Axes & Straight Blades
Axe Tour of Norway and Sweden: Part 1
On May 13, 2015 by jaustinIn early April I traveled to Norway and Sweden for a month-long trip to study traditional axe forging. Axes are still used there to hew and join logs for the construction and maintenance of beautiful, traditional houses. Below are a few pictures from my first day in Oslo. Both the weather and the scenery were
Axes & Straight Blades
Viking Hammers Forged Like Axes?
On January 30, 2015 by jaustinLast year I came across a couple of images on the internet which showed tools recovered from the graves of Viking blacksmiths. In both cases there were hammers of a particular, one-sided design which nowadays is associated with blade smithing. When I saw the first picture, which Matt Stagmer posted to Facebook from the book
Axes & Straight Blades . Tools
Experimenting with Axe Socket Forging
On January 11, 2015 by jaustinOne of my longest standing goals as a professional blacksmith has been to forge socketed wood working axes in the traditions of northern European examples. In my opinion these axes are quite possibly the most beautiful tools in the world. The forge welding in these axes is complex and requires a strategy, tool-set and control