Viking Axes

My brother and sister-in-law are huge fans of anything Viking. I got the idea of making them etched and carved axes for Christmas when they attended a Viking re-enactment and they fell in love with the ones they had on show. Unfortunately they weren’t for sale and subsequent etched axes I found online where very expensive to buy. After doing some research I found out how they were made so here's how I went about making them.

Roughneck ROU65670 Vintage Hand Axe – Amazon.co.uk

Biostrip 20 Paint Stripper 500ml – Amazon.co.uk

Vinyl MagicQCraft - Amazon.co.uk

Sandpaper various grades – B&Q

Clear lacquer spray – Amazon.co.uk or B&Q

Cotton buds - Amazon.co.uk or Local Chemist

Goriila Tape - Amazon.co.uk

9 volt batterys - Amazon.co.uk

Salt - Local supermarket or shop

Brillo Pad - Local Supermarket

Old Rags

SVG Designs

Celtic Patterns – seaquintdesign – Etsy seller

Celtic Knot Patterns – MythicPro – Etsy seller

Viking Symbols –SvgMasterShop – Etsy Seller

Viking symbols - littlefoxdesignspnw - Etsy Seller

Viking symbols - svgfilesfordesign - Etsy Seller

Tools

Silhouette portrait cutting machine – Createandcraft.co.uk

Dremel – Amazon.co.uk

Scraper – B&Q

First I had to source an axe that had a wooden handle as I intended to carve Viking runes into it as well as etching the axe head. Quite a lot of axes online had plastic handles but I managed to find a Roughneck wooden handled axe on Amazon. I chose this make over other wooden handled axes as the axe head was larger and gave me more space to etch designs on and it looked like a Viking axe.

Next I removed any lacquer on the axe head using paint stripper. I used a Scraper and lightly scraped the varnish off as I didnt want to leave scratches on the axe head. I then cleaned down the axe with water and dried it off with a cloth.

To etch designs on the axes head I first needed to buy some Viking images. I went onto Etsy and bought some Viking clipart from various sellers. I opened these up into my Silhouette design software and sized the images appropriately to the axes head. Using the Silhouette Cutting machine I cut the images out of vinyl, weeded out the unwanted areas and then transferred them onto the axes using transfer tape. Before etching remember that areas covered in vinyl will be raised while the exposed areas will be etched. Once I was happy with how the axes looked with the vinyl on I was then ready to etch the axes. 

Before the next step remember SAFETY FIRST – Make sure to wear safety glasses, gloves and a mask before etching. The etching process can sometimes blacken your fingernails and the fumes that the solution gives off is not good for your health so please be careful. Do this next step in a well ventilated area, preferably outside. 

To etch the axes I needed the following:

9 Volt Battery (Square battery)

Salt

Water

Cotton buds

2 x Wire (Preferably two different colours)

4 x Crocodile clips

I poured salt into a glass of water and stirred the mixture. You want to create a thick saline solution as this will help conduct the electricity and give you a better etch. I poured around 5 tablespoons of salt into a cup of water which was more than enough coverage to etch the axes. I attached crocodile clips onto both ends of the two strips of wire. I then hooked the clips onto the battery, one clip connected to positive and one on negative. The positive wire was hooked up to the axe head while the negative was hooked up to a cotton bud. I dipped the cotton bud into the saltwater solution and gently rubbed it over the axe. If the etching is working the exposed metal will begin to darken and you will feel grit under the cotton bud which is actually the metal coming away from the axe head . I kept going over the axe head until all the exposed areas on both sides had been covered. Remember the longer you do this for the better the image but be careful as sometimes the solution can get under the vinyl and etch the areas you want to keep. I went over the axe head four times in the saline solution.

If the etching is not working and you don’t see the metal darken then you need to put the crocodile clip further down the cotton bud towards its tip. If the etching is still not working properly the battery you are using could be a dud so make sure you use a brand new battery. Also throughout the process make sure that the cotton bud is full of the saline solution so dip it regularly.

Once everywhere had been covered by the saltwater it was time to remove the vinyl to see how the etchings turned out. For the first time using this technique I think the images came out well. I washed them down with water and used a Brillo pad to scrub them clean. I then dried them off with a rag. 

To protect the axe heads from rust I sprayed them with a clear lacquer. To ensure that I gave them a good coverage I tied the handle end of the axe with rope and gorilla tape and hung them from a clothes line. 

Next I sanded down the axe handles to get remove the company name printed there. I wanted to engrave Viking runes onto the wooden handle of the axes. I used the silhouette again to create an outline of some Viking/Celtic images. I weeded and then stuck them to the wooden axe handle using transfer tape. Using my Dremel I began to carve into the negative space of the images. This effect worked really well and I was happy with the outcome. Unfortunately there was a plastic strap under the axe head that had to stay in place. To cover this I cut a strip of old leather I had and super glued it around the piece of plastic.

I had a tin of Dulux walnut stain and varnish in one left over from another project so I used this to varnish and stain the handle. The stain made the carved sections darker so they stand out even more. 

I wanted to make a cover for the axe head out of leather. Unfortunately I only had some pleather and decided to use this instead to keep costs down. I used the existing cover for the axe to make a template and cut out the pleather. I sewed the pleather right sides together on a sewing machine and used a zigzag stitch so the pleather wouldn’t rip. I then turned the cover right side out and added Kam snaps as a means to close the cover securely. 

I gave the Viking Axes to my Brother and Sister-in-law for Christmas and they were both really pleased. I even got a hug from both of them (they are not demonstrative people) so I knew they really liked them. I also made a Viking shield for my brother to go with his axe so I may write the tutorial for that one at a later date. In all this process was easy and quick to do and I really enjoyed learning new techniques. I hope you try it as it gives really good results even for a beginner like me. Happy Crafting!