Help with CS Vienam Tomahawk loose head, please?

E

Emden

Joined
Apr 9, 2015
Messages
41
Greetings!

I got Vietnam Tomahaw today, and the hawk's head is little loose.
Bloody annoying slight rattle when "wiggling" the 'hawk. :mad:

Since it's my first 'hawk I thought I'd ask help here,
if anyone can give piece of advise how I could fix it.

Million thanks for any help! :)
 
As far as I recall, it has in fact a wedged hickory haft, like an axe. I am sure the wedge is already flush with th eye. If you don't want to extract it and put a new wedge, call customer support. The paint I expect would not let any kind of oil penetrate the wood to tighten it.

Just a wild guess, I don't have one but looked them up briefly. Good luck.
 
Tomahawks are 'slip fit' far as I know. Whack the head face down on something hard and the head should seat itself. Failing that whack the butt end of the shaft on something hard and you'll have a loose head to play with while you figure out how best to reshape the handle. If you're not fussy do a wrap of friction tape at the eye end of the shaft before you reset the head.
If none of this makes any sense; include some pictures in the thread!
 
Well - technically it is not a tomahawk proper...at least that's what a review I watched a few days ago said. With a slip-fit handle, this would've been less of an issue. Let me see if I can find a reference.
 
Moonw said:
Yep, round wedge. Just checked the reviews on the "big river" site.
Click to expand...

Now you know why very few forum members recommend hollow conical wedges. You'll likely ruin the handle in trying to remove it. If this was a new purchase it'll have a warranty and they'll fix it, otherwise you're gonna have to bite the bullet and order another handle. Use wood wedges this time and make sure the wood is 'bone dry' before you set the wedge.
In a pinch you could try bathing it in furniture oil or boiled linseed oil for a few days, or even a week, to see if that swells up the wood enough to tighten things up.
 
The Vietnam tomahawk is not a slip fit handle that you can just pound on tighter. It is press fit from the top.

I don't know if these use a pin.

That would be super annoying, though!
 
If you can manage to get the wedge out without wrecking the handle then that's worth a try. The silver lining is that it should be really easy to fashion a new handle like from a sledge hammer handle or similar from the hardware store.
 
300Six said:
Now you know why very few forum members recommend hollow conical wedges. You'll likely ruin the handle in trying to remove it. If this was a new purchase it'll have a warranty and they'll fix it, otherwise you're gonna have to bite the bullet and order another handle. Use wood wedges this time and make sure the wood is 'bone dry' before you set the wedge.
Click to expand...

Yes. I intend to stick to wood wedges only, and see how they work. Although...if they work for the professionals, a hobbyist like myself should not have any problem - as long as the hang is good.

I don't have a Vietnam tomahawk. I don't find them as pleasing visually like the traditional ones :). And I tend to shun away from anything "tactical". At least this one is a (copy of a) proven product, with history behind.

Emden, let us know how did it work for you in the end.
 
Okay, huge thanks to everyone! :)

Since it's new, I'll contact the shop I bought it and so on...warranty and all..
And I'll let you guys know how it did go.

BTW, Moonw and others, what kind of hawk You'd recommend?
Are those Cold Steel Trail-, Norse- or Frontier Hawks worth to get?
I've been considering buying one of those, and Norse looks nice..
 
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I have yet to get a CS hawk. All I have is a smaller, custom one. And some big axes :).

I think they all offer a good bang for the money. As to what I'd choose - I think one with a hammer head would be a good choice all around...I'd buy one for camping, general use. That's me, though. However, the Rifleman's for example is a big, hefty tool. Therefore I would advise you to always check the weight, too.

The Norse is very cool, with that long cutting edge. (I have a Bavarian "boy's axe" that has a similar edge and I love it.) It may be - for you - the best choice. These being so cheap, you can pretty much pick them all up sooner or later if you feel like it :).

1055, differentially hardened, made in Taiwan (not China), highly mod-able...yes, they are worth it.
 
Okay, I got a new Vietnam 'hawk, this time it's fine, no wiggle of anykind.
no trouble at all with the shop I bought it from. :)

Well, now I'll look to get a Norse, and need to learn how to mod it..
Then later maybe Frontier or Trail. Luckily those 'hawks are quite affordable.
 
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