How to Sharpen an Axe - Picture Heavy

[chris_irwin]

Your wish etc etc..

Ogri the trog

Thanks Ogri, much appreciated

[L8starter]

wow, that sounds as though it makes sense and i remember my father using lots of different motions so can almost envisage how it looks but id like to be able to say, is it ready for the next stage now? how would i know that? id really love to find somoene near me in norfolk so i could go sit and be shown

to say my axe is blunt is a gross understatement. its old, the head was loose but i have hammered in a wedge which seems to be secure and now i need to try to get some kind of edge on it. i am doing a level 3 forest leaders course and am new to this site but already can see what a mine of information it is.

my axe is a different shape from these, looking at the cheek, the head is symetrical with the same curved shaping as the one you show but curved on both sides so it resembles a woman in a ball gown... bizarre... is this an ok axe for bushcraft use, at this stage all im doing is pointing poles? it has a convex blade with some damage to the toe.

i have a sharpening stone, (maybe the axe stone you refer to above?)it is rectangular about 15cm x 4cm, approx 2/3 light grey and 1/3 darker grey. the edges feel rough with the darker material feeling the rougher but the surfaces of it feel smooth and the lighter side looks to be contaminated with black something. i do remember buying this and trying to sharpen something a few years ago and failing miserably, i think it was a scythe i was trying to sharpen. any advice as regards what this is and whether it is suitable for my purpose would be gratefully received

i guess i need to start by buying myself a coarse crosscut and a fine metal file?

i havent fully found my way around this forum yet, are there ever informal campouts, where i might come along and be advised as im working?

[British Red]

There are indeed many meet ups. I rarely go, but if you ever run up to Lincolnshire, we can soon teach you.....

[Dave]

Great Tutorial. I use a car body file, which is pretty long, and over the years, Ive taken the 'black' off the cheeks. Which now occasionally rust.
Is there any way to re-blacken the cheeks of the axe, or is it just a product of the forging process?

[Ian S]

Never tried it myself, but see your local gunsmith that caters for shotgun types. They may sell cold bluing solution (Birchwood Casey is one brand). You could also try the vinegar patination technique that some use on carbon steel knives.

It's the same basic technique - build up an oxide layer that prevents further oxidation.

Cheers

[Dave]

.......The vinegar patination technique..........
It's the same basic technique - build up an oxide layer that prevents further oxidation.

Cheers

I was'nt aware that it was. TY. [I'll 'potato' it]

[KRF1963]

After many months I have just spent an hour putting an "edge" on a Wilkinson Sword hand axe as practoce before I have a go at doing the same to my Wetterlings.

It is nice and shiny but there is no sharpness to it at all! I used the diamond files, wet and dry (down to 600 as that is all I have in) and the polishing compound but didn't use a rough file as there was no damage to it.

I guess I was a bit too timid and didn't work each stage enough!

Hey-ho will have to have another go some time soon!

Just an update to say I followed Red's tutorial on my Wetterling and whilst I am sure it could be sharper, it is certainly sharp enough for me!

I now need to repeat the exercise on my old Wiklinson Sword so my son can use it this weekend when we go to Brockwell Woods!

[DFCA]

I just got linked to this tutorial and wanted to add my thanks to Red, what a superb tutorial and follow up advise. I will be using all of the info herein, excellent! :-)
atb
Dave

[ToneWood]

For a carving axe (for bowl/kuksa/spoon making), would you still do a convex grind, or would a straight/Scandi(navian) grind be more appropriate?

[British Red]

That will depend entirely on the nature of the grind on the axe - a side axe is wholly different than a dual beveled axe

[ToneWood]

Good article by the way - thank you. I just adapted it to the tools I have: a 10" mill b@stard file and an 8inch 2nd cut file, assorted inexpensive artificial stones from very coarse to quite fine and, the secret weapon, a little 250 grit Stoneycraft wet sharpening wheel.


I am currently sharpening a small (600g/1.3lb head), cheap hatchet for carving. It was unusually blunt but showed potential, being relatively slim bladed and with an unusually long, curved bit, extending above the top of the axe handle, as well as "flaring out" down below in the usual manner. It's not a side axe but I guess I could make it somewhat asymmetrical. I just got a reasonable edge on it -- probably took 2 hours, so far, over 2.5 days (that's how you grow to appreciate those craftsman sharpened Swedish axes I suppose ). I was aiming for a straight grind, or as close as I could achieve but inevitably it is somewhat convex.

Both hatchets than I sharpened recently get thicker in the middle of the blade - unlike Kent pattern designs, where a flat blade (like a billhook) is, I believe, "welded" to the poll/eye end (I'm trying to use the terminology from your helpful diagram).

[spandit]

I had some good results today by clamping the poll in a vice with the blade horizontal. I then used a leather strop, smeared with Farecla G3 a bit like a wood plane, if that makes sense. We'll find out tomorrow whether it's sharp enough!

[TaigaStyle]

Great thread again, British Red. Thanks.

I haven't had to sharpen my small forest axe yet as it's quite new, but when I do I plan to go the Gränsfors puck route. It seems the original natural sandstone one was quarried in Gotland, Sweden, but I've read that this stone is running out and they've switched to a man-made ceramic one with "comparable properties". Does anyone have any comparisons/comments on the differences of these two stones? Wondering whether I should grab a natural one while stocks are still about.

Hope this is relevant enough to not count as thread-jacking

[MertzMan]

Just like to say a huge thanks for posting this... My axe now has a pretty good edge, after much work and many failed attempts!