Don't know where to plug this one

[45-70cannon]

I luv the hawk, throwing them and sticking them is one of them wonders of the woodsman.
I used to play a game (got stuck in it with some others, as they introduced me to the game of tomahawk tag).
Well anyway, I bought a hawk from one trader and another from another trader, and in playing the game noticed that my hawk, when hit or in hitting another steel blade took the damage o.k. but the wife's hawk, the blade folded back revealing a kinda of a double edge and hollow? Is that possible?
I thought hawk blades were solid.

 

[LRB]

Many are a strip of steel, folded around a tear shaped mandrel and forge welded together, or in some cases of cheapos, just tack welded. Sounds like the weld was not good. Nothing wrong with the fold and weld, but the weld must be good, and should be forge welded. Many, if not most original hawks were made this way with a piece of high carbon steel sandwiched in between the fold to be the cutting edge. there were also some with no added edge steel, and some that were solid with a punched through eye for the handle.

 

[ameling]

The lower-priced hawks being imported from India by the main importer/wholesaler in the US are not "forge welded". The blades are forged to shape, wrapped around the eye drift/mandrel, and then ARC WELDED all around the outside edges of the blade - and sometimes a little inside the eye. They are then GROUND smooth on the outside and shaped. So once you break that arc weld on the blade, the two sides will then start to split apart.

That one major importer/wholesaler supplies lots or most of the regular "vendors" at living history events. So whether you buy from a vendor at a rendezvous or you buy directly from them, you get the same hawk - if you are buying one of their cheaper hawks.

A quick way to check is to pop the handle out and look inside the eye - especially at the outside edge of the eye. Modern arc welding is kind of easy to see when you look.

Now, those hawks are a good "user" hawk for the price. It's just that they don't tend to hold up in hard use over time. That arc welded edge tends to crack/break - and then the two halves will start to separate. And the more metal you grind away from the cutting edge to sharpen your hawk, the less there is holding those two halves together.

Once you know the ... limitations ... of their construction, you can better judge if it will fit your needs for the price when buying a hawk.

Just a few humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey

 

[necchi]

We call that game "Handles" and it is the bane of the person that has to buy the darn kids playing it, new handles.,,but it can be a good way to get chores done around camp.
Nobody mentioned that some US made hawks are "cast". meaning the entire head is cast in one piece.
We now have one hawk designated for handles, it's the Crazy Crow India import "Heart hawk".
It's a one pound, under 4"(i think) regulation size. That thing has taken a beating for years.
Interesting thing about "tag" or "handles" is nobody really wins :rotf:

 

[ameling]

Yup. Playing "handles" is pretty rough on hawk handles - and the heads as well.

I prefer to play a "closest distance" game with hawk and knife. You throw and stick your hawk and knife, then measure the closest distance between where the blades are stuck in the stump. The person who gets theirs stuck the closest wins. If you don't stick one or the other, then your throw doesn't count that time. But each person removes their knife/hawk before anybody else throws. So you are the only one endangering your own gear.

Of course, we always played for ... adult beverages.

Mikey

 

[shmrck1]

Of course, we always played for ..adult beverages.

Mike,
Well that is one way to insure that
everyone wins eventually :rotf::rotf::rotf:
snake-eyes:hmm::surrender: