Weapon Upkeep

I have acouple of stainless steel throwing axes, and am possible going to get A Tanto. How do I keep the blades sharp and in good condition?

Hi, Liquid Rock!
I would say there are three main ways to sharpen a blade. The easiest is to use one of these simple sharpeners, usually composed of a V-shaped piece (or sometimes two wheels instead)of hardened steel mounted on a handle. They're usually cheap. A few strokes on your blade and it's good as new. The only inconvenient is, you cannot tune the sharpening angle at all since only the angle of the V-shaped stuff is available. The second option is the godd ol' way. That is, to manually rub your blade against a sharpening stone, a diamond-coated rod or any other device similar in its use. Many different models available at a wide range of prices, most of which very cheap, and you can tune your angle; but it takes much more time and skill if you want to do a really good job. The third option is to buy one of these elaborated sharpening kits, which include various types of sharpening surfaces, that you can set on some type of adjustable frame that will allow you to tune your sharpening angle very finely and very easily. The best option in terms of quality of the result, but more expensive than both other solutions.
Now a bit of technical stuff: what's the point in choosing the angle of the edge of your blade carefully? Who cares? Simple: the narrower the angle, the sharper. No rocket science. Uh, sure, but then why not just go for the sharpest? Well, the problem is, the narrower the angle, the quicker it will wear out and the sooner you'll have to sharpen it again. So you can favour a razor-sharp edge which you will have to sharpen regularly (I know some guys who sharpen their blade every single time they use it), or a not-so-sharp one which will retain its cutting ability for a very long time. Or any compromise between these two extremes. I personally prefer the sharpness of my blades to last, even if they're not razor-sharp. What you'll prefer is up to you, maybe you'll want to go for the opposite since flying apples don't wear edges too quickly [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif[/IMG]... Or maybe you'll want to keep the ability to change your mind whenever you want according to your mood or to the job at hand, which will demand a device allowing you to do so.
As for the sharpening tool, choose whatever you prefer. Still, the first option is clearly the most simple to use and fits the vast majority of users...
Hope it helps!
Read you around...