At Miller and Sons Forge, we strongly believe that safety is critical. Our tools are meant to be used for a wide-range of activities, so it is best to use them safely. Taking care of your blades will help to ensure that they will be around for years to come.
Safety and Blade CareStaying safe and taking good care of your blade is important. Here are some helpful safety and blade-care tips:
- Use your blade for its intended purpose. Misuse is a very common source of blade failure and using blades as a pry-bar, screwdriver, pick, or shovel may cause serious damage. - Do not leave knives or tomahawks in sheaths when in storage. This will quickly cause rust, particularly on a tomahawk or knife that has been made from high-carbon tool steel. - Store your blades in a dry place. - Keep all sharp objects safely stored out of the reach of children. - Keep your blade dry, clean, sharp, and lightly oiled. Always remember that a sharp blade is more safe than a dull blade. - If using a tomahawk to cut wood, be careful. Use safety glasses and other common sense precautions. Learn how to do this correctly before you start. A wrong swing can mean a cut leg or missing fingers (never chop near your fingers!). We suggest looking up the US Forest Service's or the Boy Scouts' methods for ax and knife safety as an overview. - Tomahawk handles can be affected by dry weather, cold air, or humidity. The wood can shrink or swell depending on air quality. Always check a tomahawk handle prior to use to ensure that it is firmly attached. If needed, tap the handle into the eye more firmly using a non-marking, non-metal object such as a piece of wood or rubber mallet. Start with very light taps and increase as needed without harming the tomahawk. - In extremely cold weather, a blade is more likely to break or chip because it may become more brittle . If you need to use a blade in extreme cold weather, safely use some body-heat to warm-up the blade before use by placing it under your coat (while still in the sheath to avoid cutting yourself). You may also use light, slow chops to some wood to start getting the blade warm enough for use. - Beware that trying to cut through hard knots can also cause a blade to chip or crack. - If you have a blade that has been gun blued, the blue may wear off over time. You may wish at some point to re-blue it to improve the look. While not an extremely difficult task, it can be tricky so we recommend practicing on some other metal before putting blue on your blade. If you do choose to blue the blade, we only recommend using Van's Gun Blue. Take all safety precautions and only work in a well-ventilated area. We do not recommend other types of gun blue. Just FYI - we do not have any arrangements or agreements with Van's, we have just found through trial and error over many years that Van's is the best cold gun blue on the market. Others may have different products that they prefer, but Van's is what we recommend. - Pewter inlays can be polished very lightly with 0000 steel wool. Be careful not to damage the wood. - Wood handles can be polished with any number of products. Be careful if your tomahawk handle has brass or pewter inlays, as some products can leave a film over the inlays. A very light use of linseed oil or gun-care products like Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil (just a drop or two) can really bring a handle back to life after serious use. Beeswax can also be a good protector, and various other oils and furniture polish are also safe for wood. - A warning that many of you already know: using blades during hunting-related activities can affect the look of the blade. Blood will often discolor high-carbon steel. Just clean and oil the blade after use, and the discoloration should have no impact other than visually. |
Always use common sense, and if you think something is a bad idea - it probably is. Stay safe when working with any blades. Keep blades in good repair and they will last a very long time. Avoid over-sharpening and misuse.
Rust |
If light rust develops, it may be removed with some oil and a cloth. Sometimes light use of oil and 0000 steel wool will work on medium rust, but this can affect the look of the blade if it has been gun-blued or finely polished. If heavier rust develops, things can get complicated. Removing heavy rust will remove metal from the blade and can be tricky to do well. It is better to perform regular preventative cleaning/oiling in order to keep your blades rust-free. If very heavy rust develops and the above methods do not work, send me an email with photos for advice.
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Sharpening a blade |
Sharpening a blade takes a certain amount of skill that anyone can learn. There are many books and videos on the internet that show how to do it, but some are better than others. There are also many different sharpening tools and stone types that will provide different results. If you are going to practice learning to sharpen, use an old unimportant knife or ax head for practice until you get it right. Never use composite grinding wheels to sharpen a blade and beware of really coarse sharpening stones! Poor sharpening of a blade can cause serious long-term damage and significant loss of metal. Tomahawks and axes often have a convex grind due to the type of work they typically perform, and this grind should be maintained when sharpening. Always consider using a professional when in doubt.
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