Market for Historically accurate tomahawks?

Kentucky

Kentucky

Joined
Dec 13, 2008
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Im curious about what folks think about historically accurate tomahawks..I know it isnt important to most but Im curious if you have purchased one or priced one..When I say historically accurate Im meaning a period correct hawk. Wrought iron body with a steel welded bit and wrap around welded construction. Hafts finished with Aqua-Fortis and hand rubbed oil finish.No power tools in the forging process and only solid fuel for the forge .File's and hand sanding for the finsih.Something like that..I know a lot of re-enactors demand traditional methods or they wont use them..Whats your thoughts? Thanks
 
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As long as it looks the part I don't care how it's made. But then again, I am not an reenactor. :)


Ookami
 
It is one area of interest to me and as soon as my forge is up and running I plan to do some. I am also interested in silver and brass inlays in hawk heads. I do a bit of leather for reenactors but most of the folks involved up here in the frozen north do their own work including their own knives and sometimes hawks. The things I sell most often to reenactors are powder measures out of antler tips which is weird because they're pretty much a piece of cake to make, just stinky to drill out. ;-)

Regards

Robin
 
If you want to learn to do pewter and silver inlays Alan Longmire is the man to learn from. He makes some of the nicest historical tomahawks Ive seen..I can point you to some tutorials hes done as well..If Im not badly mistaken hes an archaeologist as well...
 
Kentucky said:
If you want to learn to do pewter and silver inlays Alan Longmire is the man to learn from. He makes some of the nicest historical tomahawks Ive seen..I can point you to some tutorials hes done as well..If Im not badly mistaken hes an archaeologist as well...
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i'd love to see those tutorials.

vec
 
I've yet to see a modern tacticool tomahawk I would prefer to something more traditional.
 
I'd love to see someone make a tomahawk like this one, a trade hawk used in Ohio during the war of 1812, and currently in the Smithsonian's collection. Does anyone make reproduction tomahawks like these?
 
I think there is a very good market for Traditional "period" pieces, with some caveats;

First, it has to look the part. There are dozens of generic Hawk heads for sale everywhere, there are plenty of cheap imports that have about 20% of the flavor of a traditional but to be authentic the Maker has to do some research to get the look right. Though ornemantation was rarely present on most non-pipe Hawks I think some is necessary to carry the full effect.

Second, it has to be made well. I would definately not go so far as to say it has to be made using only a Blacksmith hammer and Deer Blood by the light of a full moon, etc. More that it has to have good fit with good materials.

Finally, price is very important. There are a few Makers (won't list the names) that make a few Hawks each year - these start at a grand and go up. That kind of market is very small. If a Maker could come in at half that price with a good looking functional Hawk then I think he could sell a few.
 
Please forgive the knives in the pic - it is one I already had handy. The 'hawks were made by an Amish blacksmith from Ohio, Crist Burkholter, completely without modern technology from steel supposedly from horse-drawn buggy springs. The Amish don't use phones or email, so I had to communicate through a non-Amish intermediary who would visit Crist in person to relay information back and forth. I never communicated directly with Crist and have lost touch with the intermediary, whose name was Craig. Both hawks are drilled, functional pipes. The one with the hexagonal bowl is copied from an actual historical piece.
hb9.jpg

hawk700w.jpg


This is a pic of the original owned by Alexander Mackenzie, British scout for the Northwest Fur Company (later absorbed by the Husdon Bay Company). In 1792 Mackenzie was the first Anglo/European to cross the Canadian Rockies and explore west to the Pacific Ocean. In the background of the photo is Mackenzie's book about the fur trade and his exploration from 1789-1791. That is his original scabbard - amazing that it survived.
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Here's the other one, a Plains style
resized_hawk_1.jpg

resized_hawk_2.jpg
 
Great stuff VML, the scabbard is amazing, i'll make one of those today ;-)))

Best regards

Robin
 
Kentucky, i've been wondering the same exact things for about 5 years now(since i've been forging all steel spike hawks and never done a steel "pipehawk" which just don't seem right), and have been watching what people are buying, and have concluded, that for some reason with tomahawks they don't much care if it's made of true WROUGHT IRON, with charcoal or coal forge welding, etc. At websites like frontierfolks.com are some of the most fanatical about historical accuracy, (long, sometimes scholarly, threads of disscusion and debates about what's period correct in their dress etc, for reenacting), but when it comes to tomahawks they don't seem nearly as particular and get one of solid steel or folded mild steel with the welded steel bit. It just don't make sense to me.LOL.
I quit doing the steel last summer because i want to do them exactly as the originals, and am gonna keep trying to get forge welds with charcoal(can't get white heat so far with hardwood charcoal and am making pine charcoal to try) and then do 3 piece spikes and pipe hawks of real wrought with steel bits. But, i'll bet, historically accurate material and methods won't help them sell any better.I dunno
 
VML, i'm in the middle of a couple of sheaths that have to get finished, i'll do the hawk scabbard tomorrow likely and post a link to a picture or two.
The haft on the Alexander Mackenzie pipehawk is interesting in that it is very curved and has been hollowed. I'm wondering if it warped to that shape or whether the stem/haft is two pieces as many of the early catlinite pipe stems were. I have made many Pipes used currently in ceremony and most of them are two piece stems. Puzzle stems usually have a number of pieces making up the stem.

Best regards

Robin
 
Hi Robin,

My guess is warped at 200+ years old, a history of use and some major visible cracks, but I would not pretend to be an expert in such matters. I'll look forward to the sheath at your leisure - good things are worth waiting for.

Warm regards,
Manny
 
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ducatimonster said:
Kentucky, i've been wondering the same exact things for about 5 years now(since i've been forging all steel spike hawks and never done a steel "pipehawk" which just don't seem right), and have been watching what people are buying, and have concluded, that for some reason with tomahawks they don't much care if it's made of true WROUGHT IRON, with charcoal or coal forge welding, etc. At websites like frontierfolks.com are some of the most fanatical about historical accuracy, (long, sometimes scholarly, threads of disscusion and debates about what's period correct in their dress etc, for reenacting), but when it comes to tomahawks they don't seem nearly as particular and get one of solid steel or folded mild steel with the welded steel bit. It just don't make sense to me.LOL.
I quit doing the steel last summer because i want to do them exactly as the originals, and am gonna keep trying to get forge welds with charcoal(can't get white heat so far with hardwood charcoal and am making pine charcoal to try) and then do 3 piece spikes and pipe hawks of real wrought with steel bits. But, i'll bet, historically accurate material and methods won't help them sell any better.I dunno
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Itys funny you mention that..I have seen reenactors that couldent care less about the clothing but wouldent touch a hawk made from a ball peen or a piece of square stock, heck they wouldent touch if they thought it had seen a electric grinder(pretty much the same way with their knives too)..Had to be wrought and welded bit. Then turn around and wear mass produced clothing. Weird huh?
 
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