new to the game...bought trailhawks ???

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ptn

Joined
Sep 6, 1999
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I've always been fascinated by Tomahawks but never owned any. I mail ordered a couple CS Trailhawks [Taiwan Hawks] which arrived today. One has a set screw in the side of the eye, I supposed to better hold the head on the handle. The other doesn't have this feature. I've already learned from throwing them that the head comes loose or off if you hit the target with anything but the cutting edge [regardless of set screw]. As a beginner, this is an irritation to me. I have a lot of practice ahead of me to earn proficiency in hatchet throwing.
My questions are: Does the set set screw make any difference? Doesn't seem so to me. Is there a way to make the head hold on a little tighter? Soaking in water maybe? What about wrappings [leather, cord..etc] below the head? Any advice from the more experienced would be appreciated. Thanks.

ptn
 
Search the archives as this is discussed now and again. I have some CS hawks and the best thing to do with the screw is to remove it. Tightening it will end up gouging the handle. You also have to file the head till you get a good fit to the handle so it won't slip as much. As your throwing gets better, the slips will happen less.
 
You might try cross-wrapping the head and handle with strips of rawhide. Wet it, dry it. Then repeat the process till you've got a real tight fit. This works most of the time but I've yet to find anything that keeps the head from working loose over repeated throwings. I found the set screws are next to useless-only weaken the handle. I have 5 hawks that I throw, I usually end up having to knock the head back into place after two or three throws. Wish I had a better solution.

Best
Dwight
 
Thanks for your replies. I suspected that this is just the nature of the beast. I already removed the screw after it caused a gouge in the handle. I may try some wrapping and just keep practicing until it's less of a problem.
 
Thanks for your replies. I suspected that this is just the nature of the beast. I already removed the screw after it caused a gouge in the handle. I may try some wrapping and just keep practicing until it's less of a problem.
 
I bought several spare handles and expiremented until I found what worked best for me. Needless to say, I needed to use a couple just to replace the original until I became fair at throwing accurate.:D
 
I have a frontier hawk. I don't care if the screw gouges the handle, the handle is replaceable I and beat on all the equipment as I see fit. That being said...
try CS for a replacement handle
or go to a black powder shop or a shoot!
them Miami and Sauk and Fox must be uprising out thar!
 
Cold steel has chosen to loan their name to hawks which just don,t live up to the name . If they sell something using their name it should say cold steel on the product . Trust me the quality would be higher and so would the price . A set screw on a throwing hawk is like a screen door on a submarine . After repeatedly re-wedging the handle into the head it may seat a little better . Anyway its only a couple of hawks . Use em up learn how to throw and get a couple of better ones next time . It still stings to lay out cash for wall hangers , outhouse wall hangers ! Ya gotta kill those rats with something ! L:O:L
 
Instead of water, try soaking the hawk, head first in a bucket of kerosene until the handle tightens up. Kerosene doesn't evaporate as quickly as water does.

Also, if the handle is a repeat problem it just may be too small. It only takes a couple 1/10ths of an inch to make the handle a huge problem. Try a couple handles till you get one that really sets in there tight and then tighten it further with soaking.

With wood handles you'll always have a problem because they're still about 18% moisture (ours are and they're straight-grain hickory) and they'll shrink when the water evaps out. You can also try metal wedges but we've found that they can also sometimes weaken the tops of the wood if it's not set right.

Suzanne
http://www.bmtomahawks.com
 
Thanks again for the replies and advice. I gave one of the Trailhawks to my son and we've both enjoyed learning to throw them. I guess I understand the nature of mating the head to the handle a bit better now and don't really mind tapping the head back on. I ordered a few extras from CS special projects [thanks for the link mymindisamob]. I'll try the water and kerosene techniques eventually. I've already ordered and received another hawk from Fort Turner. It's head has yet to come loose after 40 or 50 throws. Pretty tight fit right from the maker. Of course it's twice the price of the Traihawk. Throwing is fun and I suppose I'll end up with a few more hawks for that purpose but ultimately, I'm looking to replace my 35 year old Hudson Bay style cruiser axe [made by Collins???] in my camping kit with something smaller but still stout. [The BM Light Infantry and Rainier belt axe are on the short list] Again thank you all for your help. ptn
 
As Dwight said it seems you gotta tighten your hawk head alot. Its the price you pay for throwing a hawk. If you use a wedge you will only break the handle eventually. With my CS frontier hawk what I do is carry an allen key with me. When I want to chop kindling I tighten the set screw, when I throw I loosen the set screw. No problem , except if you forget your allen key.
I have not inspected a Ft Turner hawk up close, but I bet they are really nice! Hand forged is very nice. Did you get the sheath too? Very nice.....
 
I agree if you are gonna throw, handles are going to come loose . It does have to do with how the hawk lands . It has more to do with the angle inside the eye . If the eye doesn,t have much of an angle and or the handle doesn,t correspond to it . The head will come loose easier . I have some homemade hawks my buddy made and they do come loose . Just not as often as store bought hawks of the same price . He takes a little more time and puts in the effort to make sure the eye has a good taper as well as mating the handle to it . I try to make my own handles as much as I can . So far they are ash as it is easy to work . I,m gonna try somwe hickory just to see if it is more durable .
 
I did not get the sheath with the FT hawk. I thought I'd make my own. I removed the set screw from the Trailhawk and threw it away. The Ft hawk is rough in terms of finish. Hammer marks, odd angles on the hammer pole, etc. The forge welding is not complete in one area. I can see space between the inserted bit and the softer metal in one area but doubt it will ever be a problem. So far I'm happy with it. I think it is probably like hawks made a couple centuries ago.
 
Dump the set screw and wrap the handle with paracord right under the head. Seems to work on mine. ec
 
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