I have owned a Cold Steel Spike Hawk for quite a while. It was mainly for use against any Orcs that I might encounter while on patrol outside the borders of the Shire. I appreciated it’s cutting ability and, with the pretty darn sharp pointed 3 inch + spike, the option of penetrating thick Orc skulls and any light armor they might be wearing was quite feasible.
One day while viewing other offerings by Cold Steel, I spotted their War Hammer. I got to thinking that, if my spike tomahawk had the 30 inch haft of the War Hammer, it could generate much more momentum, and thusly strike a much more powerful blow.
I purchased a CS war hammer haft on eBay and found that the Spike tomahawk head fitted just right. I made the following mods to the tomahawk head and War Hammer haft
Spike Head
First I removed the fugly black paint; lightly buffed it with my trusty Dremel tool; and applied several coats of Birchwood Casey cold blue. The result was a nice dark color – almost as black as the paint was. Another nice result was that the fuglier “Taiwan†stamp is now almost invisible to the eye - to mine anyways. I could do nothing with the stupid hole that Cold Steel, for some weird reason, drilled into one side of the head, so they could put a screw through it. Finally, I smoothed out the burrs on the inside of the "eye"of the head.
Haft
It only took a little work with sandpaper to fit the Spike head nice and tight to the War Hammer’s haft. The head now fits very tight and will be difficult to loosen. And if it does loosen in battle, all that is necessary to re-fit it is to knock it against a hard object like a boulder or Orc head.
I lightly sanded the haft, then stained it with brown liquid shoe polish. That was followed with a couple coats of tung oil, then beeswax. The stain did not come out well. I ain’t the craftsman that I used to be – so I figure, to hell with it, the thing works real well for use by a Ranger.
Specifications:
Overall Length: 30 inches
Overall Weight: 1 lb. 15 oz.
POB: 8 inches down from the head end of haft
Head Length: 9 in.
Weight of Head: 1 lb.
Cutting Edge: 3 1/8 in.
Spike Length: 3 1/2 in.
Steel: Drop Forged 1055 Carbon
Handle: American Hickory
Head is differentially heat treated. After removing the paint I could see a temper line a little more than ½ inch back along the sharp edge .
Now, what to name it?
With that edge, it is capable of causing a fatal, crushing stroke. And that spike is like a serpent’s sting. Together, it makes for quite a thunder stroke from an Orc’s point of view. So that’s it’s name …. THUNDER STROKE ….. or in Old English ....SLEGE
Strong Masculine Noun
1. a stroke blow 2. of a serpent’s sting 3. a striking beating scourging 4. a crash clap of thunder 5. a fatal stroke slaying slaughter murder death (by violence) 6. a destruction defeat loss inflicted on an army 7. an instrument for striking
Courtesy of ….. oldenglishtranslator.co.uk
Bring on them darned Orcs and other foul creatures of Mordor !!!!
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