Care of Tomahawk and Hatchet

[kaiservontexas]

I have recently gained possession of a tomahawk and two hatchets. I have never owned any of these items before. They are in need of sharpening and general cleaning up. My question is how does one sharpen and maintain tomahawks and hatchets?

 

[ilbruche]

First thing I do when I get a hawk is take the head off the handle. I use a wire brush to clean off the head. Sometimes you get lots of dirt and junk inside the eye. Just keep the head lightly oiled when your not using it. I usually sand off whatever finish is on the handle and soak it in danish oil for a while.

Lots of ways to sharpen. I do most of my sharpening on a belt sander.

 

[Glock17JHP]

The sharpening method, whether you do it at all, etc. depends on how you intend to use your tomahawk...

For 'throwing only' tomahawks... there is no need for a lot of sharpness...
For 'general/camp/trail' tomahawks... there is a need to sharpen them well... since they will get a lot of 'tool' usage (chopping, hammering, etc.)...