dancho

The recently made axes

Good luck!

Thank you! Yes these small axes are extremely effective on long handles. The sizes you have mentioned are about correct. However the authentic eyes are often smaller and only 1 inch.

In the Carpathian mountains where I live the culture of a combat axe stayed as late as the beginning of 20th century and even still a light axe on long (up to 1 meter) handle is an ethnic symbol.

I would say this one is quite heavy as for the battle axe. Most of them were 300-400 g (at least in our neighbourhood) "Officially" this is mild steel but I do not prefer the classfication since "steel" for me is something that takes hardening and this material definetely doesn't. Everything below is iron -- I stick to the traditional clasiffication

A replica of ancient russian battle axe 13-14 century AD Weight 400 g Main body of iron. The edge is split welded with 1 % carbon steel . The eye is formed by splitting and widening on the drift. Self-wedged handle Pure forging. No grinding was used during the making process.

Some pictures to illustrate what I said above. First is taken in the morning after cutting vegetables for the evenening meal. The temper line is seen well. Second one after sharpening the knife on two water stones set for 5 min or so. A regular procedure. And another demonstration why damascus is meaningless on ancient real forged knife blades with three wedge geometry. At least on the cutting edge.

Very good work! The diversity of axes is amazing. I especially like the one in the right row second from the botom. It seems to have very harmonic proportions. However pattern welded steel on the edge (while the rest of the body left forged surface )is, in my opinion, questionable. This part of axe is constantly sharpened (if the axe is used in real life) and any pattern will disappear after several strokes on grinding stone.

Thank you Beth! You always get the very idea better than me ! Iron clothing... Well said. This is what I like much in that design -- the freedom and integrity of the wood handle being not destroed by wedge and carefully and respectfully and skillfully wrapped by iron. It holds firmly but you can take away the handle and replace for longer one to do other job. This apartdness and togetherness at the same time. Something wise in it, huh?

I work in a teepee. Quite a big one -- 7 metres in diameter. This is the most inspiring smithy I ever worked in. Fits well my approach to stay light and blend with the environment.

Not really. You can do something else at the same time. Just keep adding firewood every 20 minutes or so.

ty Kiev is now the capital of Ukraine. It was the center and beginning of Kiev Rus in 10 AD which also included Moscow and other eastern slavic territories. Later (in 13-14 century due to Monol invasion ) the center moved north- east to Moscow and the entity bacame known as Russia.

I will do some pictures when make another one. The carbonisation process is not something complicated. You sharpen the blade and make a kind of case from tin iron. Then put there crushed charcoal (like powder) mixed with baking soda as catalizer (just a pinch). Then stick the blade into the coal and cover the whole thing with clay . After that put in the fire (just ordinary wood open fire possibly made on your forge) and keep adding fire wood for minimum 6 hours so that your piece constantly glows light red. Switch the blower from time to time to boost the process.

Why bother? Cut some anions or aples and the line reveals itsself. Sharpen it and it will dissapear (you sharpen the whole plane of the blade with this geometry). It is not fancy damascus. They are meant for life Oh yes I do! Live in a wine making country after all. Thanks Thomas!

Thank you! Took me some time (more than 10 years) to get this axe done in a way I seen the origial ones and fell in love with them. I still cannot think of a better axe shape to practice forging skills. You are right about "as forged". Forging has to be as clean as possible to give the proper look. The results depend on the experince and skills and are infinite. However I still think grinding is even worse since it kills the forged object . What I hate most when people try give this rough foged look and actually hammer the surface after grinding or even arc welding. I can see a lot of this imitation now . It is not right. We need to keep the art of forging pure. It deserves it.

No welding . Forged from one piece. Like the original 10 AD ones.

Like that? I like them too but blower make me looking a little bit more up to date. Was blamed for too long as being a "retrograd" and "historical reconstructor". But bellows are magic. They are alive and create rhytm. It is important.

Me too. I think it is definetely the best fuel of any kind especialy if you make your own and know how to do it properly.

My latest design of side blast ceramic forge. I cannot think of any better device for working on char coal so far. Perfect for welding. Less air and coal – ok for small objects like knives. More air and coal good for heating billets 3 kg and 50 mm in diameter. Made on basin base 55 cm in diameter. Material is fire clay mixed with shamot(burned and crushed clay) about 1:1 and then mixed with plenty of small cut hey for reinforcement. After burning away the pores act as insulator while clay is heat accumulator. The blast pipe is 40 mm diameter forged on the end to give conic shape. The fan is from old tractor stove. Consumes 30 Watts at 12 volts (for maximum output). Less for smaller (about 20 Watts). Works from my off-grid electric system (micrhydro and PV panels).

Can say the same about South Africa. Come visit me whenever have chance ! Thanks! The shiny goes away quckly when you start using it turning into pitiful. The real beauty is revelaled by life.

My latest vison of Carpathian knives for everyday life. The blades are pure forged without grinding from 1 percent carbon steel . Then filed and hand polished on a water stone. Then zone hardened in wax and oil while being already sharpened. Length is about 10 cm. Geometry -- ancient three dimensional wedge. The handles are wallnut. The bounds and rivets are of copper. Carvings are made by my wife Yalina and depict authentic ancient Carpathian patterns. The sheaths made of wax impregnated leather and repeat the same carved patterns as on handles

Some of my latest axes. Kiev 10 AD. Weights 800 g and 450 g/ Pure forging. No grinding involved apart from filing the edge a bit which carbonised for 10 hours givivng 1 percent of carbon 4 mm deep. The handles are self wedged (as on my hammers).

. I think it was made for beauty. It is the result of natural metal flow when blade drawn down. It can be erased ed by several blows but they instead choosed to highlight this. For me the ancient russian ax of 10AD is the best proof of how intelegent was the understanding of shape and blacksmith teachniques at that time.

Well, ecology is how things interconnected in Nature and how they interrelate with each other. Both living and non living. about how they affect each other. It is not the things we study in ecology but the connections. We study the world (from the Earth to a drop of water) as totality of systems. And a system is a totality of connections. The right connections reduce the enthropy and make the systems last forever and self-organise or putting simply they sustain LIFE I am interested in how to put these right connections between blacksmithing and the world around. I love blacksmithing. I want it to last forever and fit into Natural Laws and Cycles .

Thank you, Beth! You just mentioned two basic ecological laws. And this my main interest and challenge -- blend blacksmithing and ecology together which I study both.