There's a quote by Henry David Thoreau, "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." The story of your grand-dad made me think about that quote... Maybe it wasn't always about hunting the biggest and best deer or elk.
+GradyGames - and a good thought it is. Venison is delicious, but so is the scent of country air, the feel of well-worn wool, and the sound of frosty field-grass crunching under foot in the pre-dawn glow.
Yeah its good to hear about great men, we have forgot as a society about the right of passage, from boy to man, in fact, the feminists society in the west have made boys into wimps, don't take my word for it, look into it yourself, like toxic masculinity and other such nonsense, if you want, I can give you both sides of the issue, YOU THEN MAKE YOUR MIND UP,
Thank You Grady!!! The story made me think of the hundreds of times that my grandfather calmly said "Please stop scaring my fish" after I had thrown a rock or stick into the river...most of the times that I was with him, for 6 hours or so, he didn't catch a thing, and then the next day{without me} he would be gone 2 hours and show back up with a cooler FULL of deliciousness. Clearly I was the Problem, and he was the Patience! Lesson learned!!! That man was Always teaching!
Grady Wray because you're absolutely correct about that,,although getting A Big,,A Bigger,,THE BIGGEST ads to the memory,,which seems that the Bucks/Bulls somehow always gets bigger and the shot was longer and of course Rainier and snowier,,,but the memories too this day always brings a smile to my face even on the worst day!!!! So if a young buck or doe is taking the time to read my comment cherish the days you get to have with your parents because tomorrow is a guarantee for nobody !!@ Still to this day I can remember my hunting days with my father and listening to the football games!!! I watched a old Bruce Lee movie and the scene where Bruce is teaching his student and has his finger pointing towards the sky,,and he asks the student,,,what do you see and the student said your finger!!! Lol lol Bruce then slapped the student on his head and said,,,Dont focus on the finger because you'll miss seeing all of Gods heavenly Gworry!!!! Lol lol
I've never understood the need for a shaving edge on a whacking tool. I sharpen my axes, hatchets, hoes and shovels with a single cut, mill file. They do the job I ask of them. If I want to shave, I use a razor. If I'm doing fine wood working, I might start with an axe, but by the time I need to make shavings, I'm at least using a Draw knife, skorp, or slick. After that, planes and other guided blades make for a fine finish. I thoroughly enjoyed your monologue about your grand dad and hunting. I wish I'd known my own grand dad better, way back when. Thank you for your vids, I may be older than you, but you can still teach me things. K.
+Kris Gasteiger I used to think the same regarding the edge to my tools and I work with them for a living ... The thing I've learned is that if you start with a super sharp edge in my experience it stays sharper for longer. You also tend to give more respect your tools both from a safety point of view and that of longevity. I don't think Cody has ever put a razor edge on a shovel but certainly anything with the chief task of cutting should sport the finest edge you can muster. A little pride goes a long way I guess...
+Matt Allen Thanks, you make some good points. I too take pride in my tools, and sharpness is indeed a good thing for any cutting tool. I stand with sharp enough for the job at hand though.
+Kris Gasteiger I wouldn't make any tool that is meant to come into contact with the ground razor sharp, but axes aren't meant to do that. As you may know a dull tool is a dangerous tool, you require more force to to do the same work and the more force you use the harder it is to control. Also because you don't have to use as much force with a sharp axe you conserve energy. Would you rather cut through a tree or log with 30 strokes or 60? A good sharp axe can almost completely do the same things as a knife. For example, I have the Hunter's Axe from Gransfors Bruk which not only can process wood but also process game so I eliminate the need to have 2nd tool. It can be used to fell small trees, limb trees, split small logs, process kindling, make tinder/wood shavings, process game (a sharp axe makes chopping through bone very easy, for example cutting head off of a larger fish takes one stroke). Having a sharp axe makes all of these things easier even if one may not do all of these things with an axe.
Very grateful to hear the story of hunting w/ your grandfather. What a wonderful example of how to model love, kindness & consideration to the young people in our lives. And what a wonderful testimony of your grandfather's character. I needed to hear that--Thank you.
