French hawk (pic added)

[Longhunter]

Anyone like em? I had one many years ago and loved it. It was oversized  but it had the traditional shape of the early Francisca hawk. I got pretty good at throwing it and won quite a few hawk matches with it.

I ended up loosing it, or I should say leaving it over 30 years ago at an over night camp site along the north shore of Lake Superior on  the Canadian Provincial Park. This is a remote section that runs for many miles along the Lake. I've wondered over the years if anyone ever found it and wondered if it had been left by some early French Voyager...

Anyway, I'm going to make some of these hawks/axe's and add them to my web site, I think they're cool.

Here's some history on the origin of the Francisca.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisca

[Riley/MN]

HA - I can just imagine somebody canoeing in to shore and finding a french hawk layin there....

[Fletcher]

I have thrown a replica of this style at an SCA event.  They do thrown weapons there and
the French fighting axe and several styles of hand axes and hawks were displayed.  They are
considerably heavier and weight forward compared to the Rondy styles of today.  I have a
number of hawks that have a 'J3' stamped on them that I like the balance most of all.

If one knows the principals of throwing, you can learn the balance and rotation of any hawk or ax.

In our business, historically correct also has it's merit and satisfaction.

Hope to see your post to your site when these are available.

[Longhunter]

[Roaddog]

That's a good lookn hawk there Ron. I would think it will be a good one for throwing. Have ya a chance to give it a toss yet?

[pathfinder]

I never really liked the Frog hawk's. Something about the look of the one's that flooded the market,but this one.........IT'S A BEAUTY!!!! I would even concider buying one,no matter WHAT I think of the Frog's! Love the back side,kind of "hammerish"

[Longhunter]

It didn't take long after I got it in my hand that I had to throw it.... It has a kind of "feel".. about it that tells you it wants to be thrown...  It was rainin when I went outside to the throwin block but throw after throw was right on the money. Old C.L., the Smithy didn't have a hat and his head was gettin wet so I had to stop after 8 or 10 tosses and go back inside..

Those Fransicans knew what they were doin when they designed this hawk...

[Riley/MN]

Is the poll hardened on yours Ron?

[pathfinder]

Yeah,gonna hafta git one. Too bad I can only git to Potterville on Sunday's! LOL

[Fletcher]

OK - my son loves it!

Are they ready to order yet Ron?

[Voyageur]

The Francisca is very famous axe, which really goes bak in time. The axe was basically a war axe and the head was so designed to make the down thrust expose more cutting surface to the victim. Also if thrown it would rebound off the ground and bound into the air thus causing damage to anyone in it's path. I have seen demonstrations of this axe in use and it's a beaut. If they are going to made locally I wouldn't hesitate to own one......"Doc"  

[lonehunter]

Good looking hawk!

[rickevans]

That is a fine looker....maybe I can get into my forge next week while at home in Georgia and see if I can make a poor, primitive, crude copy of C.L.'s work....

[Longhunter]

Are they ready to order yet Ron?

We're shooting for the first of the year.

Yeah,gonna hafta git one. Too bad I can only git to Potterville on Sunday's!

Someone needs to invent little phones we could carry around...or some kinda way to send messages through cyberspace.... :lt th

[Longhunter]

A short description by C.L. Matteo

The LaClair Francisca throwing ax

Long ago in Europe, the Franks (forerunners of the modern-day French) developed a throwing ax for use in battle against their enemies.  The Roman’s called it a Francisca because of its Frankish origins, and during the period of 400 A.D. through 800 A.D. it was used with profound effect during a variety of wars.  

The Franks discovered that their weapon of choice had an amazing characteristic they had not initially counted on; it bounced when it hit the ground, and when it bounced, it became erratic flying over the heads of some marauders while striking others in the feet and legs.  The true effectiveness of the Francisca lay not in its ability to strike enemies blade first, but rather to cause disruption and chaos on the battlefield.  Prior to the advent of gunpowder, the Francisca did this better than any other implement of war.

Today, Franciscas are no longer used in battle, but they have found new life in hawk and ax throwing competitions.  The LaClair Francisca has the graceful lines of the originals, making it an ideal choice for the competitor who wants an historically accurate representation of a throwing ax but also one that will allow them to successfully compete in today’s demanding contests.    

Of all the original Franciscas that have been found, the average weighed about a pound and a half and had a 4” cutting edge with a 16-18” handle.  The LaClair Francisca is very close to these average measurements.  Our ax has a rudimentary hammer poll on the back of the head to give it better balance and added usability.  The body of the ax is made of mild steel, but the hardened and tempered cutting edge is made of W-1, water-hardening drill rod.  
In the tradition of our other axes, it will take and hold a fine edge, although it should be remembered that an ax is a chopping implement rather than a slicing one.  A razor sharp edge on an ax is counter-productive to its intended use.