How to make a tomahawk out of wood. Tomahawk ax: history, origin of the name, types and characteristics. Cold steel tomahawks

08.03.2020

At the word "tomahawk" many people immediately remember the Indians. Indeed, this type of ax was masterfully used by North American natives. Reading books about the Indians, it is difficult to get rid of the impression that the small steel hatchet is a native Indian invention. In fact, the Indians only gave their name to this ax, and he himself arrived in America along with the colonists.

The first axes of the pre-Columbian Indians were stone, impaled on a long handle, often flexible or wicker. Such an ax was a hybrid of an ax with a club and was used in war and in everyday life. Naturally, due to the unreliable design, such weapons were inferior to spears. Seeing the sharp steel axes of the settlers, and having received a few in exchange, the Indians were delighted and called them "what they cut" (tamahaken). Europeans, having heard this word, pronounced it as "tomahawk".

Varieties of the Indian tomahawk ax

Although the tomahawk is associated with the so-called "Missouri ax" for the townsfolk, the type of tomahawk could be different, in particular:

Celts. The very first tomahawks made of iron, which were hammered into the handle with a butt. To the same group can be attributed the Celts with a point, more like klevtsy;
Ear tomahawks. Exactly those that advertised the cinema and books about the Indians. In another way, they were called "Missouri axes" and were a traditional form of an ax with an eye. They were used for military operations, very rarely in everyday life (mainly for quickly cutting carcasses);
Pipe tomahawks. They could be of any type, but they had a feature - a channel along the entire length of the handle. Often richly decorated, they were rarely used in battle because of the hollow handle. Their main purpose was in diplomatic ceremonies between tribes, often given as a sign of friendship;
Expontoon tomahawks. They were a mixture of esponton and an axe. Most likely, they were remade from espontons taken away in battles with settlers;
Halberd tomahawks. They were brought from Spain, they were either shortened halberds, or hatchets made according to the same scheme. The rarest variety, the North American Indians had mainly among the leaders, emphasizing their status.

Along with these models, there were homemade tomahawks. Usually they were made from standard models.

The appearance of steel tomahawks among the Indians

The first metal axes were traded by the settlers for furs. Quickly learning how to wield tomahawks, the aborigines surpassed their teachers in this art. The Indians received the basics of owning a tomahawk from British sailors who used axes in naval battles during boarding. Moreover, the Indians were able to master the throwing technique forgotten in Europe since the time of the Franks and even surpass the ancient Europeans. Throwing masters could throw several tomahawks in a couple of seconds. For throwing, the Missouri type of ax was most suitable. The Spanish halberd-type ax was only good for close combat. It was possible to throw an ax at a distance of up to 20 meters.

A new surge in the popularity of tomahawks came in the 2000s, in connection with the fighting of the US Army in the east. He was perfect for opening doors. Now the so-called "tactical" tomahawks are produced by many companies and everyone can choose an ax for themselves, taking into account their needs.

Disadvantages of modern models

The modern industry produces many types of tomahawks for every taste. From the frankly predatory SOG m48, to the quite peaceful looking Jenny Wren Spike, advertised as feminine. In general, modern tomahawks can be conditionally divided into three groups:

Identical. Such axes are produced only by Cold steel. They are a forged hatchet on a wooden handle, put on by the reverse drive;
Tomahawks attached to a plastic handle. This is the notorious SOG m48 and similar models;
Tomahawks carved from a single piece of metal, with overlays in the handle area.

Let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

The identical tomahawks are a classic ax design that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Usually made independently or ordered from blacksmiths. Despite their unprepossessing appearance, they are formidable weapons, proven by many battles over the centuries. They are distinguished by a simple design, perfect balance, the ability to adjust the handle specifically to your hand and ease of repair. The ax itself is “indestructible”, and the handle is easy to make with your own hands.

Tomahawks on a plastic handle have a very menacing look. Due to their low weight, they can work at high speed. The butt is often made in the form of a pick, a hammer, or even a second blade. These axes during operation revealed many shortcomings. The round handle often twists in the hand on impact, resulting in a slippery impact. Absolutely not suitable for throwing, despite the assurances of the sellers (the handle breaks after several hits against a tree). Practically unsuitable for household work. This type of tomahawk is more suitable for scaring than for serious work.

One-piece tomahawks can be called an ax with a big stretch. Rather, they are blades shaped like an axe. Due to the design features and the low weight of the working part, they are not able to play the role of a powerful penetrating weapon. Very rubbing on the hand when using. Their only plus is in the one-piece construction, which is very difficult to break.

If you want to buy a really real combat tomahawk, choose identical Cold steel companies, or better, do it yourself or order from a blacksmith.

Cold steel tomahawks

Cold steel has become famous for the production of knives, axes, swords and other weapons, which is a symbiosis of the best old models with the latest developments. Cold steel tomahawks are forged from 1055 steel and are capable of handling chopping and throwing. Despite a good reputation, like any serial product, it may need to be improved. It is not uncommon for the backlash of the ax on the handle, it happens that it does not lie well in the hand. When buying, you should carefully inspect the purchased product, and after the purchase, conduct a test cabin. If you need to plant an ax more efficiently, put the skin on and smear it with epoxy. If possible, try to make a tomahawk yourself.

