First of all, for those who decide to make a tomahawk, you need to purchase a blacksmith's forge. But since purchased forges are generally quite expensive, you can make a mini forge yourself. Secondly, you need, if you are not already a blacksmith, to acquire some blacksmithing skills. To do this, contact familiar specialists, or read special literature, practicing on scraps of any metal.
Some metal forging technology is described in the sword making section. I think it won't be too different from forging a tomahawk hatchet.
So, in order to forge a hatchet, you need to find a piece of high-carbon steel grade 1095 and 15N20. You can ask the experts and try a different grade of steel. But the author of this tomahawk, a certain Joe Shilaski, recommends this one.
Before we start forging, let's look at what the tomahawk hatchet actually consists of. Look at the drawing and study all its parts, I think this is necessary to clearly imagine what you want to do. 
Next, we heat the steel billet in the forge 
In theory, in order to forge a high-quality billet, a billet is made from several layers, forging them separately and forging welding them together. The author forged a 400-layer billet, first laying layers of grade 1095 steel and then grade 15N20. But, for such a complex forging technology, you must be a highly qualified blacksmith specialist. You and I are ordinary home-made craftsmen, and we can be forgiven for forging a tomahawk hatchet from a single piece of metal. Let's assume that you have already done this and forged the ticket.
Now this workpiece needs to be upset to increase the diameter of the steel by heating one end and tapping it with a hammer. 
Next, we make the workpiece flat by first adding flux to the steel and placing it in a furnace to bring it to the required heating temperature. When forging a workpiece, constantly inspect it from the sides and top to achieve a symmetrical shape. To give the desired shape, make a wooden template and constantly check the dimensions and shape of the hatchet against it 
Once you have achieved the shape you want, the steel needs to be “normalized”. To do this, the workpiece must be heated to a “non-magnetic” state and cooled at room temperature. Then heat it up again and put it in a hot box filled with sand or sawdust to cool.
Now that the rough blank is finished, let's proceed to its further processing, that is, giving it its final shape according to a wooden template 
But first you need to remove the scale and do a rough grinding.
Using a large drill, make a hole for the hatchet at a strictly ninety-degree angle relative to the head of the hatchet. 
Now we clamp the workpiece in a vice and process the hole with a file, achieving the desired shape 
In general, now it will be quite labor-intensive and tedious work with a file to select and shape the neck, chevron, butt, molding. But here it depends on the desire to give beauty and authenticity to your tomahawk.
If working with a file is a bummer, you can leave it like that (although in this case the balancing of the tomahawk will be disrupted, so if you want to throw a tomahawk, and not chop logs with it, simultaneously hammering reverse side nails, I advise you to finish the job. Balancing is achieved by reducing the layer of metal on the neck of the tomahawk head), starting to make the handle. 
I think there is no need to describe in detail how to make a tomahawk handle. If you have mastered such a complex process as forging, then carpentry is “seeds” for you.
Another labor-intensive process that awaits us when processing a tomahawk is rough and fine grinding. How to properly grind is described in the same section on making a sword, so I won’t repeat myself and waste my fingertips on the keyboard.
After giving the tomahawk its final shape, the ax must be hardened. You can harden the metal in used engine oil by heating it to a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, for example with a torch. More detailed description steel hardening is described in the “steel hardening” section.
The tomahawk hatchet can also be polished to a mirror shine, or given a beautiful color by chemically treating the metal. 
And later I will post the coloring methods mentioned above.
