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Post by perignum on Dec 6, 2021 13:27:48 GMT
Hi guys and gals, I recently bought a nice Dane Axe head from Irongate Armoury in Finland. It's an all steel piece. I doubt if there's any differential hardening between the flat of the blade and the edge but the proportions and shape seem spot on and with only a small bit of sharpening this thing would be pretty devastating. I bought it on a whim as I hail from one of the original Viking towns in Ireland. And, lets face it, huge big axes are all sorts of cool. The haft is temporary and is basically a place holder until I find the time to do it properly. I went with a 120cm haft as, from what I can gather, this length or even shorter was used by warriors in the field whereas the longer lengths seem to be status symbols or sort of 'rods of office'. Anyway, here she is.
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Post by Curtis_Louis on Dec 6, 2021 14:29:09 GMT
Very cool indeed! That is a great looking axe.
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Dec 6, 2021 15:38:15 GMT
Stats! And close up pics! Do a review! PS: If you need any hafting tips, there's a few of us that have made nice ones.
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Post by perignum on Dec 6, 2021 15:43:28 GMT
Stats! And close up pics! Do a review! PS: If you need any hafting tips, there's a few of us that have made nice ones. I'm on it. I've only just finished putting on the temporary handle. I'm so happy with the axe blade that I thought I'd share the joy before doing anything else!
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Post by perignum on Dec 6, 2021 16:10:15 GMT
Okay, first off I'll throw up some photos and then I'll write my initial impressions. Just bear in mind that however little I know about swords, I know even less about axes! But here goes...... L The weight, including haft, because I forgot to weigh it before attaching, is 1.28kg. It will be heavier once a new haft is done as the stats shown on the vendor's website (see screenshot) says it should be mounted on a 3.4cm haft. The thing I've attached it to is an anorexic 2.5cm. Hopefully the photos show the thickness of the flat of the blade is 3mm and it comes to a nicely shaped reinforced diamond at the cutting edge. This baby cost me 50euro plus 17euro for priority postage. Overall, very good value. But I will say there are one or two little pits in the surface of the steel. Also, there isn't any indication of hammering or forging. This leads me to think it's been cast rather than forged. Not that I mind for 50 quid. I'm off to swing it around a bit. I'll fill you in on how that goes. Attachments:
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Post by perignum on Dec 6, 2021 16:14:40 GMT
P.S. Hafting tips would be gratefully accepted!!
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Post by perignum on Dec 6, 2021 21:59:19 GMT
Update #1 Using a long axe smoothly isn't as easy as it looks. I knocked over a plant pot behind and to my left trying to change grip from right hand on top to left hand.
I've been doing a bit of reading and it looks like there's a lot of images of lads using Dane Axes with left hand closest to head. Probably because the opponent's left side was shielded. But it doesn't feel natural. You're 'drawing' and driving the blade with your right close to the end of the haft and using your left for accuracy.
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Post by durinnmcfurren on Jan 24, 2022 1:28:09 GMT
Just saw this! Very nice!
Being of both Scandinavian and Irish extraction myself, I'm a big fan of the viking Irish stuff.
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