Drawing for making a tomahawk with your own hands

There are two ways to make your own tomahawk:

Forging method;
With the help of a donor ax, a grinder and an electric sharpener.

Let us consider in detail these two methods, after which we will figure out how to make a handle.

For forging an ax you will need a forge and an anvil. A hearth can be made from an old pan by drilling holes in the bottom and partially cutting off the side walls. To blow air, you can use an old vacuum cleaner or a fan from a computer. A piece of an old rail is suitable as an anvil.

For an ax, metal grade 65g is suitable. As an alternative source of steel, a car spring can be reforged. First, a rectangle of suitable thickness is forged, and an eye hole is made in it with a chisel or punch. Then, with a forging (or ordinary) hammer, the workpiece is given the desired shape. The workpiece is hardened, after which metalworking is performed.

The hardening of a forged tomahawk should be zone-hardened - the blade is hardened, and the butt is usually not hardened. After locksmith processing, the ax is mounted on a previously prepared ax handle.

To make a tomahawk, you need a donor - an ordinary ax. As the first prototype, you can take a cheap Chinese ax. Only a quality tool will not work out of it. Although if you are afraid to ruin a quality ax, you can try it in Chinese.

If you want a quality tomahawk, use old Soviet forged axes. Axes from army warehouses of the forties and fifties of release enjoy good fame.

First you need to make a drawing of a tomahawk. To do this, a donor lies on a sheet of paper and is outlined along the contour. Then this drawing is given the desired shape. The next operation will be to transfer the drawing from paper to an ax. Having drawn the desired shape on the ax, you should cut off the excess metal with the help of a grinder. Be sure to use protective goggles and gloves when cutting. Don't cut too fast or the metal will overheat and lose its hardness. It is recommended to periodically cool the part with water. After trimming, the workpiece is sharpened on an electric grinder and polished. If you have a dremel, you can decorate the ax with an inscription or pattern. If the metal overheated during the work, the ax must be re-hardened.

Making a handle for a tomahawk

Usually ax handles are made of birch, but for a tomahawk it is better to choose another wood. Cold steel uses hickory wood for tomahawk handles. In our latitudes, the best wood for an ax handle is ash. It is not inferior in strength to oak and at the same time has good flexibility. You can use dogwood, pear and cherry plum.

I am fond of martial arts with weapons, historical fencing. I write about weapons and military equipment because it is interesting and familiar to me. I often learn a lot of new things and want to share these facts with people who are not indifferent to military topics.

How American Indians and Ancient Blacksmiths Made the Furious and Fantastic Tomahawk.

Joe Shilasky

From the moment I saw my first movie about cowboys and Indians, tomahawks made a huge impression on me, as they did on many guys in those days.

The first time I saw an Indian tomahawk in person was when the Indian West show came to our town.

The tomahawk that the author made as a working instruction for this chapter is based on a well-preserved photograph of this weapon taken in 1793. It belonged to Lieutenant Duke and had a multifaceted butt with double chevrons. The eye (where the handle passes through the head of the tomahawk) was adorned with diamond-shaped silver overlays. The blade had an engraving and a beautiful carved ash-colored handle.

You may have seen a similar tomahawk in the movie The Patriot starring Mel Gibson. The props used in this film were also based on a 1793 tomahawk that the author reproduced. This is the author's version.

In the 1960s, I learned the profession of a blacksmith at a technical school in Hungary. I was among the lucky ones who could learn this profession from several masters of their craft. My first mentor taught me how to make knives, cleavers and axes. By learning how to make these tools, I was able to fulfill my lifelong dream of making a tomahawk.

Tomahawks and their history still fascinate me. Although most of the hatchets that I make now are unique and show pieces, they are all fully hardened, balanced and, as tools, are fully functional weapons. In them, I combined modern and traditional methods of production of tomahawks.

These terms are commonly used to describe the main parts of the head of a tomahawk. Using them, the author explains the process of creating a tomahawk.

The basic shape of the tomahawk is the hatchet of one of the most perfect designs developed by mankind. Today we can fly to the moon, but we still use axes. In some parts of our country, axes are still part of everyday life, and the tomahawk takes its rightful place in modern warfare.

The tomahawk I made for you is a replica of the weapon shown in the 1793 photograph. It belonged to Lieutenant Duke and had a multifaceted butt with two chevrons. The eye (where the handle passes through the head of the tomahawk) was adorned with diamond-shaped silver overlays. The blade had an engraving and a beautiful carved ash-colored handle. You may have seen a similar tomahawk in the movie The Patriot starring Mel Gibson. The props used in the movie were also based on weapons from that period.