Tomahawk. The word tomahawk comes from the distorted English pronunciation Indian Tamahakan, “that which is used to cut.” This name and its variants were used to designate a stone ax by the Indian tribes who lived in the area where the British founded their settlement in the early 17th century.The first documented mention of the term "tomahack" is found in a brief Indian dictionary created by Captain John Smith in 1607-1609. A similar word, “tamohek,” was recorded in his dictionary in 1616 by the secretary of the Jamestown colony, William Strachey. In both cases, this word meant an elongated stone, sharpened at both ends and mounted on a wooden handle. According to evidence from that time, this item was used by the Indians both as a tool and as a weapon. The Indians appreciated the advantages of iron axes, and they soon became one of the most popular goods in trade exchanges with Europeans, inheriting the name from their stone predecessor. To save space, axes were transported and sold without ax handles. The Indian who bought the ax made the handle himself, usually using a straight section of the trunk of a small tree. The tomahawk in its most common form was an ax weighing about 500-600 grams with a straight ax handle 300 to 550 mm long. The length of the cutting edge ranged from 80 to 100 mm. The sales volume of tomahawks can be judged by the results of underwater archaeological surveys conducted in 1961 near the rapids on the French River. So in one sunken canoe alone, 105 axes were discovered. The cost of axes, as well as any other product, due to the risks associated with transportation, increased with distance from the coast. So, for example, in the middle of the 18th century in Montreal, for one beaver pelt, which was the main unit of payment during the fur trade, a hunter could get two axes, and to the west of Lake Superior, three beaver pelts were already given for one ax. For comparison: a gun cost sixteen to twenty skins, and for one skin you could buy a pound (453 g) of shot or three flints.
Until the mid-18th century, the vast majority of axes intended for sale to Indians were made in Europe, mainly in England and France. Their production technology has been simplified as much as possible to reduce the cost and speed up production. A strip of iron was bent around a metal bar to form an eye for the ax handle. The ends of this strip were welded, and an ax blade was forged from them. On more expensive options, at the stage of blade formation, a hardened steel plate was clamped between the ends of the iron strip, forming a more resistant cutting edge. By the middle of the 18th century, craftsmen from among the settlers began producing tomahawks in a volume sufficient to seriously compete with European suppliers. In order not to lose their positions in the American market, English and French manufacturers switched to the production of richly decorated tomahawks, which were already mounted on the handle. The blades of these axes were often decorated with inlays, embossing or figured slots, while the handles were decorated with copper studs or rings. Tomahawks with a hammer, a claw or a blade on a butt became widespread at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries and, due to their higher cost, were mainly used by European settlers, although they were sometimes presented to the Indians as expensive gift. In the 18th century, another type of tomahawk appeared - the ax-smoking pipe. The handle of such a tomahawk had a hollow channel, and the head of the tube was placed on the butt. This hybrid, invented by Europeans, took root very quickly and became so popular among the Indians that many tomahawk manufacturers completely switched to producing this type of ax. The appearance of the so-called sponton tomahawk in the second half of the 18th century is more reminiscent of a historical anecdote. When controlling the movement of columns, officers of European armies used a special spear - an esponton - as a staff to give commands. Seeing how many soldiers obeyed the swings of the esponton, the Indians saw in this spear a symbol of power. As a result, local craftsmen received orders to make tomahawks with blades shaped like the tip of this spear. In some photographs of the 19th century, the leaders of Indian tribes pose with sponton tomahawks, holding them like sceptres.
Tomahawks were not only a more advanced tool, but also a more effective melee weapon, as a result of which not only stone axes, but also war clubs were replaced in Indian use. The Indians highly valued military valor. Hitting the enemy from a distance at which he himself could reach the Indian was considered a sign of courage. In this regard, contrary to popular myth, tomahawks were almost never thrown in battle.
According to a summary of archaeological findings by Professor Wayne Van Home, the most common sites for tomahawk injuries are the skull, collarbone, forearm bones (mostly the left one), and ribs. The nature of the damage shows that the most common tomahawk attack was an arcing, downward slash aimed at the head. If the blow was not accurate, the collarbone suffered, but if the defender raised his hand to block the blow, then the forearm received damage. The second most frequently used attack, judging by the damage to the ribs, was a horizontal slash attack to the body. Of course, such an analysis does not pretend to be complete, since damage to soft tissues cannot be determined by examining skeletons. It would be a misconception to believe that tomahawks were used exclusively by Indians. The versatility of this instrument made it very popular among settlers and even the military. In the absence of a compact multi-charger firearms The tomahawk was perhaps the most effective of all the means of close combat available to the inhabitants of North America at that time. If we talk about the peaceful use of a tomahawk, then it could not only be used to chop. Taking it by the ax handle near the blade itself, in some cases it was possible to use the ax as a knife. The butt could well replace the hammer. Tomahawks were part of the standard equipment of the Roger's Rangers, organized in 1756 by Major Robert Rogers to fight on the side of the British during the wars with the French and Indians. In 1759, General of the British Army James Wolfe approved the tomahawk as a mandatory element of equipment for light infantry fighters. Tomahawks were in use during the War of Independence. After its end, border troops were armed with them. Tomahawks remained in service until the middle of the 19th century. So 36 of 65 members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, organized in 1804-1806, carried tomahawks. In addition, the expedition's wagon train included 50 tomahawk pipes intended to be given to the Indians. During the booming period of trade with Mexico in the 1840s, each member of the American trading caravan , following the Missouri-Santa Fe route, were required to carry a tomahawk.The revival of interest in the tomahawk in the 20th century is associated with the name of Peter LaGana. A descendant of the LaGana Mohawk Indians, he served in the Marines and took part in World War II. After graduation, he worked as a hand-to-hand combat instructor, teaching, in addition to unarmed techniques, how to use a knife and tomahawk. LaGan's course on the use of a tomahawk attracted the interest of higher authorities, as a result of which he was called to the Pentagon for a demonstration in the winter of 1965.
