Any Tomahawk fans here?

I have three hawks which I throw on a continual basis. I look at it as an option other than shooting. I cant always rip off a mag off of the deck range I have set up (It upsets my older dogs & my girlfriend). To me it is like therapy(Much like shooting). I spend an hour or so throwing my hawks and I feel refreshed. It is also a cheaper option to shooting all the time. I probably go through about 2 handles a year. As for protection? I guess if it is the only option available at the time then.........well , we'll just see how it all turns out!

HSO: Glad to be of service!. SlamFire1

myself said:

I found this book, Fighting Tomahawk by Dwight McLemore (may have learned of it in this thread...) and will probably buy it, but am hoping to read some reviews of it before investing.

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Just found this set of reader reviews about that book.

One of the only books I've ever seen on Amazon that got all (6) 5-star reviews.

No, I'm not suggesting one can learn to fight with one from a book alone.

But all good classes need good texts.

This looks like a good candidate.
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By the way, here's my current desktop image.

It's a SOG Fusion.

there is hardly a more satisfying sound than the "thunk" of a t-hawk sticking in an Oak slab. My first 'thunk' was 10 years ago and now at 59 I still can forget everything when I'm throwing.

I give throwing lessons once a year at our "Heritage Day Celebration" I get everybody from tiny girls that can barely through a squaw hawk. To the big boys that think power is everything. I have two rules, If you stick it I get it. If you don't you get it yourself.
I'm often asked if the warriors would routinely through their hawks. My only answer is. If you throw your weapon at your enemy and don't kill him then he has your weapon and you better have a back up.

Get the SOG.
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mmmmmmmmmm........SOG I love most that they make, got 1 of theirs on the way

SOG has now put a new fiberglass reinforced nylon handle on that Fusion
in response to problems with breakages of the original wooden one.

Ah tomahawks. I got a Cold Steel Rifleman's Hawk for Christmas a couple of years ago and it has since gone most places I do. It's been used of just about everything.

Last fall a friend of mine got the pain bead blasted off and put a light rust on it instead then we varnished the handle and made a nice leather sheath. Not it looks "real".

I've done everything with it from throwing to splitting wood and it works dandy.

P.S. The Fighting Tomahawk is thus far the only book I've seen on the subject. I haven't read it but would love to pick it up some time soon...

The Cold Steel guys did have a short but relatively informative article on their sight somewhere. If you want it and can't find it let me know as I think I have a copy on my computer here somewhere...

I have had some problems with SOG steel. I have a couple of SOG Fusion Hawks, the Spirit and a Hand Axe. The problem is that it chips (made in China). I have written and talked to Giovanni at SOG's warranty dept. several times, and he has been more than helpful. The only real problem item has been the SOG machete according to SOG, and they switched suppliers - I saw a guy break one in half in one swing. SOG will modify/ correct any defects and let you know what's going on with your stuff. I highly recommend them for the price. Anybody had any similar problems?

Cold Steel tomahawk fighting article is HERE

My Cousin told me that several LERP Squads carried personal hawks for cutting stuff instead of a Machet and that he had heard of them being used in VC sentrys.

SWAT magazine did a recent article on them that was pretty interesting and gave a list of manufacturers. Apparently alot are goin overseas with our troops and are being advertised for breaking out windows, clearing obstacles in houses etc. and a few of them say their designed to pierce Kevlar helmets. I like RMJ tacticals hawks but beware they run from 350+ so they cost a bit, their website says they are backed up by months b/c so many military orders. I've been pretty impresses with the SOG fusion so far both with throwing and general striking.
My .02

Well this is a blast from the past and I thought I would post some pictures of my 1974 HB forge Tomahawk.

This tomahawk has been an excellent chopper, has enough weight to make a deep cut in wood. When I talked to the owner, whose name I forgot to write down, this tomahawk was probably made when he had Amish blacksmiths working for him. That period ended in 1975.

The laminated bit is a wedge of 1095 steel, but it is not as hard as it could be. The maker tempers the wedge to 40-45 rockwell. His reason was that if it got much harder it is hard to use a file to sharpen. HB forge said that 40-45 rockwell was the hardness of a standard double bitted axe. The rest of the head is 1018 steel. I think the laminated construction is a great idea though I would have preferred the insert to be heat treated to a higher rockwell.

I must have thrown this thing a thousand or two times. The wood shaft head is a bit busted from all the poor throws, but it is still all together.

I added bicycle handlebar tape to see how it would feel.







Recently I picked up a Polaris Tomahawk by 2 Hawks. This is lighter than the HB forge, very fast in the hand, and would be an excellent fighting hawk, in my opinion. I have not tried to chop with it but being light it probably will not be as good a chopper as the heavier HB forge version. The Polaris arrives very sharp and the upper and lower edges are sharpened, it is very easy to cut yourself on this tomahawk. The shaft is very smooth and I love the flame hardening colors on the wood.

i used to throw axes, knives, throwing stars, nails, and just about anything pointed for fun. i can even throw a needle and pop a balloon form 5 feet. but my favorite was my Collins 1/4 pound hatchet. i have it somewhere and i bought a new handle for it a while ago.

Hawks

Nematocyst, I spent 3 tours in Spl Ops units in the AF in Nam. Worked with all services in and out. Never saw a Viet Nam hawk till year later in a catalog. Go figure. But never say never. Some of that stuff was very mission oriented and would never be known by anyone but to what unit it was issued. Point in case, I do know of of some special boots, made for a mission, that the soles left a print of a asian foot print in the sand banks. the bottom was molded in the imprint of a bare foot.

Here are two tomahawks that I forged from ballpeen hammers. I normally make knives but after seeing some work on another site of several tomahawk makers I had to give it a whirl.

My pipe hawk ... it gets more smoking than chopping these days.

I found this and thought others would enjoy. Here is King's Forge replica tomahawk from The Patriot. Sweet eh?

Nice hawks from a ball pein hammer

I tend to get on kicks from time-to-time that never seem to last so the wife refused to justify me an official American Tomahawk, thusly my first real Tomahawk in years is currently on on the way, but I had to settle this time for the SOG Fusion model as my budget starter 'hawk. I would have liked the Cold Steel Rifleman's better, but for a bug-out-bag I couldn't justify the wooden handle. The SOG might not be full tang, but reinforced polypropelene is better than hickory wood and hickory is about as durable as one could hope to find in terms of replacements in my corner of the country - it'll do for now...

What is the haft made from on this one? It's beautiful! and you did a great job on the forging as well!

Edged weapons / Tools

I have several hawks from when I did the rendezvous and buck skinning. hey are about the house somewhere along with my Kukri , a modern replica of the Viet Nam Hawk , machete and replica navy cutlass.
An edged weapon never runs out of ammo.
It never hurts to have the proper tool for the job.

Brad. The handle/haft is curly maple stained with aqua fortis. Aqua fortis is nitric acid cut by dissolving iron in it. I stained this handle by applying the aqua fortis with a dye swab, letting it dry and then, heating the wood with a heat gun. You get a very nice finish this way that seems to make the wood appear almost three dimensional. I neutralize the wood with a water/baking soda solution, let dry and then apply boiled linseed oil to it. Put on as much oil that the wood will absorb. After, buff with a soft lint-free cloth(I use cloth baby diapers...clean of course.). Is there an easier way, probably but this is how I do it and it works for me. I am working on two more hawks so I should have some to post soon Good luck with your knife making!