TOW Iroquois Hawk

[Crewdawg445]

Evening all, figured I'd show my finished Iroquois hawk, comes from Track requiring a decent amount of finish work and sharpening. This was a fun project, very happy with the finished result.

First off, here's the finished hawk, filing by hand and profiling the bit was the most time consuming portion of the build, yet much worth the efforts as it's hair popping sharp.

Here I have the bit in the forge for the hardening process. You'll also see the back of the pole, it actually comes with a rather large chunk of metal that is the casting gate, which requires removal. As you can see I ground and did a good amount of file work to shape the area.

Another shot of the bit in the forge and the eye which also requires a large amount of file work.

ff After I killed the air and allowed the coals to burn down, perfect opportunity for some char cloth!

More finished shots, after quenching and tempering the bit at 450 for an hour I allowed it to cool, did a final sharpening and installed the bit on the stained hickory handle and added a few brass tacks.

Overall, a worthwhile project IMO. The engravings are beautifully done and out of the box the 4140 casting does require work, but takes the heat treatment process well and takes a wicked edge. The 18" hickory handle is well made and certainly should take a beating. :hatsoff:

 

[Flint311]

Looking pretty good from here! :thumbsup:

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

That looks really good! :thumbsup:

 

[Mickc01]

Wow, I'm impressed!.... :hatsoff:

 

[Treestalker]

Wow, that looks great, you said it; wicked! :thumbsup: I'm really enjoying your posts on your Native American persona and gear. Please keep on letting us share in your progress and adventure. George.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Thank you very much sir, I greatly appreciate the encouraging words and to know others enjoy my work. I can honestly say it's a true passion! :hatsoff:

 

[Grumpa]

Very impressive.

You are on a great journey. More than a re-enactor, you are reaching into your ancestry to better find yourself, and to find them within yourself.

As with any great journey, there can be hardship and peril, satisfaction and joy. Be diligent, be careful, be strong. You are doing well. The quality and thoroughness of your work speaks well for you.

Thank you for sharing.

Richard

 

[LRB]

That came out very nice. A fine looking tomahawk.

 

[Crewdawg445]

I sincerely appreciate your words sir, truly means allot. To often in today's world ones roots can all be forgotten to easily. I take great pride in my ancestry and certainly feel I'm very fortunate to have the abilities to try and recreate that and make those who have passed on proud.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Beautiful. But remember, the prettier they are the quicker the hawk hunting morons will mess it up. And, yes, we do get morons even at a ronny. My first really pretty handle lasted about a minit first ronny I took it to. :shocked2: :cursing:

 

[Crewdawg445]

Oh that's the truth! :rotf:

 

[S.Kenton]

I got the same hawk from TOTW, I done my filing work and knocked off the rough edges, browned it and put a handle on it. It tosses quite well. I'm now on my third handle due to the Rondy events....first handle was nice like yours....second handle was just stained...third I hand made and it's not nice...but looks good and keeps the morons away... :wink:

 

[Crewdawg445]

It's only stained, I don't get crazy with handles because they, well break as all have mentioned! I'm glad you've had good experience throwing this particular hawk as this has been on my mind. Certainly feels well balanced in the hand and with any luck, should throw well then.

 

[S.Kenton]

I cut about 4. Inches off the replacement handle...I think I did that to the original handle as well. An older gent told me the rule of thumb was that a throwing hawk handle shouldn't be longer than the tip of your middle finger to your elbow.....dunno if that's true or not, but it works well for me.

 

[sooter76]

Is there a reason for the hardening or just personal preference? I just sanded and sharpened mine.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Absolutely there is, all tools should be properly hardened/ tempered if they haven't been already. One biggy is safety, also prolonged edge retention and extended tool life are among the others.

 

[sooter76]

Guess when I get back from deployment I'll have to get on that.

 

[omarick1948]

My question: "Why would a person use a nicely finished Tomahawk and use it in a Handle Hunt match anyway"? :shocked2:

 

[Rifleman1776]

My question: "Why would a person use a nicely finished Tomahawk and use it in a Handle Hunt match anyway"? :shocked2:

As mentioned, the handle hunters are morons. They usually just come along and start throwing without invitation. :cursing:

 

[S.Kenton]

Is there a reason for the hardening or just personal preference? I just sanded and sharpened mine.

I didn't harden mine either. The hawk is made from 4140 steel and shouldn't require any tempering. I just filed sanded and browned it...it holds a nice edge and looks amazing!