Despite its success, the tomahawk was still not included in the official ground forces training program. However, LaGana was already passionate about the idea of an army tomahawk and did not want to back down. He developed an ax with a specially shaped head designed to expand the weapon's combat capabilities. The blade on the butt was intended for removing sentries and could pierce a Kevlar helmet. In addition, due to its high penetrating power, this blade could cause serious damage even if the blow was delivered from the elbow, without the attachment of the body. This made it possible to effectively use this tomahawk in narrow passages and thickets, where it was not possible to swing. Five of the seven edges of the LaGan tomahawk head were sharpened. Thanks to this, swinging a tomahawk along almost any trajectory turned into an effective attack. Creating the tomahawk took LaGan three weeks, with the most difficult part, he said, being balancing the tomahawk for throwing. Peter himself could throw almost any sharp object so that it would stick, therefore, by selecting the length of the handle and improving the balancing of the ax, LaGana offered to throw his tomahawk to untrained people, mainly women and children. During the development process, a total of 870 throws were made from a distance of 4.5 to 6 meters. As a result, he found those proportions and balancing that ensured almost any person a successful hit at such a range, even without special training. To produce his tomahawk, LaGana founded the American Tomahawk Company, which produced the first production model on April 16, 1966. After ground troops rejected the tomahawk, LaGana offered it to the Marines. On October 3, 1966, one of the most realistic close-quarters combat demonstrations ever conducted in the U.S. military took place at Quantico, Virginia.
The first test pitted Peter against two Marines armed with rifles with fixed bayonets. He insisted that the attackers remove the protective covers from their bayonets. LaGana disarmed both attackers while throwing tomahawk blows to the head. At the same time, he received a sliding wound to his right hand, but continued the demonstration. In the second test, LaGana defeated an opponent with a machete, and in the third, he disarmed a knife-wielding attacker with a tomahawk blow. This was followed by a demonstration of the cutting capabilities of the tomahawk on wooden dummies. At the end, LaGana showed several methods of throwing a tomahawk, including at a rapidly approaching enemy, played by his friend Con Novak. The target was a shield made of three layers of wood on Novak’s chest. At the end of the show, all eighteen officers on the commission purchased tomahawks. However, the response from the Marine Corps command was disappointing: “In order for a tomahawk to be accepted for service, it is necessary that it replace one or more elements from the individual set of equipment of the Marine.” The tomahawk was never put into service, however, by special order, soldiers were allowed to purchase them privately. Peter LaGana began to receive an increasing stream of orders. Of the 4,000 tomahawks produced by the American Tomahawk Company before its closure in 1970, 3,800 were purchased by service members serving in the Vietnam War. That is why the name “Vietnamese tomahawk” was assigned to the LaGan tomahawk.
In the 1990s, craftsmen mainly turned to the tomahawk theme by creating richly decorated exhibition pieces intended for a collector's shelf, rather than for the hand of a hunter or fighter. In addition, a number of companies produced cheap tomahawks aimed at ax throwing enthusiasts and members of military history clubs. The real renaissance of the tomahawk, which returned it to service as a full-fledged element of a fighter’s equipment, began with the revival of the American Tomahawk company. In 2001, Andy Prisco, with the consent of Peter LaGan, launched serial production of the “Vietnamese tomahawk” - VTAC. The popularity of tomahawks and the demand for them grew so quickly that by the fall of 2001, several more companies began producing their models.
