Seasoning Tomahawk blade

[Forest Walker]

So after I etched my tomahawk head I blueEd it ti try and give it some protection. It still rusts real fast. I have a lot of TC bore butter left over from my muzzle loading days. Has anyone warmed up a head and tried to season one like you would a cast iron skillet except with something like bore butter which is basically bees wax

 

[dogstar]

So after I etched my tomahawk head I blueEd it ti try and give it some protection. It still rusts real fast. I have a lot of TC bore butter left over from my muzzle loading days. Has anyone warmed up a head and tried to season one like you would a cast iron skillet except with something like bore butter which is basically bees wax

I would not heat the hawk, you might ruin the temper.
Can't you melt the wax and apply it to the head?
Or give it a vinegar patina, then oil or wax it?

 

[SimplyMinded]

 

[NWFRS]

Laurel Mountain Barrel Brown and degreaser has become my favorite product over the years. Be methodical and follow the instructions. After a few boils the results are incredible. It’s just steaming and boiling so it won’t affect temper. I mostly use heated white vinegar in an ultrasonic cleaner for axes, but if I really wanted a proper job on clean steel I’d use the Laurel Mountain rust browning for sure.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

So after I etched my tomahawk head I blueEd it ti try and give it some protection. It still rusts real fast. I have a lot of TC bore butter left over from my muzzle loading days. Has anyone warmed up a head and tried to season one like you would a cast iron skillet except with something like bore butter which is basically bees wax

The method by which seasoning works would not be especially compatible with axes and their use. Seasoning is oil/fat that has become polymerized by the heat of cooking. While you don't see it easily on cast iron, it is the amber film that builds up on baking sheets and pans. The coating is a natural plastic, and its hardness will depend on the base oil/fat and the heat it's been subjected to, but ultimately it is fairly soft and tacky, not too unlike a soft epoxy coating. Such a coating would not only wear off the axe readily, but would cause it to stick in the cut, greatly increasing the friction of the head in use.

 

[SimplyMinded]

Laurel Mountain Barrel Brown and degreaser has become my favorite product over the years. Be methodical and follow the instructions. After a few boils the results are incredible. It’s just steaming and boiling so it won’t affect temper. I mostly use heated white vinegar in an ultrasonic cleaner for axes, but if I really wanted a proper job on clean steel I’d use the Laurel Mountain rust browning for sure.

Good pick, I had great results browning parts for a Kibler Muzzleloader kit using this stuff.

 

[NWFRS]

Good pick, I had great results browning parts for a Kibler Muzzleloader kit using this stuff.

Nice! It’s great isn’t it? I had used 44/40 and OxphoBlue for years, then when I started using LaurelMountain I felt like such a pro. Did an entire Marlin 39 a few years ago. Such a deep lustrous and even color (As long as you’re fastidious in your steel prep). I really ought to try it on a few axe heads. I’m just lazy. Most old heads respond well to warm vinegar baths. Once I see that grey/green patina that I like, I mount them on the finished/burned/burnished handles and use a 50/50 BLO beeswax mix.

 

[NapalmCheese]

So after I etched my tomahawk head I blueEd it ti try and give it some protection. It still rusts real fast. I have a lot of TC bore butter left over from my muzzle loading days. Has anyone warmed up a head and tried to season one like you would a cast iron skillet except with something like bore butter which is basically bees wax

First, I don't know about you, but I season my pans at 450 degrees. Also, I still don't know about you, but I temper my 1085 steel blades at 400. So, I wouldn't try to season that axe head like a carbon steel pan.

Second, while I use bore butter for my black powder shooting, and I personally think it works well (though I think my lube works better), I don't think there's a lick of beeswax in it. I think it's mostly Crisco, which is fine by me because it works well enough for me to get 6+ cylinder fulls out of my Navy colt before I even start to think of wiping down the arbor and I use Crisco in my own lube recipe anyway.

Lastly, I think the only way you're going to keep it from rusting is to keep it coated with oil or renwax, both of which will wear off with use. For oil, WD-40 Specialist (comes in a yellow top) has done well for me and my saltwater duck hunting shotguns. It's not your standard WD-40, it's thicker, and seems to stick around on the object much better.

 

[elasmonut]

When it rusts, oil it!
You can use mineral oil or any manner of fancy expensive waxes and coatings, or just WD40 if your'e not prepping food. You can apply it with lintless cloths, rags or wipe it on your jeans! A swipe with a rod, strop, stone or hone will clean up the edge well enough to cut timber.
Dont chuck it in a fire!!, if its too hot to touch you have likley ruined the heat treat!
IMO it will take about 500 years before rust defeats a decent axe or hatchet, I've seen 1000 year old viking pieces that were a bit pitted but a bit of oil of some sort and a half hour with a decent file and stone, would rival your average Gransfors, Fiskars, or even most customs!
An Axe, Hatchet or Tomahawk is a tool IMO, a perfect finish only improves performance in tiny degrees. If you want a shiny wall hanger then 420 stainless is O.K., gee I've got a cheapy ALDI hatchet in mystery 3 somthin?? "steel" That seems to chop without deforming.
Patina shows character!