sharpening 'hawks

[hawkpatriot]

I have a CS Rifleman's 'hawk. I got it last year, and it was maintened very good until a few months ago when i got some dents in the edge. I've seen so many ways of getting these out, so which way is really the best to sharpen a tomahawk?

 

[Mark Williams]

I use my 2 x 72 grinder. A good was for most is to just wrap a full sheet of sandpaper around a flat piece of wood and stroke the edge till you get off all the burrs. A good rough stone would probably be a good choice also.

 

[hawkpatriot]

I use my 2 x 72 grinder. A good was for most is to just wrap a full sheet of sandpaper around a flat piece of wood and stroke the edge till you get off all the burrs. A good rough stone would probably be a good choice also.

Read a recent article in Field&Stream, about axes, by David Petzal. He said electric grinders are bad for hawks and axe blades, the heat damages the forged edge. So I'm still confused...

Any more suggestions?

 

[jamesraykenney]

Read a recent article in Field&Stream, about axes, by David Petzal. He said electric grinders are bad for hawks and axe blades, the heat damages the forged edge. So I'm still confused...

Any more suggestions?

There is a geared down water cooled grinder at Harbor Freight for $59.00...I have been debating on it for over 6 months!

WOW...While looking for that link, I just found THIS!

 

[Nuke41]

Dont use a grinder, it will take off way more metal than you need to. Get a fine file and work it, then a stone when you have enough of an edge to really sharpen it. That's how my uncles always sharpened their axes at the saw mill.

Jeb

 

[txmoonwolf]

If it's badly chipped, I'd use a file, then my Lansky Puck. It's a nice little round sharpener stone for my CS Rifleman's Hawk.

Matt in Texas

 

[hawkpatriot]

Well a few days ago I just used a fine file to work on the edge. I completly got rid of all the chips and nicks and stuff, worked on it for atleast 30 minutes, and developed a nice edge. Its not hair shaving sharp but it does the job. I might take a sharpening stone to it and see if that helps at all.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Power tools can overheat the edge, however they can also speed up the process dramatically. A dremel will turn that 30 minutes of filing into one minute of sanding. Dremels also don't tend heat up the metal significantly as you can't lean into them like you tend to do on a grinder.

-Cliff