Tactical Tomahawks

R

rbranan

Joined
Feb 11, 2006
Messages
45
Here's a link to a couple of tomahawks that I made:

The following is what has been done to the tomahawks to complete their fabrication:
 W1 tool steel bodies that are hand forged.
 The holes are drifted with a tomahawk drift.
 The heads are differentially hardened with clay (like samurai swords). This produces hard edges (for edge retention) with tough bodies (for shock resistance).
 They are heat treated by myself in Evenheat Knife Kilns.
 Water Quenched briefly then immediately submerged in molten salts that are melted and controlled by an EvenHeat Knife Kiln.
 Double Tempered.
 Dye Penetrant checked.
 Tested by destroying concrete blocks and cutting into mild steel (no indications noted).
 Dye Penetrant checked again.
 Polished and etched.
 Sand blasted.
 K-Phos
 Flat Black Gun Kote
 Acraglas epoxy heads on with keeper to maintain head retention and integrity.


http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/...l Tomahawks/?action=view&current=a3a02486.pbw

KOBA Forge
 
Very interesting. I like the primary striking bit geometry, but am confused about the "spike" side of things. What's it's intended purpose? It looks just like a smaller primary edge. :confused:
 
rbranan: very nice looking and interesting pieces. The concept is great if they hold up.
Looks like you have a lot of time and thought into them. Would be nice to play with one.
 
I was purposely trying not to copy the current trends in tomahawks.

Believe me with the correct effort and technique those heads will blast through targets (whatever they may be).

The tomahawk that looks like a Kama is sort of a hybrid that was a collaboration with law enforcement to hook and trap.

The other one was meant to emulate a double bit ax.

They both have martensitic cutting surfaces with bainitic bodies.

Through the use of molten salts and interrupted quenches and careful attention to TTT diagrams this was achieved.

The method for attaching the head was to use a drifted eye with the epoxy firearm owners use to bed their rifles.

The tapered eye, acraglas epoxy, and keeper maintains head integrity.

The keeper will stop the head from traveling in the only direction it can... downward.

As far as being robust... anything can break if abused.

Anyway I was just exercising my creativity in steel.

RK
 
One of the three main branches of Shorin Ryu.

Kobayashi Ryu
Shobayashi Ryu
Matsubayashi Ryu

Shorin = Shoalin

Pine Forest

My last name ( my japanese name before I was adopted) is Kobayashi.

My forge is named KOBA Forge, with the O and A pronounced as long vowels.

RK
 
I apologize for posting prices in this forum without becoming a member.

It was not my intention to circumvent the rules of the forum.

I was unaware of this rule and would not have intentionally broke it.

Please excuse this oversight.


Sincerely,

RK
 
Any website?

Those look like some very serious hardware....like them both, but am leaning towards the one with the bigger cutting edge.

Did I mention....those look awesome.
 
hey really like ur hawk just curios how long is it i also like the bigger one could not really see how hawk comes out of ur tecloc sheath thanks islamoradamark
 
Refreshing to see something different and looks like very nice work!!

What's the handle made from and how long is the handle?

What do you think the performance difference will be for W1 versus L6?
 
The length of the tomahawks is about 18 inches.

The handles are made of hickory which is a very robust wood.

When I was testing the hawks before I sharpened them I wrecked some concrete blocks and edge to edge full power swings on 3/16" mild steel.

Well I missed quite a few times and struck the haft right below where it attaches to the head and put some pretty big digs in the haft.

It didn't break. It dented in but didn't break.

W1 is a simple water hardening tool steel that if heat treated properly can produce a hard abrasive resistant outer case with a tough core. It also will produce a great hamon. According to its Time Temperature Transformation Diagram it only has about a couple of seconds to miss the "nose" to properly harden.

This would make it hard (if you didn't have the correct equipment) to produce bainitic/martensitic structures (in W1)that L6 would yield due the addition of alloys that give you more time to miss the "nose" to produce bainite.

Hope that this helps.

RK

rbranan@insightbb.com
 
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