Throwing axes

A couple of months ago I made a francisca. It throws pretty well, but its a handheld weapon with a core in it, and I expect people are not going to like the idea of a high-velocity piece of fibreglass coming at them, even if it is wrapped in the required amount of foam. Too may thins could go wrong. So, I’ve been looking at coreless versions.

There are two problems: mass and rigidity. Mass I can get by buying some 20g lead fishing weights, hammering them into more useful shape (a fat disc the same thickness as my foam), and burying them in the sandwich. Three weights seems to substitute quite nicely for the mass of the core. Currently I’m sticking them in the thickest and safest pats of the axe - the handle (which will be covered by the leather hilt wrap), the back of the head (which has an extra layer of foam over it), and the wide part of the axe-blade (where it has at least 0.75 of an inch all round). I’m not sure if this is the best mass-distribution (it should be top-heavy, right?), but that’s what experimentation is for.

The real problem is rigidity. Basically, without a core, I’m going to have a floppy handle, which may see the head eventually tear off. Latex might reduce this somewhat, but not a lot. So, any suggestions on how to reduce this? Cloth-wrapping on the outside?

Lessons learned so far from my prototypes: high-density brown campmat is great for throwing-knives, but not good for axes; the head is just too solid. Still, I’ll be able to practice chucking them, and see whether the mass-distribution works; I can then recycle the lead weights into the final article if I can solve my rigidity problem.

I also need to redesign my hafts. One inch diameter works well, but its just smaller than an eyesocket. And a throwing axe is goign to have a lot more momentum than one of the knives.

you could use a couple layers of pelmet vilene which is a very heavy weight interfacing… dunno how well it would work but it’s worth a try…

Umm, I might be a minority but I’m not so sure about lead weights being used, though I guess it can’t be too much worse than a LARP arrow. Then again, I’ve seen a foam tennis ball (think stress-ball) wrapped in latex used here in the UK to eye-blackening effect…

If you’re going to try it, can I suggest that you go with a single weight in the centre of the axe-head. Even though in theory the handle and back of the head should be safer, once you’ve thrown it there’s no real guarantee what bit is going to make contact - though it’s more likely to be the handle if you put a weight there, which might be unpleasant and jabby.

Your best bet for the handle might be to see if there’s any thick heavier-density EVA foam lying around to use in lieu of a fibreglass core for the handle. Something along the lines of a child’s floaty-board, though with maybe slightly more give. You could reinforce it with F1 glue and cloth, before wrapping it in softer foam and latex.

Most throwing axes I’ve seen recently look like this;

thevikingstore.co.uk/throwing-axe-991-p.asp

but occasionally you come across something with a bit of grit;

Well, they are small weights; I’m aiming for the same mass as my cored version, roughly 120g all up. My current prototypes are heavy, but that’ll change with lower-density foam. I may end up losing one of the weights as well, given the current mass.

That’s a good idea. I’m also thinking of tipping the haft with open-cell, which should provide some extra safety.