3. TUMBLING & SHARPENING

After the grinding, tempering and annealing we tumble the axe head with small ceramic balls to remove any scale left from forging. This tumbling also makes the axe’s surface more rust-resistant. 

After tumbling, the steel’s hardness is tested to be sure it is neither too hard nor too soft. Then, the axe’s edge is tested by striking the corner to ensure that there are no cracks in the steel. This whole process ensures that the forging, hardening and tempering were adequately carried out and that the axe has the quality that has become our trademark. Finally, the axe is sharpened and polished to an extremely keen edge.