The lesson here is the value of patience. All good things come in good time. I’m 35 and have been working at it for over a decade. I have come a long way. There’s definitely still room for improvement. It feels so much better and more satisfying to be patient and take my time. People always appreciate someone who is patient. Its becoming a very rewarding part of my life. God bless!!
Thank you for the video and mostly the story about you and your granddad Sir..... Brought tears to my eyes. Family, thats why we do what we do. Keep on keeping on Sir
I am very grateful for your videos. I have recently subscribed to your channel and have watched very many of your uploads. I have learnt so much! Not just about caring for tools and homesteading but I have also been reminded of the kind of person that I want to be for my boys and the world around me. Though we differ in opinion on several things like religion and gun control I definitely see you as one of my most inspiring role models. A very sincere and heartfelt thank you for the time and effort you put into making all of your videos! P.S. I enjoyed hearing about your grandfather.
Your granddad handled that very well. I remember when I was that young; you want to impress your granddad or dad of course, but more than anything you don't want to let them down. I would get so embarrassed and quietly let down in myself if I messed up when helping my granddad or didn't know what to do (sometimes I know now that I couldn't have known how). You laugh now but man if it wasn't your whole little world back then! Nice story anyway, made for a nicely paced video.
Great story about your granddad. As men, sometimes the best thing we can do is say nothing to boys. One time, when I was about 12, my dad let me drive the truck from where we were working on a fence in a field back to the shop to get some supplies. I ended up hitting a gooseneck trailer trying to make a turn. I went back to my dad and was sweating bullets and absolutely freaking out. God Bless the man, he saw how worried I was, and all he did was give me a hug, look at the truck and say, "we'll have to get that fixed, won't we?" I still remember that to this day with my son when something goes wrong.
You are lucky 🍀 to have such a wonderful father. Patience is a virtue. It’s probably the biggest thing I work on for self improvement. I’m 35 and have come a long way. It’s definitely taken some time though.
He essentially patted you on the head and said good boy. He was proud that you came to him and told him about the accident. Seems like he was a very good father, you are very fortunate.
Something about watching Mr. Wranglerstar sharpens that axe as he speaks & tells storie's, is soothing & relaxing, something like Mr Rogers, or Bob Ross painting his "Happy little cloud's" & tree's! Man, You would do great in Hollywood or even radio!!! Glad I found your channel!!!!!!!!!
Most of the time I look for the meat and potatoes of videos, wanting action and less talk, but I really enjoy your videos, conversation with the camera, and the humble approach you take to getting to whatever end goal you have in your videos. Keep up the great videos/tutorials
Absolutely love the personal stories you share when working in your shop. Thank you and keep up the fantastic educational videos, they're a real treat.
Thank you Cody, I was beginning to think I missed a couple videos somewhere. I know you've been very busy. I was anxious to see the continuation in this set of videos. Great story!
Great video and story. I spent much time with my grand father as a kid. Taught me a lot about life, hard work, and having fun. I miss him every day. Thanks
You’ve reminded me of my father. He owned a really nice two sided India stone. His pocket knife was always shave razor sharp! He had a couple of K-bars from his time in the US Navy during WWII. He would sharpen them to shave the pigs we butchered! I have spent more than $500 in water, ceramics, and diamond stones. I would give them all to have that old India stone. God bless you in all your efforts.
Just ran across your channel and subscribed. Very well done. Great instructions! Great craftmanship! Great spirit! Looking forward to watching more. Thanks for mentioning the Sabbath. What a blessing it is! Many folks don't know what they are missing. Keep up the good work and may the Lord richly bless you and your family!
Thank you for the video Mr W great as always, love the stories about your granddad sounds much like my granddad. He never once raised his voice to me, never lost his temper with me, mind he never needed to he was my idol and still is to this day.
i really enjoyed your hunting stories. haha. it reminds me of hunting when i was a little boy with my dad. he was always so patient and nice despite my constant fidgeting and whining. i really do value those memories of me and him out in the woods on my grandparents property. just me and him. or our fishing trips and him untangling my line from every tree on every inch of a bank. lolol.
I think your grandfather would be quite proud of you. My grandfather (Pawpaw) was more of a father to me but I lost him before I was 14. To this day he still plays a huge roll in who I am. I often think about how he would feel about the things I do.