Over the years I have made several tomahawks similar to the 1793 model. The demo for this article will be forged from randomly patterned Damascus steel and will later become a collector's item. I do not know of a single tomahawk of that time that was made of Damascus steel, but this does not mean that there were none.

Since the head of this tomahawk is forged from Damascus steel, some work steps differ from those used to make a traditional non-Damascus tomahawk. Instead of piercing the eye, I drill it and file it to the desired shape. Instead of using fuller tools to reduce the size of the neck and the area under the eye of the blade, I grind and file them. Although rolling is easier and saves time, sanding and filing alters the original damask pattern, creating a beautiful and visually appealing contrast.

The manufacture of this tomahawk, no matter what steel it is made of, requires a lot of manual work. After welding the Damascus billet, the head is forged by hand to the desired shape. Its parts are also cut out manually on steel with a file, the handle is cut out manually and installed. Of course, I use some power tools that blacksmiths didn't have in 1793, but that doesn't rule out a few days of manual work.

Billet preparation for forging

The first step to making a design tomahawk is preparing a billet. I prefer to forge Damascus steel from high carbon steels like 1095 and 15N20 because of their high carbon and other chemical content, which gives a beautiful contrast to the Damascus pattern.

Twisting is one way steel is manipulated to create a particular type of design or damask pattern.

In addition to the beautiful contrast, these two types of steel are quite comparable, that is, they weld well together. The comparability of the two different types of steel you choose to make Damascus steel is of the utmost importance. So far I've been able to get good results with this combination of steels, but sometimes I use other types of steel to make Damascus. Every blacksmith has his favorite types of steel. That's the way it should be. What works for me doesn't have to work for others.

Before Damascus billet is made, the layers of steel must be cleaned either by sandblasting or grinding. After cleaning, the steel is cut to size. I will forge two billets, each 1 1/4" high, 1 1/4" wide, and 8" long. First, layers of steel 1095 are laid in the billet, then layers of steel 15N20. I repeat this sequence until the number of layers reaches the number I need to start working. In this case, And the layers of steel are quite enough to prepare the material for forging a tubular tomahawk.

Each billet is wrapped with wire to hold the layers of steel together during the first weld. To fix the ends of the billet and hold the steel more firmly, some blacksmiths use electric welding. I prefer to tie the billet with wire, but this is my personal preference.

Tomahawk. The word tomahawk comes from a distorted English pronunciation of the Native American tamahakan, "what they cut with." This name and its variants were used to designate a stone ax by the Indian tribes living in the area where the British founded their settlement in the early 17th century.

The first documented mention of the term "tomahack" is found in a short Indian dictionary created by Captain John Smith (John Smith) in 1607-1609. A similar word - "tamohek" was recorded in 1616 in his dictionary by the secretary of the colony in Jamestown, William Strachey. In both cases, this word meant an elongated stone, sharpened at both ends and mounted on a wooden handle. According to the evidence of that time, this item was used by the Indians both as a tool and as a weapon. The Indians appreciated the advantages of iron axes, and they soon became one of the most popular goods in trade with Europeans, inheriting the name from their stone predecessor. To save space, axes were transported and sold without ax handles. The Indian who bought the ax made the handle himself, using the usually straight section of the trunk of a small tree for this. The tomahawk in its most common form was an ax weighing about 500-600 grams with a straight ax handle 300 to 550 mm long. The length of the cutting edge was in the range from 80 to 100 mm. The volume of sales of tomahawks can be judged by the results of underwater archaeological surveys conducted in 1961 near the rapids on the French River (French River). So in one sunken canoe alone, 105 axes were found. The value of axes, like any other commodity, increased with the distance from the coast due to the risk associated with transportation. So, for example, in the middle of the 18th century in Montreal, for one beaver skin, which was the main unit of payment during the fur trade, a hunter could get two axes, and to the west of Lake Superior, three beaver skins were already given for one axe. For comparison: a gun cost sixteen to twenty skins, and for one skin you could buy a pound (453 g) of shot or three flints.

Until the middle of the 18th century, the vast majority of axes intended for sale to the Indians were made in Europe, mainly in England and France. The technology of their production was simplified as much as possible to reduce the cost and speed up production. A strip of iron was bent around a metal bar to form an eye for the ax handle. The ends of this strip were welded, and an ax blade was forged from them. On more expensive versions, at the stage of blade formation, a hardened steel plate was clamped between the ends of the iron strip, which formed a more resistant cutting edge. By the middle of the 18th century, masters from among the settlers had launched the production of tomahawks in a volume sufficient to seriously compete with European suppliers. In order not to lose their positions in the American market, English and French manufacturers switched to the production of richly decorated tomahawks, which were already mounted on the handle. The blades of these axes were often decorated with inlay, chasing or figured cut, while the handle was decorated with copper studs or rings. Tomahawks with chasing, tongs or a blade on the butt became widespread in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and, due to their higher cost, were mainly used by European settlers, although they were sometimes presented to the Indians as an expensive gift. In the 18th century, another type of tomahawk appeared - an ax-smoking pipe. The handle of such a tomahawk had a hollow channel, and a tube head was placed on the butt. This hybrid, invented by Europeans, very quickly took root and became so popular with the Indians that many tomahawk manufacturers switched completely to the production of this type of ax. The appearance in the second half of the 18th century of the so-called sponton tomahawk is more like a historical anecdote. The officers of the European armies, when controlling the movement of columns to give commands, used a special spear as a wand - an esponton. Seeing how many soldiers obey the strokes of the esponton, the Indians saw in this spear a symbol of power. As a result, local craftsmen received orders for the manufacture of tomahawks with blades shaped like the tip of this spear. In some photographs of the 19th century, the leaders of the Indian tribes pose precisely with sponton tomahawks, holding them like scepters.

