What do i need to buy to look after my knife and axe properly?

[o HeX o]

Hi everyone,

Once again I am here for some information on bushcraft.
After my Fallkniven thread got so much love I realised that coming here is an excellent way to find the right sort of information from the people with the most experience.

So to my topic: Sharpening a knife and axe for the dummy

Firstly I just want to point out that I have read into this (a little) and all that really happened was a mass of confusion when I realised how much there was involved. I bought a Mora and I have been given (by a very kind friend) a Gransfors Bruks small forest axe that has never been used.

So after chopping some firewood for my house, felling some trees and carving etc. I decided the axe and knife might need a sharpen, so I pulled out an old (two sided, different grades?) whetstone and soaked it in water. I sharpened the axe only with way I was taught. Now I think the axe is sharp but I am not sure if I have sharpened the whole blade, sharpened it badly? Damaged the axe, put and roll on it...Needless to say I never got as far as the knife and will not touch the axe again until I have the right stuff to look after it properly.

So questions.

1) What do I need to buy to sharpen my axe and my knife properly.
I have looked at these: http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/306-DC3-Diamond-Ceramic-Whetstone/ and http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/807-RWS-Quick-Sharp-Knife-Sharpener/

I also need to get some camellia oil for the blades and linseed oil for the handle on my axe, I think?

I would love it if someone could tell me what I need exactly and point me in the right direction for costs reliable supplier etc.

Once again thanks for your time.

HeX

 

[JonathanD]

I use linseed on the helve and danish oil on the head. You can use camellia oil too, but like Danish oil as it sets hard and sinks into all of the pits and nooks before forming a hard dry layer. You can also use danish on the helve, but needs a very thin layer apllied and wiped off almost immediately to prevent a thick varnished layer forming. Danish won't allow the helve to breathe and absorb moisture as much as linseed though, and breathing is preferable to avoid shrinkage.

 

[FGYT]

as with most men stuff care is simple

polish your head

oil your Shaft

 

[JonathanD]

as with most men stuff care is simple

polish your head

oil your Shaft

 

[Snarf]

as with most men stuff care is simple

polish your head

oil your Shaft

QUALITY DUNC!!!

A whetstone, as long as its level and in good nick, should pretty much be all you need, i have a DC4 for my Mora's and it works a treat, its pretty much about the way you move the knife over the blade its all in the "wrist" and yo need the right "stroke" an you can't beat a bit of stropping on a Mora either.

Hope it helps.

 

[JonathanD]

I like the Gransfors puck. Great for you knives in the field too..

 

[o HeX o]

What about the RWS Quick-Sharp Knife Sharpener, Does that work well? does it make your knife razor sharp?
Also what are ceramics used for before whetsone application or after (Almost like strop?)

I sound like a child with an explosive imagination.. demanding answers! Sorry everyone please bare with me, Thanks for everyones help!

 

[Xunil]

I think you probably already have what you need other than a leather strop and polishing compound.

For years I sharpened everything on a single hard oilstone because it was all I had and my grandfather taught me how to use it properly when I was a kid. If the edge was very badly damaged I would use a remnant piece of grindstone from an old flour mill first, and then the oilstone. I would establish the edge angle and then lift the blade very slightly to finish the edge at the angle I wanted with gentle pressure, and this produced an incredibly sharp edge that could easily pop hair. A few passes over an old leather strop and the edge was seriously scary.

Don't think about what kit you need as much as considering how it should be used, and practice on an old car-boot-fair hatchet and kitchen knife rather than on your main working tools.

Depending on the grades of your current stones you may only need some Solvol Autosol (or similar) polishing compound on an old leather belt for finishing the edge out.

The trouble with sharpening is that it's dead easy to get wrong, much easier than it is to get right.

Use a permanent marker to mark the edges of your sacrificial blades to learn how to keep a constant angle and off you go.

A good friend of mine owns a two sided King Combination 250/1000 grit waterstone and he uses it for every edged tool he owns. The 250 grit is very coarse and great for establishing the bevels, while the 1000 grit brings the edge up very, very sharp on its own. Half a dozen passes on the strop and his edges are very scary.

A lot of folks go for loads of different grades of stone/abrasive but you really don't need to.

Consider your parents or grandparents - normally there would be a single sharpening stone in the shed or possibly a combination medium/fine stone, and anything that needed sharpening was sharpened on it. Knowing how to do it was more important than all the kit in the world...

 

[addo]

I like the Gransfors puck. Great for you knives in the field too..

I'm gutted Ive lost mine, great peice of kit.

DC4 does me most of the time, or a cheap combination whetstone for knives.
Ive a broken off peice of an old medium grit oil stone for the axes now, and finish off on a slack leather belt covered in lashings of stropping paste.
I mount a belt for the knife onto a wooden board.

 

[o HeX o]

Thanks Xunil,

Very helpful, I just was not sure if the stone was a cheap piece of s**t my partners mother picked up, I had feelings of "am i desecrating a lovely tool"

Many thanks

 

[sxmolloy]

A Fallkniven DC4 will take care of the majority of your sharpening needs for both your knife and your axe. Strop on the reverse side of a leather belt. I use and have always used gun oil on my axe head, and linseed oil on my axe handle. I would simply clean your knife with washing up liquid in the washing up bowl and dry properly. You don't need to spend a fortune on keeping your sharp stuff in good working order. Just care for it in the right way.

Have a look at youtube for Ray Mears sharpening his knife in the field using a DC4. Also look in the same place for care of an axe, but remember the DC4 stone will also sharpen your axe too.

 

[o HeX o]

Cheers! That is all I need

 

[luckylee]

as with most men stuff care is simple

polish your head

oil your Shaft

lmao thats a cracker