There are two main trends in the design solutions of new generation tomahawks: tomahawks with a light alloy handle and a blade made of tool steel, and tomahawks of integral design, in which the blade and handle form a single whole. The first approach makes it easy to replace a damaged blade, while the second provides maximum reliability. The Tomahawk gained recognition not only among civilians. Since 2003, the VTAC tomahawk, along with the sledgehammer, wire cutters and crowbar, has been included in the so-called Modular Entry Tool Set included in the equipment of each force unit. special purpose American army. In addition, VTAC tomahawks are included in the equipment of a number of infantry units and the 75th Ranger Regiment. The VTAC tomahawk has been assigned the state inventory number NSN 4210-01-518-7244, that is, it is included in the list of equipment approved for purchase government services USA. Tomahawks from other manufacturers also find their consumers among military personnel and employees of various law enforcement agencies.
What attracts them all to the tomahawk? First of all, its versatility, because a tomahawk can not only chop. The blade on the butt easily penetrates metal barrels and tires reinforced with steel tapes. When entering with a tomahawk, you can knock down a padlock, press a door, break a car window, etc. And, of course, a tomahawk is a very effective melee weapon in cases where the use of firearms is undesirable (for example, in the vicinity of toxic or explosive substances). Of course, the tomahawk will not become the companion of every soldier, but as a special means for carrying out operations it will be in service for a long time.
Mustang knife.
Conceived as a knife for an Indian youth - not yet a warrior.
Blade company "Sander". 100x35x5 mm. at the handle. Wedge on the butt from the hanger. X12MF.
Handle- 95x30 (middle)x25. The elk horn is tinted with hair dye. Wrapping with a strap (wet. After drying, impregnated with epoxy). Installation of a rider for 2/3 of the length of the handle (epox). The back is leather impregnated with epoxy.
Sheath- saddle cloth, seal skin, straps, wax, aging with sandpaper.
Tomahawk my production. The piece of iron is a railway crutch. Handle - elm (ebon alcohol stain, tung).
In this publication I will tell you how to use an ordinary tomahawk to large quantities are sold at online auctions, and which are not distinguished by their beauty and originality, make a real one ax tomahawk, with the blade of a real battle-worn axe.
Tomahawk modification
I once bought a mass-produced tomahawk overnight. I've always wanted to buy one and came across the site and discovered that they were actually affordable. About $30 with delivery. And several various styles to choose from. I chose " Cold Steel Trail Hawk."
It came in the mail and I was shocked at how boring it looked. So I decided to make a few changes. How beautiful everything turned out is for you to judge.
Step 1. Source materials
So this is what I received in the mail. Blade with a simple handle (I ordered a spare one too). The ax blade is painted black. Like I said...boring.
The first step is to remove the blade from the handle. My model had a small hex bolt on the side of the blade. I found the right hex wrench and unscrewed it. Using a mallet, I removed the blade from the handle.
Step 2: Remove paint from blade
So the first thing I did was remove the paint from the metal blade. I used paint remover that I got from the hardware store. I coated the metal with the compound and then wrapped it in plastic wrap. The paint was somewhat hard, but it came off completely in a few treatments.
Handle this composition with care - if it gets on your skin, it causes a chemical burn!
After all the paint was removed, I washed it with plain soap and water.
Step 3. Boil the ax blade in vinegar
Yes, you read that right. I wanted to finish the blade to make it look old. After searching the topic online, one of the easiest and least toxic methods I found was to simply boil it in white vinegar.
I don't have any photo of the ax before processing, but the ax was in color plain metal. I simmered it in plain white vinegar for 20 minutes and the blade developed a black, ashy coating.
WARNING: Boiling vinegar will fill your home with an overwhelming odor. I didn't mind it, but my wife did!
I used an old camping pot that was due for retirement anyway.
Once the blade was cool, I used a regular kitchen sharpener to sharpen the blade. This added brightness to the metal along the sharpening bevels.
Processing will also reveal marks and markings on the blade.
Some other finishing methods include using "blueing" or "phosphating". Heck, you can even just repaint the blade any color you want.
Step 4. Put the blade on the handle
At that moment I noticed how the ax fits to the handle. To be honest, it was done badly - the sharp edges around the hole where the handle passed through the blade left marks on the handle. I used a thin file and removed the excess metal around the hole.
