Tinkering with some tomahawks.....

E

EdgeTim

Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
104
Hey guys, so after coming across some of the modded pictures of the CS Trail Hawks, I remembered I had one laying around so I decided to mess around with it. I sanded the handle down and smoothed it out, put some stain, and sealant on it. Then took the head down to bare metal, and did a few coats of rustoleum flat black. Letting it dry tonight and all day tomorrow. I really like the hawks equinox puts out, but until I can afford to purchase one I am gonna tinker around with the one I have. My question is to Vector if its not giving away too much of your business information, or to anyone else who has an idea. I want to bond the head PERMANENTLY, either to the wooden handle or possibly get a polymer/fiberglass handle and then go from there.

So far I know the CS head has a screw and is pressure fitted as well, I dont want to go the shiv route or whatever its call because I dont want to take away from the strength of the shoving a piece of metal into it.

I was thinking about some epoxy, or loctite not the metal but the all purpose adhesive, pressure fitted and the screw turned tight?

What do you gents over here on this great forum think, I could use some insight.
 
I plan on abusing the hell out of it, hiking, camping, whatever. I just dont want to worry about it ever coming off. I just want something durable. I know that is a big weak point on tomahawks.
 
Permanent bonding of a wooden handle is a bad idea IMO, especially for hard use/abuse tool. It's wood after all and it will eventually break, count on it. When that happens, it will be an extreme task to clear the stub and clean out the eye if you use any sort of epoxy, so a field repair may not be possible. Not really a good situation.

With a tapered-eye style like the Trail Hawk, take the time to fit the head properly, press/pound it in firmly (but carefully) and you'll have no worries unless you start throwing it a lot (and missing :p). Pre-fitting a couple of spares is not a bad idea either. Saves time if it breaks at the wrong time...
 
Appreciate that Blue. Makes a lot of sense. What If I found a resin/fiberglass/polymer handle for the head? I will fit the head on the wooden handle and play around with it but I am still looking to make something very stout, and that I dont have to worry about. So any ideas on attachment would be greatly appreciated.

Tim
 
Here is how I seated mine.


First. Good handle prep. Sand the handle so the head does not "grab" before its seated.

Second. Head prep. Sand the inside of the head. Most of them have rolled slag left inside them.

Stick the head in the oven for 20 or so min at 200deg. You would be shocked how much these suckers grow when the get hot.

Take the head out, slip it on the head. With a small deadblow, give about 5 hard wacks to the top of the handle while you loosely hold the handle in your other hand. If you do this correctly, you will destroy the handle around the head before it comes loose.
 
Won't the eye get smaller as the heat expands the head?
It seems like the outside dimension would grow with expansion, and it also seems that the eye would get smaller because the metal around the eye would 'fatten', basically making the metal expand on the inside of the eye as well as the outside...
Am I wrong with this assumption?
 
Glock17JHP said:
Won't the eye get smaller as the heat expands the head?
It seems like the outside dimension would grow with expansion, and it also seems that the eye would get smaller because the metal around the eye would 'fatten', basically making the metal expand on the inside of the eye as well as the outside...
Am I wrong with this assumption?
Click to expand...


Maybe just a little, wood isnt going to expand that much since its so porus. Even so, it will cool quite quickly and the head will already be seated.

Metal getting hot is a funny thing. Since the eye is in the shape of a "O" it will all grow outward and in turn expanding the eye. For the eye to get tighter, it would have to shrink, not expand. My father could explain it better.
 
Glock17JHP said:
Won't the eye get smaller as the heat expands the head?
It seems like the outside dimension would grow with expansion, and it also seems that the eye would get smaller because the metal around the eye would 'fatten', basically making the metal expand on the inside of the eye as well as the outside...
Am I wrong with this assumption?
Click to expand...

When you heat it up, the head grows larger in all directions like inflating a balloon, therefore the eye gets bigger too. The idea that the inside will get smaller is common, but that's not what happens. We occasionally shrink fit metal parts together where I work, so I am fairly familiar with this process.
 
Fibreglass handles suck compared to a good hickory handle. I just filed both edges of the inside of the hawk head so they did not bite into the wood. Hickory is an incredibly durable wood and twice as strong as the next strongest(maple). Even stronger if it has the right type of grain. I picked my CS Norse Hawk from a pile so I got a great handle.
 
NO F-Bdy Bs and Blue Sky,
Actually, that makes sense the way you both explained it... which you did very well, I might add!!! Thank you both...

Just a quick question on that method for anyone who uses it... do you find 200 degrees is about optimum, and 20 minutes as the duration? The sanding to prefit and prevent premature 'grabbing' makes a lot of sense, too... never really thought about any of this before... I want to try this next time I replace a 'haft'...
 
Glock I tried it, and it was a snug fit, I added Gorilla Glue to the top of the handle then took the head out of the oven, placed it on the haft and slammed it tight, let it set. 200 degrees at 20 minutes seemed at about right. The head really did expand a bit as after heating it when i placed it on the haft, without any force it moved about a half an inch above where it had stopped when I previously placed it on.

Tim
 
Glock17JHP said:
NO F-Bdy Bs and Blue Sky,
Actually, that makes sense the way you both explained it... which you did very well, I might add!!! Thank you both...

Just a quick question on that method for anyone who uses it... do you find 200 degrees is about optimum, and 20 minutes as the duration? The sanding to prefit and prevent premature 'grabbing' makes a lot of sense, too... never really thought about any of this before... I want to try this next time I replace a 'haft'...
Click to expand...


200deg is just a rough idea I came up with. I asked my father today (old school machinist for over 40 years and machine shop owner for 35 years) What would be the op temp for max expansion without damaging the integrety of the steel.
He said that even without knowing exactly what process the steel had been through, 400deg wouldnt hurt anything.
However, you also have to consider that 400deg would scorch your handle, and no doubt wreck whatever finish you had on there (unless it was BBQ paint)

He said that 150-200 would be fine. Just make sure your paint/finish can take that kind of heat. I was using Rustoleum, and 200 would make it a little tacky, so take care.

He also said that heating the head is not really necessary, but allows the head to grow just enough to get that extra bit of snugness.

Also, most people think it would make sense to pound the head onto the handle, when in reality, that is the least effective meathod. You need to drive the handle through the head. A light deadblow works great, and will not damage that handle you spent all that time prepping.
I know im a rookie at the Hawks,so you experienced guys dont think im trying to insult you by doing this, but im going to do a picture tutorial with my next hawk project and walk through the handle and head prep process, as well as getting a good, snug, fit on your head to the handle.


Side note. Having a father that is a retired machinist ROCKS!!
 
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