Axes & Straight Blades
Making Viking Age Tool Steel
On December 16, 2016 by jaustinThis year I will be teaching a class on the making and use of a common type of tool steel which was forged into tools and weapons in the Viking era. It is now often called “Shear Steel” to denote its high quality, i.e., suitable for demanding use in the blades of shears. The process
Axes & Straight Blades
My First Go at a Horned Anvil in the Viking Style
On August 19, 2016 by jaustinOver the last couple of weeks I put some of my free time into forging a small, horned anvil with my friend Jonathan. I chose a simple form reminiscent of some of the horned anvils of the Viking era – basically a squarish anvil with a tapered base and a small, flush horn off of
Axes & Straight Blades . Classes . Events
Shop Opening at Wrought Academy on Saturday, September 3rd
On August 12, 2016 by jaustinDate: September 3rd, 2016 (Saturday / 10am – 6pm) Location: Wrought Academy / 2440 Adeline Street / Oakland CA 94607 Free Event / All are Welcome! If you’re curious about the shop and the classes offered at Wrought Academy this is your chance to drop by and see what’s going on! We will be forging
Axes & Straight Blades
Forging Tour: Norway & Sweden
On August 1, 2016 by jaustinThis year in May (2016) I got the opportunity to return to the Hjerleid Craft School in Dovre, Norway to teach a one week class on forging hammers in the Viking tradition. The year before I had taught Viking era axe forging – also at Hjerleid. Benjamin Kjellman-Chabin, the regular instructor of these students during their
Tools
Simple Viking Style Anvils
On March 17, 2016 by jaustinI’ve been trying my hand at larger forge welding projects and decided to make some simple anvils in a style common to the Viking Age. The anvils were presumably mortised into stumps fairly deeply to give them good support for hammer work. The main challenge in anvil forging is to weld a high carbon steel