What Did You Sharpen Today?

A17 said:
The steel seemed really hard when I first tried it so I kept putting off sharpening it. Today I bit the bullet and it wasn't that bad. The steel was decent under the rust.
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Sometimes it seems impossible at first. But once you get a little patch cleared you start lifting the hard oxidation layer with the normal steel just below the surface. Then it gets easier to file.

I like how you have it set in the vise. That gives you good control and power.
 
jblyttle said:
I have tons of leather and keep meaning to start making some sheaths. Quality but not fancy. This needs one.
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jb, what's the name on your hatchet? Were you pleased with the Arctic Fox, how it performed? How coarse is that stone? Thanks, DM
 
David Martin said:
Were you pleased with the Arctic Fox, how it performed? How coarse is that stone?
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The coarse side is fairly coarse. Not the fastest stone I've ever used but adequate. It's the white fine side that really shines. It's surprisingly aggressive for a fine stone and quickly takes a shaped edge to just barely shaving. For a really fine edge you'll need to strop or go finer or something - your preference. But for quickly restoring a good working edge the Arctic Fox is excellent. I'm keeping one of the little ones in my tool bag at work. Keep it clean and it will cut.
 
David Martin said:
jb, what's the name on your hatchet? Were you pleased with the Arctic Fox, how it performed? How coarse is that stone? Thanks, DM
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I have the Arctic Fox scythe stone, which is all one grit. It is not the finest stone that I have but it is very fine. More than fine enough for finishing a user edge. Not fine enough if you want to see your smile reflected. I find a Norton India fine stone to be more than enough for a working edge and this is easily finer.
 
jblyttle said:
I have the Arctic Fox scythe stone, which is all one grit. It is not the finest stone that I have but it is very fine. More than fine enough for finishing a user edge. Not fine enough if you want to see your smile reflected. I find a Norton India fine stone to be more than enough for a working edge and this is easily finer.
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Calling jb. ^ How much finer than the Norton fine India? DM
 
David Martin said:
Calling jb. ^ How much finer than the Norton fine India? DM
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I'm a bad judge of such things. It would be good if FortyTwoBlades could chime in. He can speak with more knowledge and authority on the subject. I know that he posted a thread a year or two ago demonstrating the edge finish that it generated.
 
It's an ANSI 400 grit/JIS 700 grit, but the actual finish produced is similar to what one would expect off a JIS 1000 grit. It'll produce a hazy mirror finish if you manage your scratch pattern right. Steel hardness does play some role in that, but I was able to get a nice frosty reflective surface on an Estwing rigger's axe, and those are only mid-range, hardness wise. It'll produce an edge more than good enough for most work. Liam Hoffman uses one on the drawknife he uses for shaping his axe handles, and doesn't do anything more than strop it after the puck. And he's a beast with that draw knife! :p
 
And that was the whole goal of the stone. A formulation that compliments a file, and rapidly restores an edge to a "pragmatic polish" for when you just need to get back to work! :D For full mirroring, there are other stones, but any time I get a small ding or roll I don't bother going through the whole progression when a few strokes of the AF get it back to more than good enough. I actually keep one of the scythe stones in a little jar in the workshop and use it on the beat-to-hell reground Mora Companions I use as shop knives for work that's likely to damage edges. Fixes up rolled-over edges lickety-split! :D
 
A tail of two Woodslashers. One with 4 eye ridges, the other with 6 eye ridges. I'm not certain but I think the 4 eye ridge axes are older.

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The 4-ridge axe was rustier and more pitted but had less wear on the bit and poll. I'm going to hang that one for a buddy.
There's a pronounced difference in the cheeks. The 6-ridge is convexed a little higher. The 4-ridge steps down just beyond the eye. I kinda like the shape of the 4-ridge axe better.
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This is the 4-ridge after being heavily cleaned with a knotted steel cup brush. There is a scaly rust layer that is very persistent.
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I had to resort to a flap disc to clean it up better. I focused on getting the scale off while trying to leave some patina. A well-worn flap disc is best for this. It came out some better.
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I took out the chip in the bit with the bench grinder and left myself a wide edge to file.
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Here I've drawn out how I'm going to shape the other Woodslasher at the bench grinder.
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Filed and honed. It will be a nice little axe now. I have a handle for it out in the garage with its 2nd coat of BLO drying. Next I'll give that handle 4 coats of tung oil before I hang it.
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looks like my favorite little plumb boy's axe is getting a tune up,i grabbed it to go chop around and i hit a few rocks... and vice grips so i reprofiled the whole thing back from a splitting bevel to a pretty shallow bevel with a roughly 35 degree edge topped with another 40 degree micro bevel, if you can hold the paper right it'll slice it really clean. thanks again brian for the diamond stones
 
I finally did something with this Plumb that has been sitting in my garage for a couple years. I've maybe used it once or twice. It was an estate sale find, almost unused 3-1/2 pound Michigan. It has convex cheeks and it's original Permabond 33-inch haft with un-clipped fawnsfoot.. Still had the factory grind and no poll damage. Someone painted the head silver/gray and the handle red. No harm done.

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This afternoon I took it out for a test run but that goes in another thread.
 
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Square_peg said:
Sharpened another little Craftsman hatchet today. This one will be an Xmas gift.

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Got lucky finding another curly hickory haft.
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You got really lucky with that Vaughan / Craftsman hatchet.
My grandmother bought one a few years ago for kindling and the top of the head had a big dip on one side of the eye.
Perfectly fine as a user , but just not pretty.
 
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