Tomahawks were not only a more advanced tool, but also a more effective melee weapon, as a result of which not only stone axes, but also battle clubs were pushed out in the everyday life of the Indians. The Indians highly valued military prowess. To hit the enemy from a distance at which he himself could reach the Indian was considered a manifestation of courage. In this regard, contrary to a common myth, tomahawks were almost never thrown in battle.

According to a generalized analysis of the results of archaeological excavations made by Professor Wayne Van Horn (Wayne Van Home), most often the damage caused by the tomahawk is on the skull, collarbone, bones of the forearm (in most cases the left) and ribs. The nature of the damage shows that the most common tomahawk attack was an arc-shaped slash from top to bottom, aimed at the head. If the blow was not accurate, the clavicle suffered, but if the defender raised his hand to block the blow, then the forearm received damage. The second most frequently used, judging by the damage to the ribs, was an attack with a horizontal slash to the body. Of course, such an analysis does not claim to be complete, since soft tissue damage cannot be established by examining the skeletons. It would be a misconception that tomahawks were used exclusively by the Indians. The versatility of this tool made it very popular with settlers and even the military. In the absence of compact repeating firearms, the tomahawk was perhaps the most effective of all the close combat weapons available at that time to the inhabitants of North America. If we talk about the peaceful use of the tomahawk, then they could not only chop. Taking it by the ax at the very blade, it was possible in some cases to use the ax as a knife. The butt could well replace the hammer. Tomahawks were part of the standard equipment of the fighters of the Roger's Rangers squad, organized in 1756 by Major Robert Rogers to fight on the side of the British during the wars with the French and Indians. In 1759, the general of the British army James Wolfe approved the tomahawk as a mandatory element of the equipment of light infantry fighters.Tomahawks were in use during the war of independence.After its end, they were armed with frontier detachments.Tomahawks remained in service until the middle of the XIX century.So 36 out of 65 members of the Lewis and Clark expedition, organized in 1804-1806, carried tomahawks.In addition, the expedition carried 50 tomahawk pipes, intended for gift to the Indians.During the turbulent trade with Mexico in the 1840s, each member of the American merchant caravan , following the Missouri-Santa Fe route, it was prescribed to carry a tomahawk.The revival of interest in the tomahawk in the 20th century is associated with named after Peter LaGana. A descendant of the Mohawk Indians, LaGana served in the Marine Corps and took part in World War II. Upon graduation, he worked as a hand-to-hand combat instructor, teaching, in addition to unarmed techniques, knife and tomahawk work. LaGan's course on the use of the tomahawk interested the higher authorities, as a result of which in the winter of 1965 he was called to the Pentagon for a demonstration.

Despite its success, the tomahawk was still not included in the official training program for the ground forces. However, LaGana was already on fire with the idea of an army tomahawk and did not want to retreat. He developed an ax with a specially shaped head, designed to expand the combat capabilities of the weapon. The blade on the butt was designed to remove sentries and could pierce a Kevlar helmet. In addition, due to its high penetrating power, this blade could inflict serious damage even if the blow was delivered from the elbow, without investing the body. This made it possible to effectively use this tomahawk in narrow passages and thickets, where it was not possible to swing. Five of the seven edges of LaGan's tomahawk head were sharpened. Thanks to this, a tomahawk swing in almost any trajectory turned into a productive attack. The creation of the tomahawk took LaGan three weeks, with the most difficult step, according to him, was balancing the tomahawk for throwing. Peter himself could throw almost any sharp object so that it stuck, therefore, choosing the length of the handle and improving the balance of the ax, LaGana offered to throw his tomahawk to unprepared people, mainly women and children. During development, a total of 870 shots were made from a distance of 4.5 to 6 meters. As a result, he found those proportions and balance that provided almost anyone with a successful hit at such a range, even without special training. For the production of his tomahawk, LaGana founded the American Tomahawk Company, which on April 16, 1966 produced the first production model. After the ground forces rejected the tomahawk, LaGana offered it to the Marines. On October 3, 1966, at a military base in Quantico, Virginia, one of the most realistic close combat demonstrations ever held in the US military took place.

