Haha love it, and I've so been there and done that when I burnt my face and arms off it was as a result of my beautiful Swedish felling axe slicing through a brach like it wasn't there hitting a large discarded paint spray can then I got covered in paint them whoop it ignited :)
I think your bg separation light is a bit too strong? maybe it has to be ? i don't know as i haven't yet played with lighting in studios but that's what i think.
My favorite part about this (yes, disturbing) image is that you show me how you did it. I love just about everything you post - but I appreciate the lessons SO FREAKING much. It helps me expand my scope a bit and try new things - usually with tragic results, but there will come a time when I will outscore you with a single picture in a challenge - and it will be an achievement of epic proportions, worthy of buying a round for all. Thanks for the inspiration and sharing the knowledge (and giving me something to strive for!).
Nice job on the PP.
To me, the mask is the thing which looks superimposed and not the axe. I don't have photoshop, only the GIMP, but I'll have to see if I can push it to its limits before the end of the month and try something like this.