Can heat from the sun damage axe metal?

T

trailmaker

Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
506
I often hear people say that when using a belt sander the axe should not be allowed to get to hot to touch. I've left some axes in the sun and the entire thing really gets too hot to touch. Can this mess up the tempering? Hopefully the narrow bit acts like a radiator fin and dissipates heat quickly.
 
If sharpening with a powered anything at the point of contact there is higher heat then what you feel when you touch it. so the hot to the touch thing is because it was briefly much hotter then that. The sun is not a problem and power tools not either if used carefully.
 
You can't mess up any blade as long as the temperature never exceeds the tempering temperature. . .which would usually mean that you would have to exceed 400*F. . .

. . .I can guarantee that you won't exceed 400*F by leaving anything in the sun.
 
Thanks for the responses. I'm just getting into collecting axes and I know nothing about metallurgy.
 
atomicjoe23 said:
. . .I can guarantee that you won't exceed 400*F by leaving anything in the sun.
Click to expand...

Even solar ovens, which have reflectors concentrating the rays from a larger area and a sealed "chamber" that holds the pot and helps to hold in the heat, are advertised as being able to heat up to "360 to 400 degrees". So I would agree with the previous guys about this.

The very thin edge of an axe or knife *can* get much hotter than this with a grinder or belt sander, even though what we feel is mostly the dissipated heat that goes into the thicker part of the edge.
 
General rule of thumb for heat treated cutting tools (knives, lathe cutters, milling cutters). . .if it got hot enough to change colors then you just ruined the heat treat. . .
 
But this heat could dry out the handle of you Axe, Hatchet, or Tomahawk and there you might be loosing your head by flying off the handle.

Just something else to think about.

Pat
 
I have been trying to be careful about that, especially since I'm learning how to get a proper edge on my axes. My axes are maintained with linseed oil and they are stored in a cool shaded outbuilding. As far as I can tell, the handles are still well seated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top