Sharpening

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moose11872

Joined
Feb 17, 2014
Messages
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I'm not a pro but I do pretty good. Picked up my first tom at Cabelas the other day.and I just can't seem to get it shaving sharp. I got it as sharp as I could with the file....no reflection from the edge. Then I used the Lansky puck oiled both grits then stropped it with 400 grit paper backed with a mouse pad sanding block then stropped again with leather.

It was made in India and I'm sure the steel isn't the greatest. Am I off or could it be the material being sharpened?
 
I'm no expert on sharpening, and your issue could be a lot of things. In my opinion, your most likely culprit is the mouse pad. When you use paper over a soft backing, it is very easy to apply to much pressure. When you apply to much pressure, the paper will roll up over your edge and dull it. You might try removing the mouse pad and strop that thing on the paper backed by something hard and very flat. If that solves the issue, then you'll know.
 
I get the best edges from hard stones at fine grits. I'll go to 6000 grit or even higher with my razor stones. And the steel that you use on your kitchen knives will do well on axes too.

To get a really nice shaving sharp edge sometimes requires a thinner edge than is wise on a working axe/hawk. If it cuts the hairs off my arm I call that good enough. If they pop off and go flying that's better but not necessary.
 
Steel quality doesn't mean much in terms of achievable sharpness. The fact that it's some unknown steel from India shouldn't mean it can't take a shaving sharp edge - It might mean that said edge is immediately lost after the first solid blow it takes, but that's besides the point...

In its current state, does the edge slice paper and lightly bite into the back of your fingernail? If not, the edge probably hasn't been established well enough and you'll want to start over, making sure to establish a NOTICEABLE burr with your file (like below) before moving on your puck/stone:

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If it DOES slice paper and passes the fingernail test, then it's probably just too steep a final edge angle. Any edge that's 45 degrees or more (total) with a lot of metal behind it isn't going to shave hair. Most store-bought axes are going to have a very thick, very angled edge. If you simply try to refine that edge without first reprofiling and removing a lot of material, you're just going to make a blunt tool shinier rather than sharper. That said, if you already did reprofile the axe to something around 30-40 degrees total then it might be that the mousepad is rounding the edge you established like m3mphis said. A properly profiled axe should be able to shave arm hair -albeit with a lot of tugging- after you knock the burr off with the fine side (I believe that's 280 grit?) of a lansky puck and stropping on a leather belt...
 
I'll echo Killa. I sharpen a lot of knives (for friends, co workers etc.) and even the cheap stuff will take a shaving edge. The quality shows in how long it will hold that edge under use.

Most of the India axes I see at the hardware store have pretty fat cheeks so like Peg said you'll probably need to put in some time with the file to thin it down and get the right profile.
 
Thanks everybody for all the advice and info. I can't wait to get home tonight to apply everything I've learned. Will post pictures when I'm done. Thanks again!
 
moose11872 said:
I'm not a pro but I do pretty good. Picked up my first tom at Cabelas the other day.and I just can't seem to get it shaving sharp. I got it as sharp as I could with the file....no reflection from the edge. Then I used the Lansky puck oiled both grits then stropped it with 400 grit paper backed with a mouse pad sanding block then stropped again with leather.

It was made in India and I'm sure the steel isn't the greatest. Am I off or could it be the material being sharpened?
Click to expand...

Lets move that up to 1500 or 2000 grit.
 
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