I also used a sander with some fine sanding paper to reshape the leading edge. This not only improved the appearance of the wide bevel, but also made the ax sharper.
I also sanded off the old grip finish and re-sanded the grip to a high-gloss shine. But keep in mind not to remove too much wood from the handle and metal from the hole - otherwise the blade will simply slide off the handle.
Step 5. With the handle on
On this moment, I have sanded the factory piece and intend to finish the handle. I used my stain to get the deeper color I wanted. Two layers.
I also used a wood carving kit to draw the four-way ray symbol. But you could draw or cut out any symbol that you like the design of.
I would also like to have a lanyard hole at the end of the handle to make the tomahawk more secure in the hand. I went to a hobby store and bought 1/4 inch OD brass tubing. I drilled a 1/4″ hole and cut a piece of pipe to fit the length. I used a fine file and then just sandpaper to shape the brass so it was flush with the handle.
Once I had all that done, I coated the handle with polyurethane varnish to give it a waterproof finish. Two layers. I used hangers as shown in the photo while I applied the coating.
you can use wide range painting materials for handles. There are various dyeing techniques to add or change color. Ink, paints, etc. Instead of using varnishes, you can also coat the pen with various penetrating oils.
Step 6. Finally everything is together.
Once all the parts were well modified, it was time to fit the ax onto the handle. Slide the blade over the handle until it becomes tight. To get a tight fit, grab the handle directly under the axe. Now hit the base of the handle with a rubber or wooden mallet. This will seat the ax on the handle. Further use will take place in this position, so secure the blade with a screw and you're done!
Insert a lanyard or sling into the brass hole at the base of the handle, there are a great many of their options and varieties! Your tomahawk ready!
We couldn’t afford to just leave this topic, and decided to figure out in detail what it is - tactical tomahawk, where did it come from and where is it used? You will be surprised, but the tomahawk as a special tactical weapon has existed in the armies of the world almost since the mid-50s.
History of the tomahawk
The tomahawk is an extremely unusual weapon for its pale-faced counterparts. Having a huge history, this type cold steel remains a highlight, supplied to the troops in small quantities. But this unusual weapon today it is increasingly winning the hearts of the military as a convenient and practical weapon for close combat. Why? Let's go back to history...
Tomahawk(tomahawk in English), or in other words “battle ax,” is a bladed weapon used by the Indians of North America.
The real Indian tomahawk looked completely different from what we are used to seeing in films about Indians. However, he is not even “Indian”. In pre-Columbian America, the word “tomahawk” (tomahiken, tomehogan, tummahakan, tomahak, tumahguac, etc.) meant a club with a pointed stone tip, which often served at the same time as a smoking pipe. So, during war - a weapon, during peace - a peace pipe. And the very name of the hatchet “tomahawk” in general, in fact, is not Indian, but rather European. It comes from the English transliteration of the term in various Eastern Algonquian languages. Initially, this was the name for various war clubs and clubs, and later for small iron, bronze or brass hatchets with a straight handle. Used by Native Americans as a melee weapon and for throwing.
White man's gift
The Indians initially did not use tomahawks en masse in battle or hunting, as we are used to seeing in feature films. It was the Europeans who brought iron axes to the American continent, which made an indelible impression on the locals and became one of the hottest goods: the natives gladly exchanged them for furs. Tomahawks were produced right there or imported from Europe.
Those that came to the Indians from Europe were steel, slightly modernized b
British war boarding axes Marine Corps.
The Indians turned iron tomahawk axes from working tools into formidable weapons. They were used in close combat, they learned to throw with amazing skill, and the Indians were taught to fight with a tomahawk by European settlers who mastered the technique of using an ax during a boarding battle. The natives of America turned out to be very diligent students, and soon the trained Indian warriors were throwing a tomahawk at a distance of up to 20 meters, while accurately hitting the target. At the same time, the Indians appreciated the white man’s new weapon, because in close combat the tomahawk was more convenient than a knife and a spear, since due to the lever handle, even a weak person could inflict a terrible wound, for example, cut off a limb. Plus, due to the ax handle, which is neither long nor short, it was possible to easily operate both in a dense crowd and in one-on-one fights.
Tomahawks were used not only in war, but also in hunting - to finish off wounded animals.
