraps just stayed or came a little too loose to do any good .
 
Hi Kevin, I have used rawhide on my hawks, guys really like the primitive look. I soak it good and then let it dry until damp, then wrap it on and use a dull screwdriver to tuck the end under the previous wraps. I then use a coat of stain to age it, then seal with a couple coats of 50/50 linseed oil and turpentine. If the wraps are moving a little, use a little superglue on the creases, then seal it up, no more moving. Another way is to fit the rawhide to the handle and then use sinew to stitch it together, it looks a little neater this way. Just experiment until you get a look you are happy with.
 
Jay stitching the rawhide is a neat idea . I picture it like a bow handle wrap which I have done with leather . I also would like this as a means of repair . I have had a hawk handle split on me below the head . Until I made a new one I glued the split including the outside of the handle and wrapped it in 1/2 inch strips of rawhide . As previously mentioned the rawhide did not hold though the glue did the work on its own . I have tried tucking the end in and could never get it neat or to even hold . Crazy glue is an option though I don,t see it as impact resistant . I would rather work on the rawhide technique itself and use as many natural products as I can .
 
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