In the first test, Peter confronted two Marines armed with guns and fixed bayonets. He insisted that the attackers remove the protective covers from the bayonets. LaGana disarmed both attackers, simultaneously marking the tomahawk blows to the head. At the same time, he received a sliding wound on his right hand, but continued the demonstration. In the second test, LaGana defeated an opponent with a machete, and in the third test, he disarmed the attacker with a knife with a flat tomahawk. This was followed by a demonstration of the chopping capabilities of the tomahawk on wooden dummies. In conclusion, LaGana showed several methods of throwing a tomahawk, including at a rapidly approaching enemy, which was played by his friend Con Novak. The target was a shield made of three layers of wood on Novak's chest. At the end of the show, all eighteen officers who were part of the commission purchased tomahawks for themselves. However, the response of the command of the marines was disappointing: "In order for the tomahawk to be adopted, it is necessary that it replace one or more elements from the individual set of equipment of the marine." The tomahawk was never put into service, however, by special order, the fighters were allowed to purchase them privately. Peter LaGana began to receive orders in an increasing stream. Of the 4,000 tomahawks produced by the American Tomahawk Company before it closed in 1970, 3,800 were purchased by military personnel serving in the Vietnam War. That is why the name "Vietnamese tomahawk" was assigned to LaGan's tomahawk.

In the 1990s, the theme of the tomahawk was mainly addressed by craftsmen, creating richly decorated exhibition samples intended for the collector's shelf, and not for the hand of a hunter or a fighter. In addition, a number of firms produced cheap tomahawks aimed at ax throwers and members of military history clubs. The real renaissance of the tomahawk, which returned it to service as a full-fledged element of the fighter's equipment, began with the revival of the American Tomahawk. In 2001, Andy Prisco, with the consent of Peter LaGan, launched the serial production of the "Vietnamese tomahawk" - VTAC. The popularity of tomahawks and the demand for them grew so rapidly that by the fall of 2001, several other companies had launched production of their models.

There are two main trends in the design solutions of the new generation of tomahawks: tomahawks with a handle made of light alloy and a blade made of tool steel and tomahawks of an integral design, in which the blade and handle form a single whole. The first approach makes it easy to replace a damaged blade, while the second provides maximum reliability. Tomahawk received recognition not only from civilians. Since 2003, the VTAC tomahawk, along with a sledgehammer, wire cutters and a crowbar, has been included in the so-called Modular Entry Tool Set (a modular set of tools for penetration), which is included in the equipment of every special forces detachment of the American army. In addition, VTAC tomahawks are included in the equipment of a number of infantry units and the 75th Ranger Regiment. The VTAC Tomahawk has been assigned the National Accession Number NSN 4210-01-518-7244, which means it is listed as equipment approved for purchase by US government agencies. Tomahawks from other manufacturers also find their customers among military personnel and employees of various law enforcement agencies.

Why are they all attracted to the tomahawk? First of all, its versatility, because a tomahawk can not only chop. The blade on the butt easily pierces metal barrels and tires reinforced with steel tapes. When penetrating with a tomahawk, you can knock down a padlock, wring out a door, break a car glass, etc. And, of course, the tomahawk is a very effective melee weapon in cases where the use of firearms is undesirable (for example, near poisonous or explosive substances). Of course, the tomahawk will not become a companion of every fighter, however, as a special means for conducting operations, it will be in service for a long time.

Mustang knife. Designed as a knife of an Indian youth - not yet a warrior.
Blade firm "Sander". 100x35x5 mm. at the handle. Wedge on the butt from the shoulders. H12MF.
Handle- 95x30 (middle) x25. Moose horn tinted with hair dye. Wrapping with a strap (wet. After drying, it is impregnated with epoxy). Mounting a rider on 2/3 of the length of the handle (epox). The back is leather impregnated with epoxy.
Sheath- saddlecloth, sealskin, straps, wax, aging with sandpaper.
Tomahawk my production. A piece of iron is a railway crutch. Handle - elm (spirit stain "Eben", tung).

In this publication, I will tell you how to make a real tomahawk from an ordinary tomahawk, which are sold in large quantities at Internet auctions, and which do not differ in beauty and originality. tomahawk ax, with the blade of a real combat, battered ax.

Tomahawk modification

I once bought a mass-produced tomahawk overnight. I've always wanted to get one and I stumbled upon the site and found that they were really affordable. About $30 with shipping. And several different styles to choose from. I chose Cold Steel Trail Hawk.
It came in the mail and I was shocked at how boring it looked. So I decided to make a few changes. How beautifully everything turned out - you be the judge.

Step 1. Raw Materials

So this is what I got in the mail. Blade with a simple handle (I ordered a spare too). The ax blade is painted black. Like I said... boring.
The first step is to remove the blade from the handle. My model had a small hex bolt on the side of the blade. I found the right hex wrench and unscrewed it. Using a mallet, I removed the blade from the handle.

Step 2: Remove paint from the blade

So the first thing I did was remove the paint from the metal blade. I used a paint remover that I purchased from a hardware store. I smeared the metal with the compound and then wrapped it in plastic wrap. The paint was some kind of hard, but it completely disappeared after a few procedures.
Be careful with this composition - if it comes into contact with the skin - it causes a chemical burn!
After all the paint was off, I washed it with plain soap and water.

