- Joined
- Jun 8, 2010
- Messages
- 3,723
Addicted.....
Hawk #3 (CS Pipehawk) ready for etching tomorrow:
Oooooh - I REALLY like that one. Pretty cool!
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Beckerhead #42
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Mod'ing The CS Trail Hawk
- Thread starter CitizenQ
- Start date
Oooooh - I REALLY like that one. Pretty cool!
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Beckerhead #42
That skull is awesome! I like it. Are you an EMT? Just guessing by the Dfib nickname and pqrs wave lol. No t wave.
Yeah, 14ish years as a paramedic. I'll have to tell the people that ask the patient was hypokalemic, hence no t wave.
Here's some pics post etch and blue.
I had some issues getting the bluing anywhere near consistant, and as you'll see there was a spot on both sides of the blade the blue would not take. Also if you look closely at the skull you can see the heat treat line really intruded on the etching process.
Still have a little work to do but she's 80% done. The top of the handle needs to be touched up a bit, handle needs wrapping, needs a final sharpening, and I have to finish up the sheath.
I've made leaps and bounds on leather work since my first effort. (All thanks to info found on bladeforums!)
Edit - Done as she is going to get!
Replaced cell phone pics with ones from a real camera.
Left the cell pic of the spike, I forgot to get a close up with the SLR.... Doh!
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- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
- Messages
- 759
I wanted to make sure that understand right this etching process. You put your design on, paint the head, remove the design, put the etchant on the design, then after the design is etched remove the paint from the tomahawk head. Im sure its somewhere in this thread but how long do you leave the etching on?
Here is one way to do it:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...d-ing-The-CS-Trail-Hawk?p=8446023#post8446023
Or: Paint the metal. Scratch design in paint to expose metal. Etch. Remove paint.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...d-ing-The-CS-Trail-Hawk?p=8446023#post8446023
Or: Paint the metal. Scratch design in paint to expose metal. Etch. Remove paint.
Wow great job Dfib. I had the same problem with the temper line. But the line goes right between the eyes of the skull and it looks like you meant to do that. That spike is awesome! How did you make that?
Oh and I'm a pharmacist so I caught the meaning in the t wave. I like it!
Oh and I'm a pharmacist so I caught the meaning in the t wave. I like it!
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2011
- Messages
- 174
Where do I get kne of those polymer handles I seen you had.......buddy of mine wants one for a hawk of his over at bcusa
The spike started as a 5/16" piece of round stainless stock. I shaped the point roughly with an angle grinder, smoothed it with an 80 grit dremel flapper wheel. The groove was started with a 1/8" double cut carbide burr and smoother with an old narrow dremel flapper wheel that had taken on a convex profile. The top cap is actually a bit of aluminum sheet I had sitting around from another project that was rough shaped via dremel, set with tacks and then sanded with the now infamous dremel flapper wheel. The hole for the spike was a bit of a pita to drill straight with a hand drill...
Most of the work I've done on all the hawks was with the dremel. Just goes to show it can be done easily in a basement without much for an investment in tools.
Most of the work I've done on all the hawks was with the dremel. Just goes to show it can be done easily in a basement without much for an investment in tools.
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2005
- Messages
- 3,516
I like the spike, I had something like that in mind for my spike hawk, I was going to get a spare handle and add a skull crusher and a three edged stiletto spike on the top, to make it deadly from all angles.
Got the idea from Gangs of New York, Amsterdam knows what's what in a blade fight.
Got the idea from Gangs of New York, Amsterdam knows what's what in a blade fight.
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2011
- Messages
- 592
Where's my gun? I don't want to get close to that thing.
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2011
- Messages
- 174
Lil more work on the hawk today. Boiled it in distilled white vinegar/lemon juice for 45min then sloshed it around in a baking soda/water solution after it was cooked down. Then took the handle to a belt sander to get the fit a lil better. Then torched it up a bit. Gonna go get some oil to finish the handle. Can't decide if I wanna use linseed, tung, or Danish oil.....
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New around here. Ordered my first CS Pipe Hawk yesterday and waiting for its arrival. I know I am going to have to do some mods to it to make it a better hawk - heard about the silly set screw they put in it. Any one able to point me in the right direction for this? I want the thing to be as functional as possible. I plan on including it into my martial arts training.
