Mod'ing The CS Trail Hawk

you'd be surprised how well black and white breaks up too, if ya didn't realize...!

especially backed by earth tones.

that's essentially Multicam.

vec
 
vector001 you are right. In the early 90's I met an old hunter in Venezeula he had some old white pants and shirt. He put black markings on them and thats what he wore in the Jungle. Couldnt afford to buy anything besides nothing was avaliable.
 
Why do you think they're black and white in the first place? There's gotta be some evolutionary reason... probably.

I just don't know what that is. :D

That asides, I don't really run around killing people, and I don't expect to take it hunting. I don't understand why people feel the need to camouflage everything.

I like being able to find my little baby projects, thank you very much. Though sometimes it is kinda hard to find...
 
CitizenQ said:
I should be done with my first Trail Hawk Mod tomorrow evening. Below are some pictures to tide you over. Here's what's happened so far...

1) Stripped the factory paint off the head...it took two applications of the paint mover.

2) Sanded the heck outa the haft so that the head fit much better. The head sits higher on the haft now.

3) Applied two (2) coats of boiled linseed oil to the haft.

4) Decided I really liked the look of the unpinted head.

5) Assembled the hawk.

6) Decided I didn't like the look of the linseed oiled haft. Decided to stain the haft, so I resanded, wiped it down with mineral sprits, and applied two (2) coats of minwax "Ebony" (it's supposed to be black).

7) Found a small rust spot forming on the head. "Uh oh...I'd better paint the head after all!"

8) Applied two (2) coats of Rustoleum mil (like) green satin spray paint to the head.

I'm waiting for the head and handle to dry now. Tomorrow morning I'll apply one (1) coat of exterior satin polyuretheane to the haft. Then I'll wrap the handle with green 550 cord.

thawk03.jpg
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Looks good, SAND THAT CASTING!. I would do one of two things, either bead blast it or wet sand it. Either way you choose it will serve to remove the cheap looking casting rough and provide either a more uniform matte finish or a much nicer "Smooth" finish for your flat paint. Like Salt & Peppah say "Baby rub it down and make it smooth like lotion"
 
DSCF3897.jpg


I have taking a liking to brushing on Cyanoacrylate glue after applying the cord wrap. I really like the way this feels in the hand!

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In an attempt to harden the hadle against breakage under severe use, I thought I might try wrapping the handle tightly in tempered stainless steel wire (which I paid too much for from the craft store :rolleyes: ), then gluing it all down with a mix of baking powder and CA.

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I then wrapped over the stainless wire with more paracord, and then soaked it down with CA as well.

DSCF3898.jpg


Where we are at now. Next: a woven paracord lanyard of some sort.

>>>BULLET>>>
 
Looks nice, quite different than the one I'm getting next week, enjoy. Seems like I came to the right place if I want to Mod.
 
Looks great, Bullet308! My favorite of the trail hawk mods I've seen on this board... or anyplace, since I only see them on this board. ;) What did you do with the head?
 
...For the complements. :)

The head remains in the white. No-doubt I should have taken care of that first, but it didn't work out that way this time. Will do something with it before it is over, though.
 
First of all, I'd just like to say thank you all for the wealth of info on this forum. I have just ordered 2 TH's and cant wait to get started. I applied alot of whats here on a old thrower my father in law had, rest in peace Mike. Now my boy will have something of his Grandpas that he'll be able to use for years to come. And plus, at the price of the TH's, and how well they turn out, Ill have something that I take in the mountains that is easily replaced if need be(I shudder at the thought of losing my Eagle Talon). Anyways, thank you all so much again. Hopefully pics to follow.
 
the black and white colors are so when theyre together in a herd its harder to distinguish one from the other so its harder for predators to pick a target
 
swordmikey said:
the black and white colors are so when theyre together in a herd its harder to distinguish one from the other so its harder for predators to pick a target
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right - that's part of it.

black and white (especially large) patterns do well disguising (vice confusing, as in the herd example)in longer ranges though too, on singular objects.

that said, i just think it looks cool.

....har...!

vec
 
bullet308 said:
...in progress.

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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. :-)
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Its "Dremel" not "Dremil" ,watch out for the gold watches marked "Romex" at the flea market, They ain't real either!! :o Ha Ha! Just kidding!
 
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Hi:

Okay, here is the semi-finished product:

DSCF3907.jpg


I ended up spraying the head down with (dark) OD Brownells Alumahyde II, the toughest nonbaking, one-part paint I have ever played with. Takes a few days (at least) to set up, but it makes for a pretty tough finish, the best I have found this side of powdercoat, in any event.

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I added some more wire and paracord wrap near the top, soaked it all down with CA glue and baking soda. Seems to have sealed things up nicely. While the OD paracord just under the head and at the grip are saturated with CA and are unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon, I figured that it might be nice to have some "useable paracord in the mix, so the coyote brown wrap in the middle is just tacked down with CA at the ends but is otherwise removeable.

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The lanyard is square-braided out of OD and CB paracord (gutted). Might be a bit long at this point, but it is easier to cut than to stretch. :)

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Overall, I'm pretty happy with it! Have some brush removal to do tommorw so looks like I will get in a little field testing. Wish me luck. :)
 
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I found the loop to be a bit large, but instead of cutting it, I decided to tighten it up with a little wrap of gutted paracord and a dab of CA to make sure it stays in place. I gotta' tell you, this lanyard feels as nice as it looks. :):thumbup: The lanyard ends up having a "springiness" that makes it cling close to the hand, but still be easy to get into and out of.
 
Hi:

So, I gave my modded Trail Hawk a good workout yesterday, clearing some invasive brush, tree limbs and vines that were encroaching on my backyard.

The Good:

  • My modded handle did indeed prove to be a very comfortable shape
  • The wrap at the top and just under the head did indeed prove to be needed, as misses were frequent and the handle would have otherwise taken a pretty good beating. Comes from being a beginner with a 'hawk, I guess. :-/
  • The wire-and-paracord wrap took the abuse well.
  • When used against something solid like a substantial branch 3/4" or more in diameter, the Trail Hawk bit deeply and cleanly, often taking smaller limbs off in one blow.
  • The long handle proved to be very useful for reaching limbs overhead.
  • The lanyard worked as advertised.
  • Cold Steel 'Hawks do indeed hold an edge. It is as sharp now as when I started.
  • My paint job with the Alumahyde II held up pretty well, with only minor chiping near the edge.
  • You can use the underside of the 'hawk head to yank vines free of brush and limbs, and the sharpened underside cut a fair percentage of them cleanly and with little effort.



THE BAD:


  • The CA-soaked paracord handle is, um a bit more abrasive than you might think! I have now wrapped it in the same stuff they use for tennis racket handles.
  • It was good for not allowing longitudinal slippage, but an imperfect blow results in the handle twisting in my hand...badly. More of a technique thing, I know.
  • I truly need to wrap it to JUST under the head, as it took more abuse there than I would have thought. :-/
  • Hawk /= machete :-/ On the vines and lighter limbs and brush, I would have much preferred my Woodsman's Pal or a machete.
  • This thing can HURT you! It about got me a few times when I got careless. :-/
  • It would be nice if all of the underside of the head were sharp and there was a sharpened hook at the base of the head at the handle. Then it would be quite good at vines and such.



THE UGLY:

  • The blister on my thumb!

  • The pile of cleared brush ready to be hauled off. :D:thumbup:
 
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