Battle axe “Valkyrie”

Valkyrie is an axe that sits well in one hand. The head weighs just over half a kilo, and the blade set far forward of the haft gives a long cutting line for little weight — exactly as in the battle axes known from excavations in Scandinavia and Pomerania.

I forge the head from a single piece of C70 carbon steel. First I punch the eye for the haft, then I draw out the blade and beard. I harden the edge in oil and temper it to 55–57 HRC, leaving the poll softer — the axe will take a blow instead of cracking.

I carve the haft from straight-grained ash, fit it with a wooden wedge and finish it with linseed oil. On the head I strike the mark of the forge — the spiral ram's horn.

The axe ships sharpened, in a leather cover. Carbon steel is not stainless: after use, wipe the blade dry and give it a thin coat of oil.

• Head hand-forged from C70 steel
• Hardened edge, soft poll — the axe won't crack
• Ash haft, wedge-fitted
• Leather blade cover included
• Ships sharpened — sold to adults only