Step 3: Boil the Ax Blade in Vinegar

Yes, you read it right. I wanted to finish the blade so that it looks old. After searching the topic online, one of the easiest and least toxic methods I found was to simply boil it in white vinegar.
I don't have any photo of the ax before processing, but the ax was plain metal color. I boiled it in plain white vinegar for 20 minutes and the blade took on a black ashy coating.

WARNING: Boiling vinegar will fill your home with an indescribable odor. I didn't mind it, but my wife did!

I used an old camping kettle that was about to retire anyway.
Once the blade was cool, I used a regular kitchen sharpener to sharpen the blade. This gave brightness to the metal along the chamfers of sharpening.
Processing will also reveal marks and markings on the blade.
Some other finishing methods include the use of "blueing" or "phosphating". Heck, you can even just repaint the blade any color you want.

Step 4. Putting the blade on the handle

At this point, I noticed how the ax fits the handle. To be honest, it was done ugly - the sharp edges around the hole where the handle went through the blade left marks on the handle. I used a thin file and removed the excess metal around the hole.
I also used a sander, with fine sandpaper, to change the leading edge. This not only improved the look of the wide bevel, but also made the ax sharper.
I also sanded down the old grip finish and sanded the grip again to a high gloss finish. But keep in mind, you can not remove too much wood from the handle and metal from the hole - otherwise the blade will simply slip off the handle.

Step 5. With the handle on

At this point, I've sanded down the factory piece and intend to finish with the handle. I used my stain to get the deeper color I wanted. Two layers.
I also used a wood carving kit to draw a symbol of four directions rays. But you could draw or cut out any character you like.
I would also like to have a lanyard hole at the end of the handle so that the tomahawk can be held more securely in the hand. I went to a hobby shop and bought a 1/4" OD brass tube. I drilled a 1/4 inch hole, cut a piece of pipe to match the length. I used a fine file and then just sandpaper to shape the brass so it was flush with the handle.
Once I did all that, I covered the handle with polyurethane varnish to give it a waterproof finish. Two layers. I used hangers as shown in the photo while I was applying the coat.
You can use a wide range of pen paint materials. There are various staining methods to add or change color. Inks, paints, etc. Instead of using varnishes, you can also coat the handle with various penetrating oils.

STEP 6. Finally all together.

After all the details have been well modified, it's time to put the ax on the handle. Slide the blade over the top of the handle until it feels tight. To get a snug fit, grab the handle directly under the axe. Now hit the base of the handle with a rubber or wooden mallet. This will land the ax on the handle. Further use will occur with this landing, so secure the blade with a screw and you're done!
Insert a lanyard or sling into the brass hole at the base of the handle, there are a great many of their options and varieties! Your tomahawk ready!

We could not afford to just leave this topic, and decided to figure out in detail what it is - tactical tomahawk Where did it come from and where is it used? You will be surprised, but the tomahawk as a special tactical weapon exists in the armies of the world almost in the mid-50s.

History of the tomahawk

The Tomahawk is an extremely unusual weapon for its pale-faced brethren. Having a huge history, this type of edged weapons remains a highlight supplied to the troops in small batches. But this unusual weapon today, he is increasingly winning the hearts of the military as a convenient and practical weapon for close combat. Why? Let's go back to history...

Tomahawk(tomahawk in English), or in other words "battle ax" is a cold weapon used by the Indians of North America.

A real Indian tomahawk looked completely different from what we used to see them in films about Indians. However, he is not even "Indian". In pre-Columbian America, the word "tomahawk" (tomahiken, tomehogan, tummahakan, tomahak, tumahguak, etc.) denoted a cudgel with a pointed stone tip, often serving as a smoking pipe at the same time. So, during the war - a weapon, in peacetime - a pipe of peace. And the very name of the hatchet "tomahawk" in general, in fact, is not Indian, but rather European. It comes from an English transliteration of the term in various Eastern Algonquian languages. Initially, this was the name of a variety of combat clubs and clubs, later - small iron, bronze or brass axes on a straight handle. Used by the natives of America as a melee weapon and for throwing.

white man's gift

The Indians did not initially use tomahawks en masse in combat or hunting, as we are used to seeing in feature films. It was the Europeans who brought iron axes to the American continent, which made an indelible impression on the locals and became one of the most popular goods: the natives gladly exchanged them for furs. Tomahawks were produced right there or imported from Europe.

Those that got to the Indians from Europe were steel, slightly modernized

battle axes of the British Marines.

The Indians turned iron tomahawk axes from a working tool into a formidable weapon. They were used in close combat, they learned to throw them with amazing skill, while the Indians were taught to fight with a tomahawk by European settlers who owned the technique of using an ax during a boarding battle. The natives of America turned out to be very diligent students, and soon trained Indian warriors threw the tomahawk at a distance of up to 20 meters, while accurately hitting the target. At the same time, the Indians appreciated the new weapon of the white man, because in close combat the tomahawk was more convenient than a knife and a spear, since due to the lever handle, even a weak person could inflict a terrible wound, for example, cut off a limb. Plus, due to the ax handle, not long and not short, it was easy to wield both in a dense crowd and in one-on-one fights.

