Dolling up a Viking type axe by Windlass...

J

JimmyJimenez

Joined
Sep 30, 2005
Messages
580
I purchased this Indian made Windlass Steelcrafts Viking type axe some years ago as a decorative accent piece:

http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/4640/dscn10942fg.jpg


I just found it too boring for my eyes, so I modified it to my liking. The modifictions were not based on Viking designs, but rather on what I felt would make it look better visually to me.
Even so, underneith it all it's still just a plain jane Windlass Steelcrafts product, but I do like it's look a lot better now:

http://img288.imageshack.us/img288/114/dscn10939gn.jpg


Modifications that I made to it..........

Brass knob at the base of wood shaft

Brass accent wrapped around the base of wood shaft

Suede leather wrapped on lower half of wood shaft

Rosette's added to suede wrap, to bottom brass accent wrap, and to axe head socket

Silver plated copper wire wrapped around suede leather wrapping

Brass accent added two thirds up the wood shaft

Cross filed out in the axe head
 
You did a great job, looks much better. You should think about offering that as a service to folks at Ren Faires, personalizing their weapons for them would probably go over well.
 
Persev said:
You did a great job, looks much better. You should think about offering that as a service to folks at Ren Faires, personalizing their weapons for them would probably go over well.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much :)

I don't usually modify items that I collect, but this axe was more of a decorative accent piece (not a collectible for me), so that's why I was not held back at all from messing with it :)

Doing this sort of thing is okay from time to time on my own stuff, but I would find it too much trouble on a regular basis. The amount of time it took me to do what I did to this axe, would definitely place my pricing way too high for anyone to ever consider it as a viable service.

Neat for ha ha's though ;)
 
Very cool Jimmy! You really made it your own. I did something on a smaller scale to some battle axes a few months ago and posted here. I'm thinking about doing another as I made a couple of mistakes and learned from them.

Nice work!

Norm
 
The Windlass stuff is pretty darned good for the money in my experience. What I've seen is pretty tight fit and decent finish. Their sword scabbards look great, but I've only seen one - my pirate cutlass - which I like a lot.

Good work from you as usual. Keep it up.:D
 
Hi JJ:

You made that viking axe look real good.

I'm of norwegian descent. If I had one of those I'd want to go out and pillage and plunder.
 
Thanks again guys for all the positive comments you have expressed about my axe
project :)

Again, these modifications started because my eyes could not accept the plain jane
appearance of the stock Windlass Steelcrafts axe. Once I started this project, the ideas
kept coming to me.

The one thing that I started that I then soon regretted, (at least temporarily), was the filing
of the cross in the axe blade. It seemed like a neat idea at the time, but after filing away
for quite some time, my thought was more like......... “why in the heck did I start this
additional modification!”.
It was alright though once all the filing was completed and it looked real good to me :)

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/877/dscn11086tj.jpg

The suede leather and wire wrap were installed with very small headed nails (over 260 of them in
all). This too proved very time consuming.

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/1396/dscn11117tt.jpg

The brass accent pieces located about two thirds up the wood shaft on both sides, and the
accent piece wrapped around the bottom of the wood shaft, were all made from pieces cut
from a solid brass door kickplate, which I then filed to shape, bent, beveled, and drilled to
requirement.

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/9253/dscn11140nr.jpg


The entire project was done gradually, spending some hours here, then spending some more hours there. I truly can’t
even begin to make an accurate calculation on all the time I spent working on these
modifications to this axe............. labor of love, I guess ;)
 
Astrodada said:
Errr....no display box ?? :) :o
Click to expand...

Hmmm!............. Not a bad idea!

What'ya think about a nice pok-a-dotted pink and black felt rectangular shaped backboard with very large and gaudy chrome tacks all the way around the edges? ................. Sound good to ya? :)

LOL! ;)
 
Great job. Looks very professional. I have a Hungarian axe that I have considered dressing up. Thanks for the motivation.
DanR
 
CallsThunder said:
Great job. Looks very professional. I have a Hungarian axe that I have considered dressing up. Thanks for the motivation.
DanR
Click to expand...


:thumbup:

Wow, I'm honored to have inspired you :)
 
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