Mod'ing The CS Trail Hawk

Spooky,

That's some nice work. I really like that sanded finish, it really gives it that forged appearance. I've been stripping mine, sanding and then then bluing it but I like what you've done.

Nicely done.:thumbup:
 
Just got a CS norse hawk in today, it will be painted Digi cam, both the haft and the head, and than I give it a digicam paracord wrap just below the head.
 
vector001 said:
since this is the mod-it paradise thread - i thought you cool cats might want to see this.

i was thinking of the possible sacrilege it could be perceived to be ...to put one of my permanent Gen 1 Mk 2 handles on one of the custom hawk makers' hawk heads, like venerable-brother mark williams (and many others here, all respected).

....so i tried to "get with the program this week" on a composite slip handle protoype run that might lead to a handle for those beauties, that is a lot tougher than wood, same contour as a wooden slip handle, with no trade-offs except maybe for the traditional appearance...:cool:....


anywayz,...

here's a shot of Composite Slip Handle Prototype 1 on a Cold Steel Trail Hawk Head. -

it is fresh out of the mold and i haven't had a chance to shine it up, but it is still very beautiful with that deep graphite pattern -

(sorry my phone was all i had handy to take pics, brethren.)

topView2.jpg


close-up of the sexy snakeskin graphite pattern.
texture.jpg


this one is way-overbuilt i reckon,

...but the weight is about the same as a wood handle of the same size it was based off of - a stock 19 incher Cold Steel Hawk Handle.

it feels much more "lively" than wood, but i am not sure yet why - it must be the materials and techniques we are trying out - dunno! - we won't know until we get a bunch made for testing - this one was a lot of fun today though, in initial tests - it won't get to full strength for a couple days.


oh! - i thought you fellow-babies might know the answer to a question...;

is this the first composite slip handle on the planet...?

i don't believe i have ever seen one before.

but i can be a dope.

:o


we're not ready to sell them yet, since they are less than 24 hours old,

but - if any buddy wants to get on the list of interested hawk-O-maniacs - please just e-mail my erica at:

ericag@equinoxcoronado.com


keep showing those mods -i'm loving 'em....


vec
Click to expand...

I was just thinking to myself here, but if that handle is hollow, and you could cap the tube with removeable rubber plugs, it would be a really nifty place for a quick-and-dirty survival kit, consisting of the following items, with some variations, depending on what you want in a kit:

Small plastic container of waterproof matches
Itty-bitty ziploc bag with a couple of bits of tinder
Good length of fishing line wound around a "bird and trout" knife
Fish hooks
and a tightly-rolled mylar survival blanket to take up the extra space and prevent rattling.
To get the stuff out, I'd try tying a length of 550 cord around the first item down the tube, then pack the rest on top. When you want to unload it, just pull the string and out everything comes.

Just an idea...
 
Stinky Whizzleteats said:
I was just thinking to myself here, but if that handle is hollow, and you could cap the tube with removeable rubber plugs, it would be a really nifty place for a quick-and-dirty survival kit, consisting of the following items, with some variations, depending on what you want in a kit:

Small plastic container of waterproof matches
Itty-bitty ziploc bag with a couple of bits of tinder
Good length of fishing line wound around a "bird and trout" knife
Fish hooks
and a tightly-rolled mylar survival blanket to take up the extra space and prevent rattling.
To get the stuff out, I'd try tying a length of 550 cord around the first item down the tube, then pack the rest on top. When you want to unload it, just pull the string and out everything comes.

Just an idea...
Click to expand...

:thumbup: I realy like this Idea....but I do not think the handle is hollow...
 
we have plans to try hollow slip handles with a neat trick to seal off sections, foam-filled (my favorite), and solid (as in Ground Zero Proof, for MOUT. etc.)

you guys are so crazy....

:D:thumbup:

vec
 
One look that's pretty good on 'hawk heads is gunmetal brown--I mean like the old guns of the 1800s. Laurel Mountain Forge Brown & Degreaser would work nicely, I'd think.
 
Return of the J.D. said:
One look that's pretty good on 'hawk heads is gunmetal brown--I mean like the old guns of the 1800s. Laurel Mountain Forge Brown & Degreaser would work nicely, I'd think.
Click to expand...

Or you could let it rust up real good, then soak it in oil for a week or two. Lots of folks revitalize old tools down here in this 90-100% humidity by soaking them in motor oil or CLP. Once you clean it up, the finish will be a nice blackish brown color. To preserve it, you can degrease it and hit it with some clear polyurethane.
 
