Thrimhawk Hand Forged High Carbon Steel Viking Throwing Axe Set of 3 | 15 Inch Overall with 3.5 Inch Cutting Edge Each | Axe Throwing Gift | RK-1214

Axe throwing works because of rotation, not force. A thrown axe turns at a rate set almost entirely by its length and its head weight, so a matched set of three axes rotates identically and lands the same way every time from the same distance. That is the whole reason serious throwers buy sets rather than singles. Once you know that your axe makes one full turn at roughly twelve feet, you stop guessing and start adjusting your feet, and three identical axes let you throw a full end without walking to the board between every throw. Rotation and distance take practice, and the beginner throwing guide starts you off properly.

These three are forged and finished in the Czech Republic to the same pattern, weight and balance. Each has a bearded high carbon steel head with the hammer finish left on the cheeks, a light ash haft cut to 15 inches, and an edge ground for target work rather than for shaving. The set ships with a leather head sheath so one axe can be carried on a belt, along with a care card and a certificate of hand forging covering all three.

Specifications

What makes an axe a throwing axe

Three things separate a throwing axe from a working axe, and none of them is decoration. The first is head weight, kept low so the axe rotates predictably rather than nosing over. The second is edge hardness, which is deliberately a couple of points softer than a woodcutting edge because a thrown axe will eventually hit a knot, a nail head or the edge of the board, and a softer edge takes a dent where a hard edge takes a chip out. The third is the haft, kept slim and straight so it comes out of the hand cleanly with no snagging swell to change the release.

The bearded profile helps too. A deep beard puts the cutting edge slightly forward of the eye, so on a marginal rotation the beard still catches the board and bites in where a straight edged head would bounce. It is a genuinely more forgiving shape for a beginner, which is one reason the Norse profile has become the standard in modern throwing leagues.

Why high carbon steel and not stainless

A thrown axe hits hard and hits often, and it will occasionally hit something it should not. Stainless steel gets its corrosion resistance from chromium, which reduces toughness at the hardness range an edge needs, so stainless throwing axes chip. High carbon steel absorbs the same impact by deforming very slightly, which shows up as a small flat spot you can stone out in a minute rather than a missing crescent you cannot. It also takes differential heat treatment, so we can leave the eye and poll soft to survive the impacts that reach them through the haft. The longer version is on Damascus versus stainless.

The ash hafts and how to keep them

Ash is the right haft wood for throwing because it is springy, light and cheap enough to be treated as a consumable. Every thrower overrotates eventually and cracks a haft on the top of the board. That is normal, it is not a fault, and ash is easy to replace. We select blanks with straight grain running down the length, shape them by hand and finish them with oil rather than lacquer so they release cleanly and do not go slick in a sweaty hand.

Keep them oiled once or twice a year, out of standing water and away from direct heat, and check the wedges after a heavy session. The routine is on our wooden handle care page. If you do break one, contact us and we will send a replacement blank cut to the same pattern.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the handle. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us whether it goes on the blade or the handle. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On a set of three, a common request is to number them one, two and three in runes, or to put the same short phrase on all three heads. Tell us which you want in the order notes. See the engraving page for detail.

Care and sharpening

Wipe the heads down after a session, especially if you have been throwing outdoors, and oil them before they go away. If a head picks up rust from being left in a damp bag, steel care covers removing it without ruining the hammer finish.

Throwing edges want less refinement than cutting edges. A coarse puck along the convex bevel to take out dents and restore the profile is usually all that is needed, and there is no reason to polish a throwing edge to a shaving finish. The stone technique in sharpening with a whetstone applies if you want to take one further.

Made in the Czech Republic

This piece is made by hand in the Czech Republic, in a workshop that still works the old way. The steel is forged, ground, heat treated and finished by smiths who learned the trade from the people before them, and the wood, horn and leather are cut and fitted by hand rather than pressed out on a line. That is also why no two pieces come out exactly the same.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import these pieces ourselves, check every one when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives, so your runes or your own design go on before it leaves for you.

A note on handmade variation

This set is hand forged. It is not machine made and it is not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Grain, tone, pattern and exact profile vary because each axe is worked by hand from natural materials, and even within one set the three hafts will differ in colour and figure while the three heads will each carry their own hammer texture. Weight, length, edge and balance are matched across the set and consistent from set to set. The character of each individual axe is not.

Frequently asked questions

Are the three axes really matched?

Yes. Heads are weighed and paired so the set rotates the same, which is what makes a set worth owning. They are matched to each other within a small tolerance rather than being three unrelated axes in a box.

Are they sharp, and do they need to be?

They arrive with a working edge that bites into a target board. A throwing axe does not want a razor edge, because the edge is landing in end grain and a very fine edge just dents.

Can I have runes engraved on them?

Yes. Use the rune converter above and tell us whether the engraving goes on the heads or the hafts, and whether you want all three the same or numbered.

Will they look exactly like the photograph?

The profile, size and matched weights will. The ash grain and hammer texture will vary, because each axe is worked by hand.

What is the difference between these and a single bearded axe?

These are lighter, shorter, slightly softer at the edge and built to be thrown and replaced. A full size bearded axe is heavier, harder at the edge and meant for cutting and carving rather than for repeated impact with a board.

How long does shipping take?

Free shipping across the United States. A stock set leaves the shop in three to five business days. Engraved sets take one to two weeks longer.

What is in the box

• Three matched Thrimhawk hand forged high carbon steel throwing axes
• One stitched leather head sheath
• Care and sharpening card
• Certificate of hand forging covering all three axes
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more throwing axes, the bearded axes, the wider Viking axes range and the full Norse arms collection, or read the guides for throwing distance, sharpening and haft care.

Close to this one

Another in the same line is the Caskbeard bearded axe, forged from 1095. Next along the rack is the Ravenhaft bearded axe, forged from 1095. For a straight comparison, see the Barkbiter felling axe, forged from 1095.

The Runecask Dane axe covers the other half of the same kit. Nothing here exactly right, build one to your own spec on the custom Viking axe page.