Axes & Straight Blades
Two New Axes for Australia
On December 18, 2013 by jaustinA Collector in Australia contacted me about purchasing an axe and ended up buying two! He was quite pleased with what he received. In his words: “Hi Jim, The Axeheads arrived today without any delays. They are very high quality and I couldn’t be more pleased with them. They are excellent! The workmanship is truly
Axes & Straight Blades
Forging Viking Style Hammers
On December 11, 2013 by jaustinI’ve been investigating traditional methods for forging hammers over the last few months. When tool steel was an expensive commodity, such as in the Viking era (and even right up to the mid-nineteenth century) hammers were not normally made of a solid billet of this costly material. Rather they had faces and peens of the
Classes . Metallurgy
Making Your Own Shear Steel is Entirely Possible
On December 5, 2013 by totumMaking shear steel from wrought iron is something I’ve been experimenting with for the last year. It’s a unique and fascinating process – and, it is entirely possible to do yourself! A few weekends ago, I taught a class that started with making shear steel, then using it to make a fire steel. In one
Events
Oakland Axe ‘n Sax-in 2013
On October 31, 2013 by totumAs a blacksmith, it’s always a pleasure to travel to a convention and meet smiths from around the world. To be amazed and inspired by other peoples work, to try out new techniques, and sample some tasty homebrew. Isn’t that what life is about? For me it is. So it was a great pleasure to
Axes & Straight Blades
A New Axe and a New Finish
On August 16, 2013 by jaustinI just finished an axe for a student in my Silver Overlay Class. I tried out a rust patina on this one and think that it suits it nicely. As usual the axe is forged in the asymmetric wrap technique from mild steel with a 1075 bit. I hope you like it!