OT: Tomahawk tricks

Sylvrfalcn

Sylvrfalcn

Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
3,930
Nossir,
I don't do tricks with tomahawks, but I did come up with something interesting today. I was throwing my old tomahawk at an end section of log, and was getting aggravated at how quickly the edge would dull. It's an el-cheapo, hand forged in India, nice little hawk, just too soft a temper. Ever curious, I slipped the hawk head off the handle and took it to a grinder to see what kind of sparks it would throw. Hmmm, hot, bright, and sparkly, plenty carbon present in the steel for it to take a proper hardening! And so I did. Just hardened the edge, and during the quench used the residual heat in the head to temper the edge (same way you would do a chisel).
Tested my new and improved el-cheapo tomahawk on a hunk of old deer antler, and it's convex edge had the antler chips flying. No visible damage to the edge, nor any appreciable dulling. Good stuff. :thumbup:
Just goes to show, high carbon steel is high carbon steel, regardless of where it came from, or what it cost. If it don't do what it oughta, just stick it back in the forge fire and bring it up to snuff.

Sarge
p.s.: gonna get me some more of them cheap hawks and "soup 'em up" ;)
 
I wish I knew what you and so many of the Smiths here do. There's a local Rancher, a true cowboy, as a matter of fact, who welds and now wants to learn how to forge blades. You can imagine the variety of leaf springs we have to choose from- horse and carriage to Dodge power wagon, John Deer tractors and everything you can think of.

He has this address now and will be poking around, though mostly over in the knife maker forum.


munk
 
Sounds like you're sitting on a virtual treasure trove of raw materials Munk!
You say your friend's a rancher? He probably knows a farrier or two. You ain't going to be forging khukuris in a farrier's forge, but they'll do just fine on knives and other small hand tools. A lot of farrier's regularly upgrade their equipment, especially if business is good, so getting your hands on a used forge set-up (read that portable, usually gas heated, forge) shouldn't be hard. Might want to stick a card on the bulletin board down at the feed store saying you're interested in one, and see what happens.
There's something very satisfying, almost primal, about hammering a red hot piece of steel into a useful tool. It brings about a whole new understanding, and appreciation, of the skill and effort that goes into every HI khuk :D

Sarge
 
Silverfalcon; There's not only leaf springs in my garage and his ranch, (and on all our friend's ranches) but they're laying out in the prarrie as well, on BLM ground.


There is no bonafide Blacksmith around here and I know my friend is keenly interested.


munk
 
I have a couple of hawks made by a buddy of mine . They throw well but as you say seem to dull up too quick . If I get a grinder set up I,ll check out the spark situation and If they are good enough I,ll get some more advice off you and see if I can temper them a bit harder as well .
As far as tricks are concerned I can throw a knife underhand but I haven,t managed to throw a hawk that way . When I am feeling focussed I,ll sit with my back close to the target and throw a knife backwards over my shoulder . As you can guess it doesn,t stick all the time .
 
Kevin the grey said:
throw a knife backwards over my shoulder . As you can guess it doesn,t stick all the time .
Click to expand...
Had a buddy (who'd obviously had a pint too many), who decided to show off while throwing darts. With great dramatic flair, he stepped up to the line, turned his back to the target, and pitched his dart over his shoulder. Didn't come anywhere near the target, but did manage to elicit a blood curdling shriek from the plump girl who caught that dart square in the rump. :eek: :D
Luckily, at that point in the evening, she wasn't "feeling much pain" either, and what the heck, her tetanus shot was up to date. ;)

Sarge
 
Before this topic gets too far off the bullseye I,m gonna get us back in the red ! I read that some Aboriginals used the underhand tomahawk throw to hide themselves from their objective . Supposedly at a peaceful gathering if someone wished to object to a speakers topic of discussion they would really hammer the point home . Now these might have been stone hawks so timing your spin would have been less important than accuracy .

A traditional game we play is who can hit a playing card the most out of ten throws .i have to admit I,m a little better with a knife than a hawk .
 
Here's a throw to try when you start to get cocky: Rest a stick of kindling on top of your hawk block so that its end sticks out toward the thrower about six inches or so. Then rotate the hawk handle in your hand 180 degrees, so the edge faces up instead of down before you throw it. Your objective is to stick the hawk into the block with the head down and handle up, such that the handle strikes the kindling at the end of its rotation and knocks it into the air and off the block.
 
raghorn said:
Here's a throw to try when you start to get cocky: Rest a stick of kindling on top of your hawk block so that its end sticks out toward the thrower about six inches or so. Then rotate the hawk handle in your hand 180 degrees, so the edge faces up instead of down before you throw it. Your objective is to stick the hawk into the block with the head down and handle up, such that the handle strikes the kindling at the end of its rotation and knocks it into the air and off the block.
Click to expand...

REPLY: I,ve tried reverse edge throws and if you try them don,t forget one thing . When you throw the blade is towards yourself and sticks out a little farther than the back of a normal hawk . Practice slowly swinging the hawk and pay close attention to where that edge ends up on the backswing . Take into account that when you throw for real that edge might descend a couple of inches further . It.ll save an embarrassing trip to the emergency room and an explanation of how you planted an axe in your own back !

Better safe than gory !
 
Sarge, If I was on a ship in the middle of the ocean, and something broke that the engine wouldn't run, and we didn't have a part to fix it, you're the guy I'd want along with me. :) Love the CAN DO! attitude.

Steve
 
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