That's a sad thing. But you can be a grandpa-type to a young one some time. To a nephew, young cousin, etc. You can make a difference in a young life and be fulfilled that way. I have, as a super uncle. I found that I don't need to know it all. Much of the time it is just a gentle presence, and a lot of good listening.
I’m 7 years late to this party, but I was just sitting here sharpening my Old Timer pocket knife watching/listening to this. I’ve experienced true peace.
+jay90374 Worsted is a smoothly-spun wool thread, as opposed to woolen, which is fuzzy. Both are wool, which is confusing, but there is actually a difference in the way the fibers are processed. Wool intended for a "woolen" yarn is carded into a fluffy mass, but fibers destined to be worsted-spun are combed to make them lie parallel to each other. If you pinched a woolen yarn, it would be squishier than a worsted yarn. It's like the difference between flannel and a dress shirt.
I really like your story's of growing up and the lessons you learned along the way. I to have similar experiences and hearing yours remind me of the great time I had as a youngster but did not know how much they would influence my future nor the values they have instilled. Again I thank you for sharing
Do you know what makes me sad? It makes me sad when i realise that I have watched every axe video on your channel! Love them! Keep up the amazing work, you´re the best!
Excellent video my friend, I am doing just that, enjoying Sunday with the Wife, kids are grown, But again, great video, love the story to go along with it, I love your granda pa and his style, that is awesome, he got you all fixed up the following year to be warm and quiet, love it, I am laughing so hard thinking about the extremely loud ski pants etc. he was a good man. Love it. Thanks again for the laughs and smiles, keep up the great work and have a blessed week my friend.
I some how ran into your cheap axe video. I'm now here. Hahahaha, my is scratching her head why I bought an axe and sharpening tools. Thank you for opening up my world!
Thank you for the video and story! When I was in the US Marines we had dress uniforms made with gabardine wool. So it is a cloth with history. You can google it but here is one definition "a smooth, durable twill-woven cloth, typically of worsted or cotton."
Looking forward to the last installment, I have a hatched that needs pretty much this full treatment as well (dull as a piece of rebar), and I feared I might need to do something complicated like the re-profiling you showed in the larger axe sharpening videos or some special axe sharpening tools. This I can apparently do with the stones I already own and some elbow grease ... so tnx, really helpful.
My grandfather had my grandmother make me some overpants out of buckskin the 2nd time he took me hunting. Handed 'em to me in the truck and says, "here, Don't tell your mother". I always wondered why I wasn't allowed in the woods without my "magic" hunting pants for years. When you told that hunting story about your grandfather, I almost cried laughing so hard.
Mr. Wranglerstar, you mentioned in one of your videos about the round sharpening stone that had two sides on it, I found one that looks like it here Ib64 4X1 Round India Comb Bench Stone, Sold As 1 Each by Norton Abrasives - St. Gobain on Amazon not sure if the size is right but they do have them, if these was what you were looking for or talking about. Thanks for the great content, keep up the great work . Tom
Gabardine is the tight, steep diagonal twill weave that you typically see on things like trench coats. I don't think it requires a particular fiber type, but probably usually natural cotton or wool.
Watched your video, informative as always and used your techniques on an old Plumb destroyer axe and a cheapie China 2 lb hatchet I keep on the tractor. When done, both had fantastic edges. The steel on the Plumb actually cut my thumb when I got clumsy. I was really surprised how well the hatchet took an edge. But being from China I will be surprised if it holds as long as the Plumb. Thanks!
One thought on the video is when you showed the old video with the factory edge make sure to either mute the video or just show a picture so you can avoid the two audios meshing around the 9 minute mark. Otherwise great work!
I will love to see review on something that perhaps you do not use, a Machete, perhaps not a tool for the type of environment were you live, but here in the tropic is a must have tool.
The Metric System (S.I.) is law in most English speaking countries. But they mix it up a lot, with acres/hectares, yards/meters, miles/kilometers, and so on. Most people in these countries remain in touch with the British system, and their conversation goes back & forth between British & metric measurements. [Liquid measure is a different kettle of fish in this regard.]
i will now show you what a actual comment looks like: Nice video, keep up the good work! (why the hell would anyone care who is first to coment. what is this second grade?)
