- Joined
- Nov 15, 2003
- Messages
- 2,423
I had to send back my first one because the head was bent. This one was (and still is) a little bent, but it's usable. For the price, I figured I'd hold on to it and sort of use it as a test platform for a few things I had been wanting to try anyway. It turned out a lot nicer than I thought it would!
I first sanded down the surface to get rid of the paint. I ended up using a sanding drum on my Dremel because it was taking forever (I'm not very patient). Once this was done, I spent a good bit of time filing down the sides (cheeks?) of the blade head itself to sort of even it out and thin it down some (it was already pretty thin).
I then spent some time convexing the edge. This didn't see, to take too long at all because the metal is really soft! I guess that's okay though, for a tomahawk?
The next step was to work on the fit of the head to the haft. This took a little time but it was worth it. There's still a tad bit of gap in some spots, but it doesn't seem to effect use. I also sanded the stock "finish" off and smoothed it out in some spots. I used a poly/stain (antique Maple) on it just to add a little color (the haft looked almost white when I got it!). I might wax it too, eventually.
Once I got the fit like I wanted, I sharpened the edge with my Sharpmaker. It got pretty sharp, pretty quick!
The last thing I did was wrap the head (after washing it real good) in some old towels doused with apple cider vinegar. I left it for a few hours (dunno how long exactly) and then washed it off and oiled it up. It ended up getting some rust spots but it adds some character I think.
Overall, I am happy with the way it ended up. I might trim the handle length down (how long should a hawk be?) some and add a lanyard but that's it. I like being able to remove the head for use so I won't wrap it.
Here's a pic!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zAltId6PdC5AzSvhR5Dapg?feat=directlink
I first sanded down the surface to get rid of the paint. I ended up using a sanding drum on my Dremel because it was taking forever (I'm not very patient). Once this was done, I spent a good bit of time filing down the sides (cheeks?) of the blade head itself to sort of even it out and thin it down some (it was already pretty thin).
I then spent some time convexing the edge. This didn't see, to take too long at all because the metal is really soft! I guess that's okay though, for a tomahawk?
The next step was to work on the fit of the head to the haft. This took a little time but it was worth it. There's still a tad bit of gap in some spots, but it doesn't seem to effect use. I also sanded the stock "finish" off and smoothed it out in some spots. I used a poly/stain (antique Maple) on it just to add a little color (the haft looked almost white when I got it!). I might wax it too, eventually.
Once I got the fit like I wanted, I sharpened the edge with my Sharpmaker. It got pretty sharp, pretty quick!
The last thing I did was wrap the head (after washing it real good) in some old towels doused with apple cider vinegar. I left it for a few hours (dunno how long exactly) and then washed it off and oiled it up. It ended up getting some rust spots but it adds some character I think.
Overall, I am happy with the way it ended up. I might trim the handle length down (how long should a hawk be?) some and add a lanyard but that's it. I like being able to remove the head for use so I won't wrap it.
Here's a pic!
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zAltId6PdC5AzSvhR5Dapg?feat=directlink
