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Pipe Hawks

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The following tomahawks are pipe hawks or smoke hawks as they were called in the 18th century. Sometime about 1725 some astute frontier trader decided to add a pipe bowl to a tomahawk and as they say, a legend was born. Pipe hawks became so popular that they began to be mass produced in England. I have yet to see an iron headed pipe hawk that was made in England. The ones I have examined were cast brass. Almost all had a steel bit inlet for cutting. They were also usually deeply engraved with a common pattern that resembled a tobacco plant.

These pipe hawks are generally the same in dimensions. The heads are about 8" long including the bowl. Cutting edge is 3" and handles are 20" to 22" long. Please keep in mind that wrought iron has natural impurities in it so some times a streak of slag or silica shows up on the finished piece and can not be avoided. Mouthpieces are horn or antler. A poured pewter cap on the handle is available which keeps the head tight as pewter will not change with humidity as wood does. The sun and moon engraving is popular today and is taken from an original mid 18th century example. Other designs can be engraved as well.

Pipe Hawks run $900 to $1200 as pictured below.

Brass and silver inlays will add to the price.