The Viking Axe: How to design your own axe with simple means
The axe is not only a useful tool for splitting wood or other chopping and cutting tasks – with a little help, it can also look really good and become your very own favourite tool, round off your medieval outfit or simply be used to decorate your camp.
You will need
1 axe blade
1 shaft
1 axe wedge
Some paint
Small nails if necessary
Leather scraps if necessary
Fur scraps if necessary
Tool / aids
Glue
Scissors
Hammer
Soldering iron
Saw
How to design your axe
Step 1
Select the axe blade and shaft. If need be, shorten the shaft to the desired length.
Step 2
Finish the shaft with varnish, oil or wax in the colour of your choice. Doing so will lend the axe a more rustic look – and the wood will appreciate too 😉. If you like, you can also flame the shaft or or burn in decorative elements with a soldering iron.
Step 3
After the finish has dried, the axe blade can be secured to the shaft with the axe wedge. To do this, slide the axe head onto the shaft and drive the wedge into the wood from above for a tight fit. The axe blade now sits firmly and securely.
Step 4
In this step you can decide whether you wish to add leather or fur to your handle. You may perhaps just want to use a few plain leather straps for purely decorative purposes. But with a little imagination, the possibilities are virtually endless.
We have chosen to make a quite simple Viking axe. If you are interested in recreating it, you can find the items here:
Axe blade
https://www.battlemerchant.com/en/hand-forged-viking-axeblade-approx.-15-cm
Shaft
https://www.battlemerchant.com/en/axe-handle-hickory-wood-approx.-56-cm
Wedge
https://www.battlemerchant.com/en/hand-forged-steel-wedge-for-axe-handles-var.-sizes
Leather string
https://www.battlemerchant.com/en/leather-string-square-brown-120-cm
Battle-Merchant wishes you a lot of fun with the designing and creating of YOUR axe!
