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How to sharpen a hawk/hatchet?
- Thread starter Crayola
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2002
- Messages
- 232
I use what Andy recommended - ceramic and strop.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 1999
- Messages
- 3,831
Thanks BFH
I remember Brian Jones (in a thread) saying that ceramic did the deed for them.
What about a not so new hawk or hatchet? All of the axe-like tools around here are in bad shape, so I am fixing them. A ceramic woudl take me a million years to fix these!
I remember Brian Jones (in a thread) saying that ceramic did the deed for them.
What about a not so new hawk or hatchet? All of the axe-like tools around here are in bad shape, so I am fixing them. A ceramic woudl take me a million years to fix these!
Cliff Stamp
BANNED
- Joined
- Oct 5, 1998
- Messages
- 17,562
Setting a micro-bevel with a ceramic is fine for upkeep, but will quickly lead to a loss of performance unless you periodically work the entire bevel so you want to make a habit or doing so.
If the edge is just a bit blunt then you can try stropping, either on leather loaded with CrO, or sandpaper that you can hang freely (heavy backing). However if the edge is visibly damaged, you will need to hone the damage out. For throwing tomahawks I would let the edge get pretty heavily damaged before I would restore it, depending on the skill of the user as if you take out every ding you quickly won't have a tomahawk left.
The first thing to do before you start honing is to try and get some of the metal along the edge back into place, this will minimize the amount that needs to be removed during the sharpening. You can try to "steel" the edge by just pushing against the metal that has been squashed with something hard like the spine of another knife. If this doesn't work take a small hammer and try to get it aligned using light, repeated taps.
Now take a file and reset the edge, following the curvature. It is not difficult as you might think as you can easily see where you are filing, and you can feel the difference between a stroke that goes along the curvature and one that doesn't. Once the edge is sharp, you will feel a large burr. You can work with a filed edge, but it won't last long if you are chopping, and the edge is filled with bits of metal anyway so you want to clean it up. Take a small hone (1"x4") and use this just like you would a file to smooth out the edge. Start off with something coarse and stop when you are comfortable with the edge that you want.
In regards to edge finish in general. If you are throwing as your primary use I would not actually go beyond the filing, as the first time it doesn't hit the target the edge will be mangled anyway, so just set the edge with a few passes at an increased angle to take off the worst of the burr. If you are chopping get the finish high both to increase performance and edge life. I end with some stropping on CrO after polishing with a 4000 grit waterstone. If you want some slicing performance leave it a bit coarse like 600 DMT diamond hone. The more coarse the better it will slice but the quicker it will degrade when chopping, and the more metal you will remove when sharpening.
The above assumes a convex edge bevel. If the bevel is flat then you can still do most of the above, but for the shaping you can use some system provided the angle setting are high enough. For a throwing tomahawk you want a decently obtuse edge so that it doens't get mangled too badly on a throw that misses. I would set the edge from somewhere between 25-35 degrees depending on throwing style and distance as keep in mind you can hit rocks. If you are chopping wood you can go under half that, for soft woods about a third. For bone you want at least 15-20 degrees depending on type. For chopping hardened metal you want 20-25 degrees at a minimum, 25+ if you want to do it with a lot of force. These are just general guidelines and have to be modified for steel type and hardness.
Of course there is power equipment that can do the above very easily, a belt sander / grinder and buffer for example.
If you are just cutting wood, the edge should last a long time before it needs to be sharpened. I touch up my axes after every half a dozen or so uses. I don't do this because they are too dull, but rather to keep the micro-damage from propogating. And since the blade is very near sharp anyway I can do the whole process in about 10 minutes (1000, to 4000 watertone to CrO).
-Cliff
If the edge is just a bit blunt then you can try stropping, either on leather loaded with CrO, or sandpaper that you can hang freely (heavy backing). However if the edge is visibly damaged, you will need to hone the damage out. For throwing tomahawks I would let the edge get pretty heavily damaged before I would restore it, depending on the skill of the user as if you take out every ding you quickly won't have a tomahawk left.
The first thing to do before you start honing is to try and get some of the metal along the edge back into place, this will minimize the amount that needs to be removed during the sharpening. You can try to "steel" the edge by just pushing against the metal that has been squashed with something hard like the spine of another knife. If this doesn't work take a small hammer and try to get it aligned using light, repeated taps.
Now take a file and reset the edge, following the curvature. It is not difficult as you might think as you can easily see where you are filing, and you can feel the difference between a stroke that goes along the curvature and one that doesn't. Once the edge is sharp, you will feel a large burr. You can work with a filed edge, but it won't last long if you are chopping, and the edge is filled with bits of metal anyway so you want to clean it up. Take a small hone (1"x4") and use this just like you would a file to smooth out the edge. Start off with something coarse and stop when you are comfortable with the edge that you want.
In regards to edge finish in general. If you are throwing as your primary use I would not actually go beyond the filing, as the first time it doesn't hit the target the edge will be mangled anyway, so just set the edge with a few passes at an increased angle to take off the worst of the burr. If you are chopping get the finish high both to increase performance and edge life. I end with some stropping on CrO after polishing with a 4000 grit waterstone. If you want some slicing performance leave it a bit coarse like 600 DMT diamond hone. The more coarse the better it will slice but the quicker it will degrade when chopping, and the more metal you will remove when sharpening.
The above assumes a convex edge bevel. If the bevel is flat then you can still do most of the above, but for the shaping you can use some system provided the angle setting are high enough. For a throwing tomahawk you want a decently obtuse edge so that it doens't get mangled too badly on a throw that misses. I would set the edge from somewhere between 25-35 degrees depending on throwing style and distance as keep in mind you can hit rocks. If you are chopping wood you can go under half that, for soft woods about a third. For bone you want at least 15-20 degrees depending on type. For chopping hardened metal you want 20-25 degrees at a minimum, 25+ if you want to do it with a lot of force. These are just general guidelines and have to be modified for steel type and hardness.
Of course there is power equipment that can do the above very easily, a belt sander / grinder and buffer for example.
If you are just cutting wood, the edge should last a long time before it needs to be sharpened. I touch up my axes after every half a dozen or so uses. I don't do this because they are too dull, but rather to keep the micro-damage from propogating. And since the blade is very near sharp anyway I can do the whole process in about 10 minutes (1000, to 4000 watertone to CrO).
-Cliff