Can one hone an axe with a kitchen cutlery steel?

A

axeandlearn

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May 12, 2012
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I've looked up and down these here internets and tried a forum search- but I have not stumbled upon any discussion revolving around this issue. Has anyone tried, or would it not be a good idea?

Thanks
 
I have often used a kitchen steel as the last step in sharpening an axe. But since I got the buffing wheel I'm not religious about using the kitchen steel.

If you like your axes to shave hairs then a kitchen steel is a good way to finish sharpening them.
 
On an axe a smooth butcher's steel and an Edgemaker are my final sharpening tools.
https://secure.edgemaker.com/sections/products/ProductDetail.aspx?prod_id=18

I use a file to contour the edge initially and then I don't use a file again unless I need to take nicks out. The file moves too much material and will wear down your edge quickly as a regular sharpening tool. Also if you want a smooth honed edge you need to hone out the file ridges every time--which in mind is a waste of time and steel. File to profile, hone to sharpen, and polish for finesse. You could just use a puck from from that point forward as your sharpening device but I like a "smooth" butcher's steel in conjunction with an Edgemaker to get a finely polished and true edge. A polished edge will tend to stay sharp longer than an unpolished edge as all the fine "wire edging" is removed in the final polishing and you are left with only a true cutting edge.

All my axes in inventory are polished this way--ready to go into action. However if I would need to sharpen in the field because of working for a prolonged amount of time, I will normally just be with a puck so I can keep working without spending a lot of time sharpening/polishing. At the end of the day or in a break time--I would polish the edge, but not in the middle of working. If you want to polish in the field you would need to puck hone first anyway to remove all the sap off the edge and then polish the edge with a steel.
 
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Should you decide to use your Kitchen steel for sharpening your tools I suggest you wash the steel sharpener in hot soapy water when finished.
There is a possibility to transfer even the smallest amounts of Boiled Linseed oil Wd40 or whatever you use for metal protection onto your kitchen cutlery.
Might sound silly but I am experimenting with a combo of beeswax, flaxseed oil and a dab of vaseline to protect my axes and sheaths.
Reason being if I ingest any of above it is food grade and wont do any harm. Just the other day I was screwing around cutting up carrots,taters and meat with my ax just for fun and I also use my axe sometimes for food prep when camping. Alright I'll shut up now.
 
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