A bit of demolition work with an Estwing, and ironing out the damage after!

FortyTwoBlades

FortyTwoBlades

Baryonyx walkeri
Dealer / Materials Provider
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
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An Estwing doing what it does best. And after chopping a hidden nail, it made for a good test of the Arctic Fox puck.

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The edge reshaped with a 16" Stella Bianca double-cut bastard file:

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The 240 grit side of the Arctic Fox puck removing steel nice and fast.

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400 grit blue sapphire side:

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Finish off the 400 grit side.

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Back to nice clean cuts.

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Only about 10-15 minutes, I'd say. Didn't have my eye on the clock, but it definitely didn't take long. :)
 
A good file is a friend, indeed! The thing that's surprised me about most axe pucks on the market is that it seems like they try to take on the job of a file, when really they would be better off focusing on refining the edge after using a file. I could have used a finer file than I did for the edge repair but deliberately wanted to see how long it would take to remove the marks from the coarsest file I own (quite deep marks) and it didn't take long to just about completely erase them using the 240 grit side, after which it took very little time on the 400 grit side to get to that lovely hazy mirror finish. Coarser pucks have their place, but I know I'm going to be reaching for this one way more than I ever reach for something like a Lansky. It's just a much more relevant stone as far as the finish it produces for a push-cutting tool like an axe.
 
The rigging axe, never built a house with out one! Great job on turning a saw looking tool back to the axe.

Rick
 
Estwings catch a lot of flack, but rough use situations like this are where they shine. I'm never afraid to use one in situations that would give me pause with a conventional axe. I'll take a wood-handled conventional axe for my usual purposes, but I'm always glad to have that rigger's axe in my arsenal. :)
 
That may not satisfy the knife nut edge porn guys, but if that isn't a working edge on a working tool, nothing is.
 
jblyttle said:
That may not satisfy the knife nut edge porn guys, but if that isn't a working edge on a working tool, nothing is.
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And there's something to be said for that, a working edge on a working tool. 99% of optimum functionality in 15 minutes is plenty good.
 
Square_peg said:
And there's something to be said for that, a working edge on a working tool. 99% of optimum functionality in 15 minutes is plenty good.
Click to expand...

There is a saying that I like. "The perfect is the enemy of the good".

"A widely accepted interpretation of "The perfect is the enemy of the good" is that one might never complete a task if one has decided not to stop until it is perfect: completing the project well is made impossible by striving to complete it perfectly. Closely related is the Nirvana fallacy, in which people never even begin an important task because they feel reaching perfection is too hard.

The Pareto principle or 80–20 rule is a 20th-century analogue. For example, it commonly takes 20% of the full-time to complete 80% of a task, while to complete the last 20% of a task takes 80% of the effort.[7] Achieving absolute perfection may be impossible and so, as increasing effort results in diminishing returns, further activity becomes increasingly inefficient."
 
Bingo, guys. If I wanted to do a Japanese sword polishing job on it, I could. But there was work to be done and the input/output ratio needed maximizing. Honestly, most of the few remaining scuffs in the blade could have been avoided had I simply used a reciprocating motion with the stone instead of a circular one because when it comes to cosmetic polishing managing the direction of your scratch pattern is a big deal. I used to work polishing custom yacht parts to a literally flawless mirror finish, so I know what to do, and boy would that degree of effort be wasted on an axe that was going right back to chopping up the remnant parts of an old dirty chicken coop. :D
 
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What I wouldn't give to spend one day with one of you fellars to teach me how to sharpen like this. I don't have the skills in my arsenal currently but t'm hungry for the knowledge. Please keep up the blogs and explanations. I for one NEED, and ENJOY it to help me learn and do a better job! :thumbup:
 
I did the same thing with my Estwing and brought it's edge back with a Norton India stone. IB-8. Darn nails should not get in the way. DM
 
I remember putting mine through some really nasty stuff after the tornado and with just a file (because that's all the sharpening gear I had recovered at the time) it came back to hack through sections of wall, plumbing and electrical without a problem.
 
BamaDADx3 said:
What I wouldn't give to spend one day with one of you fellars to teach me how to sharpen like this. I don't have the skills in my arsenal currently but t'm hungry for the knowledge. Please keep up the blogs and explanations. I for one NEED, and ENJOY it to help me learn and do a better job! :thumbup:
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So, I have no background with tools, I have worked in IT for over 20 years. I also have nobody to teach me. What I do have is desire, Blade Forums and Youtube. Watch, learn, practice. If you want to get it, you will. I'm certainly not the best, but I can hand sharpen better than %99 of the population just because I wanted to. Watch, learn, practice and you will get it pretty easily.
 
It can get as complicated as you want it to be, but at its most basic level all you're doing is holding a consistent angle against an abrasive surface. All you have to do is develop your eye for angles and build steadiness in your strokes, both of which are much easier than one might expect if you're willing to just get in there and practice it. :)
 
Wow, Didn't realize this. I've been playing with making things sharp since I was 10 years old.
 
I'm sure that you have lots to do, but if you ever feel inclined, I'd love to see the mutt stone in action. I'm tired of wearing out good files and it may be a suitable replacement.
 
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