I've had a few knives and an axe for a little over a year now. They've all seen very moderate use, but I'm getting to the point where their edges need some sharpening and general maintenance.
Axe: I have a small forest axe from Gransfors Bruk. I love the quality and the utility of the thing, even if it is a little expensive. I acquired a Gransfors Bruk Ceramic Grinding stone (with a 180 grit and 600 grit side) and a double-sided axe file (also with rough and coarse grit side). I also have a leather strop from an old razor kit. The basic gist, as I understand it, is to: first, reshape the axe bevel with the file as required; secondly, grind the axe bevel and cutting edge (either with a pocket grinding stone or bench grinder); and thirdly, to remove any micro-burs with the leather strop. Not wanting to mess anything up with the expensive Gransfors Axe, I went through this whole process with a beat-up old axe and I think I got the general idea of what I need to do. The old axe, which hadn't seen use or maintenance in several decades, already looks a lot better.
Are there any steps that I am missing?
Is there some sort of test or standard I can use to judge the effectiveness of this process (something like cutting paper or shaving a piece of wood)?
Knife: It's an AUS8A stainless steel drop point knife. The cutting edge is still in decent condition from a visual standpoint, but the cutting ability isn't as good as it used to be. I tried using the ceramic grinding stone and leather strop to do some minor work on the edge, which did slightly improve the cutting ability, but it's still not as good as I want it to be.
Do I need to get some dedicated Japanese whetstones for a knife? It seems like the axe's edge only needs to be so sharp in order to work (it's relying on a lot of kinetic energy after all), whereas the knife does need to be very sharp in order to do the precision cutting and carving that I ask of it.
Is there a different process for sharpening the knife? Any special considerations based on the material of the knife (AUS8A stainless steel)?
I'm hoping to get some advice from the knife and axe connoisseurs on this forum (I know there are a few on here).
Axe: I have a small forest axe from Gransfors Bruk. I love the quality and the utility of the thing, even if it is a little expensive. I acquired a Gransfors Bruk Ceramic Grinding stone (with a 180 grit and 600 grit side) and a double-sided axe file (also with rough and coarse grit side). I also have a leather strop from an old razor kit. The basic gist, as I understand it, is to: first, reshape the axe bevel with the file as required; secondly, grind the axe bevel and cutting edge (either with a pocket grinding stone or bench grinder); and thirdly, to remove any micro-burs with the leather strop. Not wanting to mess anything up with the expensive Gransfors Axe, I went through this whole process with a beat-up old axe and I think I got the general idea of what I need to do. The old axe, which hadn't seen use or maintenance in several decades, already looks a lot better.
Are there any steps that I am missing?
Is there some sort of test or standard I can use to judge the effectiveness of this process (something like cutting paper or shaving a piece of wood)?
Knife: It's an AUS8A stainless steel drop point knife. The cutting edge is still in decent condition from a visual standpoint, but the cutting ability isn't as good as it used to be. I tried using the ceramic grinding stone and leather strop to do some minor work on the edge, which did slightly improve the cutting ability, but it's still not as good as I want it to be.
Do I need to get some dedicated Japanese whetstones for a knife? It seems like the axe's edge only needs to be so sharp in order to work (it's relying on a lot of kinetic energy after all), whereas the knife does need to be very sharp in order to do the precision cutting and carving that I ask of it.
Is there a different process for sharpening the knife? Any special considerations based on the material of the knife (AUS8A stainless steel)?
I'm hoping to get some advice from the knife and axe connoisseurs on this forum (I know there are a few on here).