Tomahawks were used not only in war, but also in hunting - to finish off wounded animals.

The preferences of certain forms of tomahawks by the Indians of different tribes changed over time and were determined by the proposal of the manufacturers. In the Missouri River region, until the middle of the 19th century, very wide, but with a relatively short handle, "Missouri battle axes" were popular. Another type, in the form of a spear or pick, often with decorative swirling processes at the base of the blade. This "spontaneous (spontaneous) tomahawk" came from a polearm of the same name, which was armed with sergeants in European armies.

To expand the market and increase demand, European blacksmiths tried to please the tastes of the natives: blade and handle decorations became more sophisticated and luxurious, more and more new original models were invented. For example, tomahawks were made for diplomatic purposes: with artistic engraving, inlaid with gold and silver. They were offered to Indian chiefs as gifts emphasizing peaceful intentions. The blades were made at first from simple iron, later from iron or brass with a steel insert of the cutting edge, from brass. On the butt (back side of the blade) they made a sharp spike, a hammer. The most popular were tomahawks with a hollow handle and a butt with a shank for smoking tobacco.

The Indians themselves began to master blacksmithing only at the beginning of the 19th century, but they preferred not to bother with ore mining and iron smelting, but most often they simply reforged the “iron scrap” of Europeans. They polished the handles, inlaid them with various materials, cut out and burned patterns, wrapped them with strips of leather or fabric, copper wire, and painted them. And, of course, various (often symbolic) decorations were attached: feathers, porcupine quills, pieces of fur, beads, hair, human scalps. Tomahawks become a symbol of power and status among the Indians by the middle of the 19th century. Dancing and ceremonial tomahawks had various suspensions at the end of the handle in the form of beaded leather triangles with fringe, bells, strips of cloth or fur. Round mirrors could be sewn onto the latter. Tomahawks became so much a part of the spiritual culture of the North American Indians that even peace pipes, which were made from the sacred red stone of Minnesota, began to be made in the form of this battle hatchet. Gift and souvenir tomahawks-pipes had handles trimmed with silver, where even the silver mouthpiece was closed with a cap on a chain.

Vietnamese tomahawk by Peter LaGrana

The tomahawk was used by European settlers: hunters, pioneers and, until the middle of the 19th century, by the military, along with a “belt ax” (“half-axe”) close to it in terms of parameters. They were in service with American troops during the Revolutionary War, the wars of the North and South, and the "Indian" wars.

For a long time, this weapon was not remembered, considering it lagging behind and not effective, however Peter LaGana (Peter LaGana ), a true descendant of the Mohawk Indians, convinced the world otherwise. A former member of the Marine Corps, he took part in World War II. After the war, he taught hand-to-hand combat. However, in addition to teaching unarmed fighting techniques, he also taught the work of a tomahawk. Information about this reached the higher authorities, as a result of which in the winter of 1965 he was called to the Pentagon to demonstrate the potential of this weapon.

« Tomahawks themselves, even after playing a huge historical role during more than one hundred clashes between Indians and colonists, were used by soldiers of the American army in significant quantities during the Vietnam War in the period from 1966-1975 and gained fame as an indispensable tool and weapon for a fighter».

Despite the successful performance, the battle with the tomahawk was not included in the official training program for the US military. But Peter LaGana was already on fire with the idea of an army tomahawk and did not want to retreat. A few months later, he made his own tomahawk, which has a specially shaped head section that significantly increases the combat capabilities of the weapon.

The blade of the LaGan tomahawk on the butt had the most pointed shape and could pierce a Kevlar helmet or light body armor (which, alas, was not available to the knife). And thanks to its high penetrating power, coupled with its weight, the tomahawk inflicted serious damage, even if the blow was delivered from the elbow, without investing body weight in the blow. Consequently, it could be used in narrow passages and thickets, where the fighter simply did not have room to swing.

Interestingly, five of the seven edges of the sharp part of LaGan's tomahawk were sharpened, so a hit with a tomahawk along any trajectory inflicted a wound on the enemy. But the most amazing thing about this ax was its balance. Peter himself calmly threw any sharp object so that it stuck, but what was an unprepared fighter to do?

Peter LaGana offered to throw his tomahawk to unprepared people, mostly women and children. As a result, a total of 870 shots were made from a distance of 4.5 to 6 meters. After processing the data and making calculations, those proportions and weights were found that provided almost any person with a successful hit at such a range, even without special training.

Demonstration of the capabilities of the LaGrana tomahawk

The ax turned out to be so successful that the demand for it was hundreds of times higher than the supply. Therefore, LaGana opened his own company, the American Tomahawk Company, which on April 16, 1966 produced the first serial battle ax. Now LaGana offered the tomahawk to the Marines, and on October 3, 1966, at a military base in Quantico, Virginia, he conducted the most realistic demonstration of the capabilities of the new tomahawk ever held by the US military.

