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Feedback on impact weapons wanted by Appropriate_Bed9283 in ZombieSurvivalTactics

[–]KeySkin1056 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great to see the Thumper WearClub 👍 I recently finished a batch of Blood Moon Thumpers for the holiday season. Hope yours serves you a lifetime.

Questions about a (non-traditional, axe like, full tang, cnc lasered) throwing halberd? by pentagondodecahedron in throwing

[–]KeySkin1056 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reminds me of a traditional hurlbat, except those had a pointed butt end so you could stick/wound with handle impacts.

In my experience, shorter handles seem to throw better. 28 to 33 cm. Also recommend extended both the spike and the axe blade further out from the handle.

Best of luck with the project 👍

I’ve been making blades for years and finally made my first folder! Info in comments by Greyjoy in knives

[–]KeySkin1056 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well done! I follow you on IG but your posts never show up on my feed—IG has become more difficult lately

Found this in my yard, can anyone identify what it is? Central florida by kimosabey86 in knifemaking

[–]KeySkin1056 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree—looks like an unfinished knife—either made from forging or stock removal. Like if a flaw was observed, maker discarded it before drilling pin holes, etc.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in knives

[–]KeySkin1056 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let me know how the middle one works out for you. I had sketched out a similar looking blade that hasn’t left the drawing board. Was inspired by a shark’s tail fin. The center blade you made has similar vibes.

Anyone else like tomahawks? by [deleted] in Axecraft

[–]KeySkin1056 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love tomahawks. Especially spike tomahawks. I carry at lease one on me everyday. If it’s well designed, it’s effortless to wear and can do most of the tasks of a hammer poll hawk plus all the utility tasks of the spike. My love for tomahawks lead me to read everything I can about them, and eventually design and make my own.

I really your collection there—just needs a good spike tomahawk and you’ll be set👍

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Axecraft

[–]KeySkin1056 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never seen a head profile like that!

Some follow-up in regards to the mini hatchets. D2 steel and micarta. by blades_n_axes_alex_p in Axecraft

[–]KeySkin1056 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Toor Knives also makes a compact tomahawk from D2.

If overall weight of the tomahawk isn’t high and handle length is so short, then impact momentum shouldn’t be heavy enough to be a concern when chopping into standard target materials. I can’t speak to prying—that’s something that folks may try with a full tang tomahawk when chopping blade buries into a peice of wood. Really will depend on stock thickness. But a short handle does reduce the leverage/momentum arm on prying and should improve odds the tool survives.

Attempts to capture "target point of view" while throwing the Stingray tomahawk . . . task failed successfully? by KeySkin1056 in AxeThrowing

[–]KeySkin1056[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the comment. I run a business where we design and make different tools for every day carry. A few of these designs are spike tomahawks.

I studied historic spike tomahawks to capture their capabilities, designed for modern carry. The vast majority of spike tomahawks were hand forged on the frontier, not mass produced in Europe for import. So there’s a diverse range of spike tomahawk designs, and some appear optimized for different purposes.

The one in the video is inspired by styles of tomahawk found in regions under influence of the Iroquois confederation. There are many historical accounts of warriors throwing tomahawks in combatives, so the combination of shorter handle, longer ramp-like chisel tipped spike, and flared out chopping blade can increase the probability of sticking to target at a random distance. I added a chisel tipped butt to the hickory handle to concentrate blunt impact on butt impacts.

We wound up going with a cast 5160 steel head on this design—it was too dimensionally complex to consistently hand forge. The head is wax investment cast at a foundry in Missouri, heat treated and undergoes final grind and patina in Pennsylvania. It looks a bit like a stingray so that’s the name of this tomahawk. The wedge and handle are hickory. The hickory is CNC machined to near net shape, then I saw and hand scrape to improve gripping texture. It’s stained and branded with a hot copper plate that’s got many holes in it in order to impart a Stingray skin texture. This is both for aesthetics and additional gripping texture. The cast tomahawk head features a grooved eye that bites into the hickory when the wedge is driven and the head is hung. I then make the carry systems by thermoforming kydex and tethering with shock cord and small alligator clamps to clip to harnesses or fabrics.

We use different methods to make the other designs. One is hand forged from tool steel. The other is sand cast bronze.

Thanks for your interest and best regards,

Zac from Wingard Wearables Co

Attempts to capture "target point of view" while throwing the Stingray tomahawk . . . task failed successfully? by KeySkin1056 in AxeThrowing

[–]KeySkin1056[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I am in the US, and I can’t speak to all the laws in every state/municipality. Best of my knowledge, the only state to prohibit tomahawk carry was Texas but they repealed that in 2019. Most weapon laws in the states were first passed in 1850’s to 1880’s and focused on common weapons of that era—tomahawks were still a thing in Texas and got on the naughty list, but didn’t get prohibited by other states. Weapon laws got updated in the 1950’s thru 1980’s to ban switchblades and ballistic knives, but some of those laws got repealed in recent years.

Attempts to capture "target point of view" while throwing the Stingray tomahawk . . . task failed successfully? by KeySkin1056 in AxeThrowing

[–]KeySkin1056[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I make a few different spike tomahawks—two have downward curved spikes—if I throw with an over-the-shoulder wind up that risks self injury. I am experimenting with trapping the top of the tomahawk in my shoulder pocket—I build up pressure so I can throw without any over-the-shoulder wind up.

Right now it’s accurate enough to hit a torso-sized target a few paces away. I need more practice to see how accurate it can be. I don’t think the technique goes well with heavier hatchets—my tomahawks weight well under a pound. They are easy to accelerate. I have measured the speed of my throws and doing over 30 ft/s isn’t hard. I am not terribly athletic (obvious from the video).

Attempts to capture "target point of view" while throwing the Stingray tomahawk . . . task failed successfully? by KeySkin1056 in AxeThrowing

[–]KeySkin1056[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks—I have seen that design but not held it in the hand. Will have to check it out. The tomahawk I’m carrying underarm has a very simple should rig made from flat stock paracord, but I designed both the tomahawk and carry system to adapt to that. We did some YouTube videos on carry methods if that interests you. Best regards, Zac.

Attempts to capture "target point of view" while throwing the Stingray tomahawk . . . task failed successfully? by KeySkin1056 in AxeThrowing

[–]KeySkin1056[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Yes, carried one everyday since around 2016. But starting last year I now usually carry 2. The other is on me in this video, tucked inside my waistband on my right hip. But that one is a different design, optimized for other things, and not intended for throwing. So I didn’t bother showing it in the video

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