how to sharpen/repair folded axe edge

C

craft

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Feb 24, 2013
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Hey everyone, been a long time forum reader but this is my first post! (Well technically, my second, the first was in the wrong forum!)

I purchased a new Wetterlings Bushman Axe and fell a small hardwood tree this evening, after which I noticed the toe end of the bit had curled over! Disappointed but not surprised, as I had read about issues with this axe. The factory edge it came with was rather sharp, which I'm suspecting is the cause of the failure? The Bushman is fairly wedge shaped which seems optimized for splitting, so why put a thin edge on the blade? I know it's supposed to be for bushcraft, but what good is an axe if you can't take down a small tree?

Anyway, to my actual question. How do I fix this? Should I use a wet axe stone in a circular motion to grind off the curled toe end? What about the rest of the edge? Should I make it more dull? How do I do this?

I've watched several videos on sharpening axes but could not find any about fixing a curled edge. Is the term 'folded edge' correct? There is also no specific instructions on how to make an edge more dull.

I'm new to edge sharpening in general, so any help or direction to resources would be appreciated.

Thanks

folded.jpg
 
I'd take a file to it. Just remove the part that is rolled over. You don't want to dull it, although you might want a more obtuse angle on the edge. An ax is a working tool. If a person that uses an ax, a lot, were to dress out the whole blade for every nick and bend, the ax wouldn't last very long.
 
Bo T said:
I'd take a file to it. Just remove the part that is rolled over. You don't want to dull it, although you might want a more obtuse angle on the edge. An ax is a working tool. If a person that uses an ax, a lot, were to dress out the whole blade for every nick and bend, the ax wouldn't last very long.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, it makes a lot of sense. I'd like to take the axe out for a day and not have to worry about the remainder of the factory edge rolling on me, hence I thought taking it down to a more durable grind (obtuse angle as you put it) would be a good idea. This edge folded after two dozen strikes...
 
A more acute angle will be better for limbing and falling. So in retrospect, I'd keep the edge at the same angle. Take a file with you when you go out to do some work with it. Set it on a stump or log and file from the poll to the edge. I've read that someitmes the steel is a little softer until you have sharpened it away.
 
I will take a file with me and put the blade to work this weekend. Wetterlings has had some problems with heat treating, so I am hoping it's a function of the thin edge rather than being soft steel.
 
Could easily be a defect from the initial grind. Many blades, especially hatchets and larger choppers but no stranger to any cutting tool, do not have the best attention paid to the factory grind (even those with a quality pedigree). There might just be some punk steel at the apex and you'll need to grind a fresh edge to reach the better stuff. Thats a pretty bad roll, but not uncommon for a factory edge. For me, I'd grind a fresh one at the same angle and try again. If it keeps folding I might consider a letter to Wetterlings. It should hold up better than that...
 
I agree. Wetterlings has a better name than that. Try grinding a fresh edge on a Norton SiC stone, coarse then fine and see if it holds it. DM
 
It appears even the maker might acknowledge the factory edge might be a little thin for some uses. I found this on Wetterling's 'Axe Care' page of maintenance tips (I added the bold emphasis to the last statement in the quote):

( from site -->: http://www.wetterlings.se/the/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=65 )

"SHARPEN
"It is important to keep the axe sharp for safe axe use. If you grind it often, it is easier to remain the shape of the axe, which is important for the function. You preferably use the Wetterlings grinding stone. It is made of sandstone from a stone pit near the factory. The stone gives best result with oil, but water or saliva works well too. To use oil also decreases the risk of rust.
If you are chopping hardwood, you might want to rounden the bevel more to make it less fragile. (...)"
Click to expand...


David
 
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So, I ended up filing off the roll and took the axe with me over the weekend. Sure enough, most of the remaining factory edge rolled on me. I filed everything off and put a small (1-2mm) secondary bevel with an additional 10-15 degrees on the entire edge. Took down three, 7-8 inch Maple trees without any problems. Whether that factory edge was too thin, or it was just composed of crappy steel I wont know, because I don't plan on going back to such a thin edge, unless I'm spending the day carving.

I am happy this Wetterlings axe was not a lemon, as I've read they've turned out a few, because of heat treatment issues.

I was skeptical about the straight handle, but I quickly grew to like it, especially when limbing felled trees. The extra length on the handle equates to a healthy does of additional leverage and makes this axe very versatile.

Applied some linseed oil on the handle and welcomed her to the family :)

Thanks again for the advice everyone, greatly appreciated.
 
I use a smith's diamond stone to sharpen most everything including my axe's and hatchets.
 
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