The first test consisted of confronting two Marines who were armed with rifles and bayonets. LaGana insisted that the protective scabbards be removed from the bayonets. A minute later, he disarmed both attackers, although he received a cut on his right hand, but he continued the demonstration anyway. Then LaGana disarmed the fighters with a machete, and in the third test he easily defeated the attacker with a knife. The possibility of chopping properties of the tomahawk was demonstrated on dummies.

At the end of the tests, he showed how easy and effective it is to throw a tomahawk, including at a moving enemy, for this his best friend Kon Novak put a wooden shield on his chest. Upon completion of the tests, all eighteen representatives of the Marine Corps, who were part of the commission, bought themselves tomahawks. But the response of the command of the US Marine Corps was the following: “ In order for the tomahawk to be accepted into service, it must replace one or more elements from the individual set of equipment of the Marine, so this weapon will not be accepted into service.».

However, thanks to the efforts of commissioned officers, the military was allowed to purchase tomahawks privately and carry them as weapons. Of the more than 4,000 tomahawks manufactured by the American Tomahawk Company before its closure in 1970, 3,820 were purchased by Marines in the Vietnam War. Thanks to this, LaGan's tomahawk was given the nickname "Vietnamese tomahawk".

Tomahawk in the modern army

It is interesting that the Soviet command considered the tomahawk as a weapon, however when conducting tests sapper shovel almost as effective as a battle ax, so it was decided to leave everything as it is.

Tomahawks resurface only during the US Operation Just Cause in Panama. There, gangsters of drug cartels actively used in hand-to-hand skirmishes not only machetes, but also battle axes, from which more than forty fighters were injured or killed. A light and maneuverable ax in dense thickets was several times more effective than a bayonet.

During the "Desert Storm" fighters are faced with the difficulty of entering the premises, the doors have to be broken into improvised means or blown up. The complaints of the fighters do not reach the command, or the command does not attach any importance to them. Therefore, soldiers wearing huge red fire axes were not uncommon.

Tomahawk VTAC

The tomahawk experiences a true revival only after 2000, this time already as a full-fledged element of a fighter's equipment. A year later, the American Tomahawk company, headed by Andy Prisco, begins to function again, which, with the support of the already elderly Peter LaGan, begins the mass production of the “Vietnamese Tomahawk” - VTAC.

The popularity of this ax exceeds all conceivable levels and a true boom in this weapon begins. However, major changes have been made to the design of the modern tomahawk, and are available in two versions:

tomahawks with handles consisting of a polymer that significantly reduces the weight of the ax, and the ax itself is made of tool steel;
tomahawks, which have a one-piece design, where the ax and ax handle are cut from a single sheet of metal.

The first version of the ax is more mobile, as it allows you to quickly and easily replace one blade with another, for example, with a different blade shape, and is also ideal in hand-to-hand combat as it is light, while the second option provides high structural strength and is more suitable for hard work. opening doors or breaking through barricades.

Since 2003 tomahawk VTAC along with a sledgehammer, wire cutters and a crowbar, it is included in the so-called Modular Entry Tool Set (a modular set of tools for penetration), which is included in the equipment of every detachment of the US Army Special Forces. In addition, VTAC tomahawks are included in the equipment of a number of infantry units and the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Also, the VTAC Tomahawk has been assigned the state inventory number NSN 4210-01-518-7244, that is, it is included in the list of equipment approved for purchase by US government agencies. Tomahawks from other manufacturers also find their customers among military personnel and employees of various law enforcement agencies.

Prospects for the tomahawk as a tactical weapon

Currently, countless modifications of these axes (including the "Vietnamese" one) are produced by Western firms. Many modern models of axes with this name are designed for military use. Magnificent steel army tomahawks were widely used by the Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But what did the military find in the tomahawk? Of course, first of all, its versatility. With an ax, you can perform a wide range of work, and not just demolish the heads of the enemy. The pointed spike on the butt of the tomahawk easily opens both metal barrels and truck tires reinforced with steel tapes. You can cut through the doors of houses, knock down locks, make holes in brick walls with a long spike, climb walls (rocks and trees) and simply use them for household needs and as a survival tool, along with the same tactical knives or "multitools".

Well, as a melee weapon, the tomahawk is several times superior to the usual bayonet-knife, especially when it is impossible or undesirable to shoot from a rifle or pistol (where ammunition or fuel depots are).

The most common modern tactical army tomahawks today weigh a little less than 500 g, the length of the handle is 14 cm, on the butt there is a pointed spike about 8 cm long, which can be used as a chisel when landing doors.

Of course, the tomahawk is a weapon that is not suitable for everyone and not for every occasion. But taking into account the need for a high skill in working with such weapons, and the opportunities that it gives, we can definitely say that the tomahawk is the choice of only professionals.