+Joost Brekelmans Sorry. I had to do it!!! It was THE first time i have ever been able to. wanted to be one of those guys. I agree it was silly and childish,BUT felt good!! Love this channel.
Well, first you have to understand the basic idea behind it. You said it doesn't matter who the first person to comment is, I totally agree with that, it is silly and childish. But there one thing more silly and childish, writing a comment which serves absolutely no purpose what so ever. By the time the person reading that realize that, it is too late as he would have already read most of it. This is one of those comments.
Wrangler, When you use whetstones (the waterstones in specific) dont use oil. Let them soak in water for a good 20 minutes. Also, dont rinse the slurry like stuff off, thats good, and helps it sharpen stuff, as it has the metal particles in it.
I really enjoy your vids. Storytelling while sharpening tools is the "peas and carrots" of mankind's history I think. According to Wikipedia, Thomas Burberry applied the name gabardine to the waterproofed twill fabric he developed in 1879. Now you know; and, so do the rest of us. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.
Well, I have no other use for kerosene or diesel. I think I'll try some WD-40 and see how that works. You talked about the burros in the Grand Canyon. My brother worked for the Dept. of the Interior and invited some folks from Kenya to take a tour with him. Down they went on a burro and one of the Kenyans could go ahead on foot. Sure. He took a water bucket for the burros and went ahead. A little later, those going down met the Kenyan coming up with a bucket of water with a big grin on his face. Growing up at over 7,000 ft. had its advantage.
Just a few things With that strop - I have one myself, and i never seem to put that much strength into mine and I still get my knives shaving sharp. Granted, I've never placed an axe onto a strop before, maybe I should. But for knives and chisels, I use the coarse and medium grit compound (black and white? compound) - not the fine 'jeweler's rouge'. I feel like the jump from 1000/2000 grit to jeweler's rouge seems too large - and in some ways, illogical. - jeweler's rouge if my quick internet search is correct is around 8000 grit. Not to critique your technique - but isn't the angle inconsistency between your stone sharpening and stropping angle bad for your axe? especially with that large rocking motion, seems like too much of the edge comes into contact with the strop and may slightly dulls the edge. But that's just my thought. But that axe is still way sharper than my gransfors has ever been :D
wow, you live closer than i thought. wish i had some land but im stuck in lewiston and cant buy any land or blacksmithing tools like i want to because im 13
I might be wrong, but is it not bad for the edge to roll up when stropping? When I'm stropping I'm careful not to increase the angle of the knife to strop, because I've heard it can completely ruin an edge. Now, I don't sharpen axes often, I only do knives so it might be different.
I'd really like to know where I can get small thin sharpening stones like the ones you used. Where could I find something like that? Also what is the maker of the stones? Like you said in the first part of "How to sharpen your new axe" I'm one of those people operating in a apartment lol. I C-clamped my axe to a table and tried going to town with a big blocky stone... I cut myself good. (I used to much pressure I think, next time I'll borrow my boyfriends gloves :P ) Then I thought "I'm subbed to Wranglerstar... why don't I look this up before I loose a finger..." Behold! there was a video for me and a nice story about your Grandpa too :). Thank you for all your knowledge. I sincerely appreciate every thing you do it motivates me. Cheers
Absolutely! I formerly worked diesel/heavy equipment, never thought about PPE for diesel but now I am extremely allergic to it. It can have a sensitized reaction
Like the story time. Tell more, maybe Ms. W has some or even Jack. Stories from neighbors (You moving in there / 1st impressions, Stories your first impressions of your neighbors and what you think now. ) History of the area & your land ( no specific names needed) Just some Ideas. Thanks. Following since Wranglerbarn.
Great videos! I am trying to find the same sharpening stones (Edgepro) but no success! Can you share with us who makes those stones you are using? Your method of sharpening is the best I have seen and I would like to adopt that method- I just need comparable equipment! Thank you!
I have seen a video of someone using concrete to sharpen if you have nothing else to use.. Would you suggest concrete if someone doesn't have the proper tools to sharpen?
If you cut yourself sharpening a tool with a wood handle, you have to rub some of the blood into the handle, this is not superstition, but a tradition of mine I started early on in my axe restorations.