The preferences of certain forms of tomahawks among Indians of different tribes changed over time and were determined by the proposals of manufacturers. In the area of the Missouri River until the middle of the 19th century, very wide, but with a relatively short handle, “Missouri battle axes” were popular. Another type, in the form of a spear or pecker, often with decorative curled appendages at the base of the blade. This "espontonic (spontonic) tomahawk" comes from a polearm with a similar name that was carried by sergeants of European armies.
To expand the market and increase demand, European blacksmiths tried to please the tastes of the natives: the decoration of blades and handles became more and more sophisticated and luxurious, and more and more new original models were invented. For example, tomahawks were made for diplomatic purposes: with artistic engraving, inlaid with gold and silver. They were presented to Indian leaders as gifts emphasizing peaceful intentions. The blades were first made of simple iron, later - of iron or brass with a steel insert of the cutting edge, made of brass. A sharp spike and a hammer were made on the butt (the back side of the blade). The most popular were tomahawks with a hollow handle and a butt with a chibouk for smoking tobacco.
The Indians themselves began to master blacksmithing only at the beginning of the 19th century, but they preferred not to bother mining ore and smelting iron, and most often simply reforged the “iron scrap” of the Europeans. They polished the handles, inlaid them various materials, cut out and burned patterns, wrapped them in strips of leather or fabric, copper wire, and painted them. And, of course, they attached various (often symbolic) decorations: feathers, porcupine quills, pieces of fur, beads, hair, human scalps. Tomahawks became a symbol of power and status among the Indians by the middle of the 19th century. Dance-ceremonial tomahawks had various pendants at the end of the handle in the form of beaded leather triangles with fringe, bells, and stripes of cloth or fur. Round mirrors could be sewn onto the latter. Tomahawks became so integral to the spiritual culture of the North American Indians that even peace pipes, which were made from the sacred red stone of Minnesota, began to be made in the form of this battle hatchet. Gift and souvenir tomahawk pipes had handles trimmed with silver, where even the silver mouthpiece was closed with a cap on a chain.
Vietnamese Tomahawk by Peter LaGrana
The tomahawk was used by European settlers: hunters, pioneers and, until the mid-19th century, by the military, along with the “belt ax” (“half-axe”), which was similar in parameters. They were in service with American troops during the Revolutionary War, the War of North and South, and the “Indian” wars.
For a long time they did not remember about this weapon, considering it lagging behind and ineffective, however Peter LaGana (Peter LaGana ), a true descendant of the Mohawk Indians, convinced the world otherwise. A former Marine, he served in World War II. After the war ended, he taught hand-to-hand combat. However, in addition to unarmed fighting techniques, he also taught tomahawk work. Information about this reached higher authorities, as a result of which in the winter of 1965 he was called to the Pentagon to demonstrate the potential of these weapons.
« The tomahawks themselves, even after playing a huge historical role during hundreds of military clashes between Indians and colonists, were used by soldiers of the American army in significant quantities during the Vietnam War in the period from 1966-1975 and gained fame as an indispensable tool and weapon for a fighter».
Despite the successful performance, combat with a tomahawk was not included in the official training program for the US Army. But Peter LaGana was already passionate about the idea of an army tomahawk and did not want to back down. A few months later, he made his own tomahawk, which had a specially shaped head, which significantly increased the combat capabilities of the weapon.
The blade of the LaGan tomahawk on the butt had the most pointed shape and could pierce a Kevlar helmet or light body armor (which, alas, was inaccessible to the knife). And thanks to its high penetrating power coupled with its weight, the tomahawk caused serious damage, even if the blow was delivered from the elbow, without investing body weight in the blow. Consequently, it could be used in narrow passages and thickets, where the fighter simply did not have room to swing.
Interestingly, five of the seven edges of the sharp part of the LaGan tomahawk were sharpened, so a blow with a tomahawk along any trajectory caused a wound to the enemy. But the most amazing thing about this ax was its balancing. Peter himself calmly threw any sharp object so that it would stick, but what could an unprepared fighter do?
Peter LaGana suggested throwing his tomahawk to untrained people, mostly women and children. As a result, a total of 870 throws were made from a distance of 4.5 to 6 meters. Having processed the data and made calculations, we found those proportions and weights that ensured almost any person a successful hit at such a range, even without special training.