Never mind about pointing me in the right direction. I searched around and found some posts with directions. Got my CS Pipe Hawk today. Took the set screw out and trashed it, and then went right to work on sanding the haft and the stripping the paint off the head - it looks completely different already. Also, When I went to deburr the eye, I noticed I had little work to do on it - already pretty smooth. I must have gotten lucky with this one. The haft on the other hand was a little chewed from them jamming the thing on there and then setting the screw. I am going to do some more sanding on the haft to get it just right. I'll be sure to post before and after pics once I am done with the project. By the way Dremel makes quick work of the sanding, polishing and grinding! Glad my father in law got me one, and glad I now have a good use for it!
Jr is working on his trail hawk in between ball games and school and everything else 15 yo kids generally do...it's coming along but he says he isn't ready to show it off yet.
However...I decided to pick up a pipe hawk and have been playing as well. I didn't care for the sharp corners on it and made them go away, left the paint on during that phase to use it as a quick visual reference.
Then I decided to see if the sand blast and vinegar bath would rough things back up in the places I had worked over. It is darker of course, but does have a large transition from smooth to the rough finish.
Trying to decide if I should go to work with a flap wheel or dunk the entire thing in etching solution and try to make things match up again.
Any thoughts?
I also burned some rings on the haft using a butane powered hot knife....NOT easy to keep things straight. I'll post a pic of it once I apply a bit more stain.
However...I decided to pick up a pipe hawk and have been playing as well. I didn't care for the sharp corners on it and made them go away, left the paint on during that phase to use it as a quick visual reference.
Then I decided to see if the sand blast and vinegar bath would rough things back up in the places I had worked over. It is darker of course, but does have a large transition from smooth to the rough finish.
Trying to decide if I should go to work with a flap wheel or dunk the entire thing in etching solution and try to make things match up again.
Any thoughts?
I also burned some rings on the haft using a butane powered hot knife....NOT easy to keep things straight. I'll post a pic of it once I apply a bit more stain.
Something I did with a Frontier hawk head....
Obviously I stripped the black paint.
put a better edge on it, filed out some rough edges. Made a handle from some local oak, (I bought the head by itself and was pleased to see there was no screw hole) used some old leather for a sort of collar/overstrike guard and lanyard. Nothing too ornamental 
since I plan on using it. Throws well. Hoping to expand my collection.
Obviously I stripped the black paint.
put a better edge on it, filed out some rough edges. Made a handle from some local oak, (I bought the head by itself and was pleased to see there was no screw hole) used some old leather for a sort of collar/overstrike guard and lanyard. Nothing too ornamental since I plan on using it. Throws well. Hoping to expand my collection.
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Jr is working on his trail hawk in between ball games and school and everything else 15 yo kids generally do...it's coming along but he says he isn't ready to show it off yet.
However...I decided to pick up a pipe hawk and have been playing as well. I didn't care for the sharp corners on it and made them go away, left the paint on during that phase to use it as a quick visual reference.
Then I decided to see if the sand blast and vinegar bath would rough things back up in the places I had worked over. It is darker of course, but does have a large transition from smooth to the rough finish.
Trying to decide if I should go to work with a flap wheel or dunk the entire thing in etching solution and try to make things match up again.
Any thoughts?
I also burned some rings on the haft using a butane powered hot knife....NOT easy to keep things straight. I'll post a pic of it once I apply a bit more stain.
Looking good Milq!
Wonder what it would look like if you media blasted the hawk? Maybe an easy way to soften the transitions? I know you have more tools than you know what to do with....
Edit- Disregard the last, apparently hooked on phonics failed me again!
Light flapper wheel treatment, then media blast it again maybe?
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- Joined
- Jan 14, 2012
- Messages
- 2
I stumbled to this forum from another site that was showing off some of their own members' tomahawk mods. I think I now have a hobby for life. Thanks to everyone here for all kinds of inspiration. These are the first two in what will probably be a long line of tomahawk art.
I know what you mean, and very nice work!! Particularly like what you did with the frontier hawk.