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Sharpening an ATC Vietnam Hawk...any suggestions are appreciated
- Thread starter wpc37203
- Start date
I'm no expert but I appreciate a good working edge & this is what has worked well for me. To realign the edges on my khukuris & hawks, including the ATC Vietnam, I use an old Gerber Sportsmans steel. It has both grooved & smooth sections & I find it great for restoring an edge w/o removing much steel. Although Gerber discontinued it several years back, I recently found out that Klein Tools makes the very same steel. (WAG, they were probably OEM for Gerber.)
If the edge needs more than steeling, I find that a folding DMT diamond sharpener can produce a burr with very few strokes. I have also used the brown stone from a Sharpmaker freehand in lieu of the DMT. I haven't measured but I doubt the Sharpmaker angles will match.
Just one caution to bear in mind -- hawk edges are generally quite a bit softer than those on your better knives. It is a good idea to work slowly & check the edges frequently. Good luck.
If the edge needs more than steeling, I find that a folding DMT diamond sharpener can produce a burr with very few strokes. I have also used the brown stone from a Sharpmaker freehand in lieu of the DMT. I haven't measured but I doubt the Sharpmaker angles will match.
Just one caution to bear in mind -- hawk edges are generally quite a bit softer than those on your better knives. It is a good idea to work slowly & check the edges frequently. Good luck.
Cliff Stamp
BANNED
- Joined
- Oct 5, 1998
- Messages
- 17,562
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 damaged, which is often the case if you have been throwing it around, you will need to hone the damage out. For throwing hawks 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.
Once this is done 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 the hawk 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. 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. 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 steel and throwing style as 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 15-20 degrees depening on steel type and hardness. For chopping hardened metal you want 20-25 degrees at a minimum, 25+ if you want to do it with a lot of force.
Of course there is power equipment that can do the above very easily, a belt sander and buffer for example.
-Cliff
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.
Once this is done 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 the hawk 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. 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. 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 steel and throwing style as 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 15-20 degrees depening on steel type and hardness. For chopping hardened metal you want 20-25 degrees at a minimum, 25+ if you want to do it with a lot of force.
Of course there is power equipment that can do the above very easily, a belt sander and buffer for example.
-Cliff
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2001
- Messages
- 179
Thanks Brian and Cliff. You both have provided me with a plethora of information. I am sure with all the information provided, I will be able to get my hawk to the desired sharpeness. Brian, I am looking for the Klein steel locally (no luck so far at Home Depot or the Grainger website). I have a few more avenues to persue; however, if I find one I will let know where.
Paul
Paul
- Joined
- Dec 29, 1999
- Messages
- 932
The spyderco sharpmaker should work fine. But for a really bitchin edge, a good old fashioned arkansas soft stone!!!
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2000
- Messages
- 262
I must agree with BrianC, the Gerber steel is a great tool for Hawks and Kukri. It also works well on Busse knives. Get one, they are worth it.