Demonstration of the capabilities of the LaGrana tomahawk
The ax turned out to be so successful that the demand for it was hundreds of times greater than the supply. Therefore, LaGana opened his own company, the American Tomahawk Company, which on April 16, 1966 produced the first production model of a battle ax. LaGana now offered the tomahawk to the Marines, and on October 3, 1966, at Quantico, Virginia, he conducted the most realistic demonstration of the new tomahawk's capabilities ever conducted in the U.S. military.
The first test consisted of confronting two Marines who were armed with rifles and bayonets. LaGana insisted that the protective scabbards be removed from the bayonets. A minute later, he disarmed both attackers, although he received a cut on his right hand, but still continued the demonstration. Next, LaGana disarmed fighters with a machete, and in the third test he easily defeated an attacker with a knife. The possibility of chopping properties of a tomahawk was demonstrated on mannequins.
At the end of the tests, he showed how easy and effective it is to throw a tomahawk, including at a moving enemy, for this he best friend Con Novak put a wooden shield on his chest. Upon completion of the tests, all eighteen Representatives of the Marine Corps who were part of the commission bought themselves tomahawks. But the response from the US Marine Corps command was as follows: “ In order for a tomahawk to be accepted for service, it is necessary that it replace one or more elements from the individual set of equipment of the Marine, therefore this weapon will not be accepted for service».
However, thanks to the efforts of the officers on the commission, the military was allowed to purchase tomahawks privately and carry them as weapons. Of the more than 4,000 tomahawks manufactured by the American Tomahawk Company before its closure in 1970, 3,820 were purchased by Marines serving in the Vietnam conflict. Thanks to this, the LaGan tomahawk received the nickname “Vietnamese tomahawk.”
Tomahawk in the modern army
It is interesting that the tomahawk was also considered by the Soviet command as a weapon, however when conducting tests sapper shovel almost as effective as a battle ax, so it was decided to leave everything as it is.
Tomahawks only surface again during the US Operation Just Cause in Panama. There, drug cartel bandits actively used not only machetes, but also battle axes in hand-to-hand clashes, from which more than forty fighters were injured or killed. A light and maneuverable ax in dense thickets was several times more effective than a bayonet.
During Desert Storm, fighters are faced with the difficulty of entering premises; doors have to be broken open with improvised means or blown up. Complaints from soldiers do not reach the command or the command does not pay attention to them. Therefore, it was not uncommon for soldiers to carry huge red fire axes.
Tomahawk VTAC
The tomahawk experienced a true revival only after 2000, this time as a full-fledged element of a fighter’s equipment. A year later, the American Tomahawk company began operating again, headed by Andy Prisco, who, with the support of the already elderly Peter LaGan, began mass production of the “Vietnamese tomahawk” - VTAC.
The popularity of this ax exceeds all imaginable standards and a true boom in this weapon begins. However, major changes have been made to the design of the modern tomahawk, and are produced in two versions:
- tomahawks that have handles made of polymer, which significantly reduces the weight of the axe, and the ax itself is made of tool steel;
- tomahawks that have a one-piece design, where the ax and ax handle are cut from a single sheet of metal.
The first version of the ax is more mobile, as it allows you to quickly and easily replace one blade with another, for example, with a different blade shape, and is also ideal in hand-to-hand combat as it is lightweight, while the second option provides high structural strength and is more suitable for heavy work for opening doors or breaking through barricades.
Since 2003 tomahawk VTAC Along with a sledgehammer, wire cutters and a crowbar, it is included in the so-called Modular Entry Tool Set, which is included in the equipment of each special forces unit of the US Army. In addition, VTAC tomahawks are included in the equipment of a number of infantry units and the 75th Ranger Regiment.
The VTAC Tomahawk is also assigned the state inventory number NSN 4210-01-518-7244, that is, it is included in the list of equipment approved for purchase by US government agencies. Tomahawks from other manufacturers also find their consumers among military personnel and employees of various law enforcement agencies.