A rough pic of my first mod ,I will try better pics when my batteries recharge.

I went for what I thought would be an authentic look. I was suprised at despite how light the axe head is , how great it chops , I would not like to fight someone axe to axe like in the old days :eek: , lol...
Fascinating how they used this style of axe in combat.





Head, paint removed , simple filework , blued/steel wool/blued/steel wool/blued/steel wool/oiled to cure , edge polished and sharpened - will roughly cut newsprint.






Handle sanded , stained , sanded , lightened ( color wise ) , burned , edit- , I forgot that I took sanded the sealer back off because I thought it looked too shiny , so I went for several soaks in orange oil and beeswax as a sealer , for a more natural look.

Old leather pistol belt for grip , set with pins and Gorilla Glue , lanyard hole/brass tube , leather lanyard.

Before ( pic borrowed of course )
TS-TCS90N_540.jpg




After
1z4jryt.jpg



28sa975.jpg



2uic9zp.jpg


Re-did pics , close up of head and handle , these pics turned out much better. :D

feel free to comment , like it love it hate it ? lemme know ! :D

I have a vanilla Norsehawk , that i'm working on right now.
 
The leather grip is very interesting... I have an old sling that would be just right I think, to go with the new Norse Hawk down on my bench right now waiting for a new look. :cool:
 
Hi Guys,

Newbie Modder here. Just wondering where the best place to obtain a CS TrailHawk would be? I'm totally hooked on modding one or more of these. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your time,

Pat
 
fletch, I just ordered mine from Smokey Mountain Knife Works www.eknifeworks.com and I am eagerly awaiting its arrival (I hope to post some pictures of it in this thread once I get some work done on it). The base price on their hawk is a little more than some other places, but you come out ahead once you factor in the free ground shipping on orders over $10. SMKW is a good place to order from IMO, having used them several times in the past.
 
axemesomethingbo7.jpg


Yeah... my first project, ordered it last week and finished it on the weekend, prototyped my shovel first since I had it.

I still need to cord wrap it some though.

Wish I had a composite cowprint handle... :D

EDIT: By the way, if you couldn't tell, I like cows. :P
 
...in progress.

DSCF3880.jpg


DSCF3881.jpg


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DSCF3885.jpg


One of the key things I wanted to do was a cord wrap, but without dramatically increasing the size of the handle. To this end, I reduced the diameter of the handle under the wrap and gave it a slightly more ergonomic profile. Feels nice. The cord was applied wet as TIGHT as I could wrap it, and the ends were melted into the holes drilled in the handle. Will probably do a separate hole and piece of paracord for a lanyard.

The wood is sealed with some Minwax polyurethane stain/varnish combo stuff I had left over from a furniture project.

As I wanted this to be something of an all-purpose 'hawk, I elected to sharpen an inch or so of both the top and bottom edges to give them a bit more "bite" in a fight, so-to-speak. The sharpened lower surface for "hooking" and the top surface to either give it some cut-on-the-thrust capability, or to enable me to choke up on the head and use it more like a knife. This is all mostly theory on my part, but I hope to get a chance to play with it sometime soon.

The head was deburred and smoothed internally with a sanding drum on a Dremil, then stripped down to the white with the same little drums. Then, after the handle was finished, the head went in the oven at 200 deg. f for awhile and the handle went in the freezer. While still hot, the head was pounded into place on the taper of the handle using a block of wood, then allowed to cool, after which a quantity of thin cyanoacrylate glue was "flowed" into whatever gaps remained between the handle and the head. That ought to hold her awhile. :-)

The head remains in the white...got a little out of sequence from what I had originally planned. Might go back and finish it with Oxpho-Blue (if I can find that bottle I bought a few years a go) or some Alumahyde II (ditto). Am open to other, more rustic suggestions for finishing it as well.

I am pretty happy with it so far. looking at getting a Norse Hawk or something to butcher on next. :-)
 
eldrayyd said:
axemesomethingbo7.jpg


Yeah... my first project, ordered it last week and finished it on the weekend, prototyped my shovel first since I had it.

I still need to cord wrap it some though.

Wish I had a composite cowprint handle... :D

EDIT: By the way, if you couldn't tell, I like cows. :P
Click to expand...


I really hate to judge, but,

What in the hell?!?:confused:
 
Not everyone takes their hawk to a 3 gun shoot, you North LA bumpkin. :p

Maybe he strikes from deep Holstein cover.
 
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