How to keep Cold Steel Hawk Head attached?

[Mitchell Knives]

I have a Cold Steel Norse tomahawk, and the head keeps slipping down the handle during use. I don't throw these, so I'm wondering if there is way to permanently affix the head. I've considered drilling through the head and handle, then inserting a steel pin to keep the head from sliding down. Is this overkill or would epoxy work?

 

[Blue Sky]

A pin is much better than epoxy in my book, especially when it's time to replace a broken handle. That said, if you take some time to fit the handle to the head it won't come apart unless you want it to. If you are using it as it came from the factory, you almost assuredly need to do some fitting. The newer CS hawks come with a set screw in the side but I wouldn't rely on that for serious use.

Fit it 1
Fit it 2

When you get it right, rest the head supported on a vise or something similar, drop the handle down through and with a block of wood and a hammer drive the handle down into the eye. Some folks heat the head in an oven to about 200 degrees first, which increases the eye size slightly, which then shrinks as it cools and really locks onto the handle. I've never done that personally but I believe it works.

 

[Bors]

I have a Cold Steel Norse tomahawk, and the head keeps slipping down the handle during use. I don't throw these, so I'm wondering if there is way to permanently affix the head. I've considered drilling through the head and handle, then inserting a steel pin to keep the head from sliding down. Is this overkill or would epoxy work?

I had the same problem and used a 1/4" roll pin to secure the head.

 

[2manyknives]

I had the same problem with a number of hawks and tried most of the suggestions from these forums but without any lasting success until I tried epoxy. I have a trailhawk that has the head epoxied in place that has held solid for 6 months now.

If you are going to try this use a good epoxy, not a fast setting variety ( I used Botecote which is used in building wooden boats).

Make sure both the wood and metal are clean and grease free where they will meet. Remove any existing surface coating. Don't get the surfaces smooth - you want them rough. I used a course round file to roughen up the eye of the hawk and the wood (only the part that will go inside the head).

Coat the raw wood ( again, only the part that will be inside the head of the hawk) with some epoxy and let it go tacky (this stops the raw wood absorbing epoxy as it dries inside the head, leading to epoxy starvation).

Fit the head and trickle slightly thicked epoxy into the gap (I used a sharpened wooden match to transfer the epoxy from the container to the hawk head). You might need something to stop it running out the other end if the fit is really bad (any type of plastic tape will do - epoxy won't stick to it). This might take a while as you need to keep topping it up until there is no more space inside the head.

As far as removing the handle for replacement, this will not be a problem - heat the head with a heat gun. It doesn't need to get that hot before the epoxy will weaken and release the handle. ( I once removed dozens of screws from a wooden boat that had been epoxied in by holding a soldering iron on the screw head for a short time - the epoxy goes soft and releases).

Don't think of it as gluing the head to the handle. To me it is more like bedding the action or barrel on a rifle. I can't say whether it will be a permanent solution but it is the best solution I have found so far. The secret is in good surface preparation and the use of a high quality epoxy.

 

[Dwight McLemore]

These are really some good ideas. Several years ago their was a hawk maker on-line that took buckskin strips an wrapped around and over the head of the hawk in a cross pattern, tied the whole thing off and then wet it and let it dry. I tried this with paracord, and could not get it to work. Tred it with the buckskin strips and bingo ! It seemed to work pretty good. I was throwing it and it eventually wore out. Oh Well, not be a hawk maker, I can only speculate on this.

Best
Dwight

 

[Mitchell Knives]

Good ideas everyone. I may try both methods and see what works the best. Thanks.

 

[Glock17JHP]

I found a method that worked well for me... I used it on my Cold Steel Frontier Hawk with complete satisfaction (a thrower). In fact, I never have the set-screw tightened...

Firstly, I fitted the head and haft...
To do this, I started with the head first... I basically just 'cleaned-up' the eye, and smoothed the eye opening, all with a medium-roughness file followed by emery cloth (removed the 'sloppiness' of the craftsmanship, basically). The haft fitting was done by sanding lightly by hand until the shape of the haft exterior matched the eye opening shape as well as possible.

I test-fitted the whole thing repeatedly as I went...

Finally, I put the head (but not the haft) out in the sun on a hot Summer afternoon for about an hour (it was about 100-105 degrees outside), and then slid the haft gently down into the eye opening till it was just snug. Quickly, before the head could cool-off, I loosely wrapped the fingers of my 'weak-side' hand around the top of the haft just under the head, and with my strong hand I 'whacked' the top end of the haft with a full-sized rubber mallet a few times.

This might work even better at the 'prescribed' temperature and time, however: 200 degrees 'F', for 20 minutes...

 

[Steven Penner]

if you take some time to fit the handle to the head it won't come apart unless you want it to.

Unlike a hammer, the head should be getting tighter with use.

As above, fit the haft to the handle for good contact all around.

Drive the haft in with a hammer and wooden block.
HARD.

Soak the whole thing in boiled linseed oil for several days.
The wooden fibres in the haft should expand.
As a bonus, the haft will stay more flexible and will be less prone to splintering and breakage for those who do throw.

 

[NO F-Bdy Bs]

Check the sticky thread at the top of the page.

I did a short pictoral on how to secure the head.

YOu may have to dig, im not sure what page its on.