Prospects for the tomahawk as a tactical weapon
Currently, countless modifications of these axes (including the “Vietnamese” one) are produced by Western companies. Many modern models of axes with this name are designed for military use. Military tomahawks made of excellent steel were widely used by the Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But what did the military find in the tomahawk? Of course, first of all, its versatility. With an ax you can perform a wide range of jobs, and not just blow off the enemy’s heads. The pointed spike on the butt of the tomahawk easily opens both metal barrels and truck tires reinforced with steel belts. You can cut through the doors of houses, knock down locks, make holes in brick walls using a long spike, climb walls (rocks and trees) and simply use them for household needs and as a survival tool, along with the same tactical knives or “multi-tools”.
Well, as a melee weapon, the tomahawk is many times superior to a regular bayonet, especially when shooting from a rifle or pistol is impossible or undesirable (where ammunition or fuel is stored).
The most common modern tactical army tomahawks today weigh just under 500 g, the length of the handle is 14 cm, and on the butt there is a pointed spike about 8 cm long, which can be used as a chisel when opening doors.
Of course, a tomahawk is not a weapon suitable for everyone or for every occasion. But taking into account the need for high skill in working with such weapons, and the opportunities that it provides, we can definitely say that the tomahawk is the choice of exclusively professionals.
A blogger with the nickname Lawyer Egorov talks about how to make a tomahawk from a railway spike using improvised means. A tomahawk, like a small hatchet, is primarily intended for chopping wood, but in some cases it can replace a knife. If it is well sharpened, then it can do delicate work.
Externally, a hand-made ax looks very impressive. It was decided not to completely sand down the forging marks, as it would look more attractive. Its cutting edge is made from a Soviet file. The ax is pierced. I stitched the eyelet with a chisel, and then gave it a cylindrical shape with a crossbar, which I forged from a bolt. Oak handle made from a tree branch. Wood killed in pairs ammonia. For protection, I soaked it in Rescuer ointment. This ointment contains wax oil and antiseptics.
There is a bandage on the ax handle. On one side with the words “city of military glory”, and on the other “Vyborg”. The bandage is made from a coin with a face value of 10 rubles.
The blank that was used in the project was made from scrap material. For many years now on Oktyabrskaya railway crutches are not used, and therefore they had to walk several kilometers along the railway track until a rusty crutch was found.
Forging workpiece processing
The crutch was heated from the cap side. To begin with, just straighten it and make two even edges. The cooking was held in place by a clamp. This is not very convenient, it is better to use pliers. Compared to Sh15, the material of the crutch is soft, the cap was flattened in a couple of blows. The eye area was heated. Pointing a chisel at this place, he made a hole. I managed to stitch the crutch the first time, but without marking the hole was not perfectly centered. I stitched the hole, increasing the notches on both sides. The deeper the cut, the easier it was to position the chisel and workpiece.
Hot metal behaves like plasticine heated in your hands. When there was a danger of the chisel hitting the anvil, I aligned the eye with the hole in the anvil and the chisel fell into the eye. The next step is to enlarge the hole. For this you need a crossbar. It was made from a bolt. The bolt obtained in this way is not very strong, but it is enough for a hundred tomahawks. It was shaped into a cone and the tool was polished on a machine. With the help of a large hammer, the head of the crutch was finally dispersed into the future blade of the tomahawk. The next day, blacksmith pliers with angled jaws were made from improvised materials. This device holds the crutch perfectly. The impact surface of the hammer is close to spherical, it allows you to leave the largest possible dents on the surface of parts.
The rim of the tomahawk could be shaped into a flat surface like a hammer or sharpened into a claw. It was decided to make a klevets, since they are more convenient for digging the ground, splitting trees, and can be used as a wedge. With the tomahawk tip pulled out, the forging portion of the project was completed and all that was left was the metalworking.
Carpentry part of the work
The ax handle was made on a wood lathe. A sawn-off oak branch was used as a blank. A sharpened tap was used as a cutter. The second one is from a file. The cutting edge was made from a file using electric arc welding. The weld seam was cleaned using a grinder.
The cutting edge must be hardened. The length of the cutting edge is so short that it is not necessary to take into account the risk that internal stresses during hardening will tear the cutting edge. The hardening was successful, the file slides along the edge, and the ax doesn’t need anything else. Next, the ax was polished. Polished metal is easier to keep clean and more pleasant to hold in your hands. A felt circle and GOI paste were used. All that remains is to make a bandage from a coin and the project will be completed. The bandage is ready, all that remains is to polish it and you can assemble all the parts together.
