Hawk design question

[Shane Thomas]

Hi all, first post.

I'm just getting into this whole knife/hawkmaking/forging thing and am doing it specifically with making a certain hawk/camp axe in mind.

I do a lot of hunting and I'm going to be doing a lot more solo backpacking almost survival type hunts. I was hoping to make an axe to take the place of a camp axe and big knife for field dressing etc. I would like it to have a longish edge, bearded I think is the term and a hammer face on the backside. Along with a guthook device in there somewhere.

What kind of steel would you al suggest to use? My plan was to make it from round bar stock. (suggestions for an online source would be nice too)

Should I TIG a hard surface on the hammer face or will just a good hardened face do?

Any suggestions on how to lay this out?

Thanks Guys

 

[COAL CREEK FORGE]

Welcome aboard Shane,let your imagination run wild-a 24 ounce ball make a pretty good poll hammer hawk as well as trailer springs off of flatbed trailer's(preferably 1 inch thick),best part of all that is you can usually get the spring's from truck repair shop's or sometimes find pieces along the highway,i usually buy up all the ball pein's i can find at flea markets,triple quenched and throwed on the ground to cool restores hardness.Alway's has worked for me

 

[Stuart Willis]

I second the Ball peen conversion. They make really hawks and are good steel.