First things first, it’s called a “head” if you are talking about the entire steel piece that’s fitted to (hung is the proper terminology, by the way) the haft (or handle, if you will). Second, it’s the bit if you are specifically talking about the sharpened part.
Regardless, if you are looking for how to maintain an axe blade, here are some high level notes.
- Don’t leave your axe outside. Leaving your axe outside is not good for either the axe blade (head) or haft. High humidity will cause rust on the axe head and can cause the haft to rot. Worse yet is that direct exposure to UV light in sunlight will cause deterioration of the haft. Bring the axe inside for long term storage.
- Keep the axe sheathed or stick the bit in a chopping block if you can’t sheath it. If your axe has a bit cover or a mask, use this whenever you are not using the axe. Unsheathed axes have a bad habit of “biting” so if you’re setting the axe aside for a moment, be diligent about sheathing. If you don’t have a mask or bit cover, just drive the axe blade (bit) into a chopping block when you aren’t actively using it so that you can keep the bit safely covered.
- Keep the bit sharp. You might not think it, but an axe blade should actually be kept fairly if not very sharp. For axes used for felling, hewing or carving, the bit is typically kept not just sharp, but razor sharp. You can use a stone or a puck to keep your bit in good shape, but for most general purpose touch-ups, you can also use a file to keep your bit in good order.
- Oil the axe blade during periods of prolonged use. Most axe blades (heads) are not made of corrosion-resistant steel alloys. Common steels include 1045 and 1055, as these are very tough steels that resist impact and abuse. Unfortunately, they do not resist rust effectively. When you are putting your axe away for prolonged periods of storage, put a drop of oil on both sides of the bit to help prevent corrosion.
- Do not swing your axe blade into the ground. When you are using your axe for splitting, make sure that you have the round or quarter planted squarely on top of another block. If not, and you allow the bit to contact the ground, you will not only dull the bit much more quickly, you will introduce the steel to moisture and abrasives that are in soil, potentially damaging the axe head.
- Do not use the poll as a hammer. It can be tempting to use the axe poll as a hammer or other striking implement, but if you are not careful with this, you will deform the eye of the axe when you strike using the poll. This damage is irreversible once it occurs. At most, use the axe poll for light work; save the sledgehammer or the maul for the hard driving work.
Here for a New Axe?
If your axe “blade” is rusted or otherwise in bad shape, and you’re here looking for a new one, check out True Swords first. Despite the name, True Swords carries a wide range of axes, hatchets, tomahawks, pole arms, and other similar tools in addition to knives, swords and weapons.
Visit their website. An exploration into their catalog will do it much more justice than you will get here. And, if you have any questions before you buy anything, give them a call and they will be more than happy to assist with anything before you buy.
For more information about Spring Steel Katana and Battle Ready Swords Please visit: True Swords.