Today's story is about the art of making a forged axe.

My video included in the end of the article

First of all I would like to show you several photos of these works of art.

I made a lot of photos in different places and in different weather. I wanted to show how to use and where you can use any axe. By the way, I never knew there's a lot of types of axes. My first pictures are illustrating tourist axe. It's not heavy but sharp and comfortable to use. Tourists are fighting for every gram of weight. Heavy ax will not be convenient. Too light will not allow you to easily cut a tree. There must be a balance.

But there are other types of axes. For a carpenter, for chopping firewood, for a logger, for a hunter, for a butcher, for a collector of beautiful things.

In today's #mypictureday story I want to show you how a master creates real axe.

To make this seria of photos I spend whole day. It was very cold in the forge. If you work with hammer or with somwthing else you are ok. But if you are just wait for the good short with your camera you can freeze fast. When I finished this work I didn't feel my legs. I was very cold.

Process of creation in photos

First of all we need good steel. It's steel bars for the production of ball bearings.

These bars are cut into blanks. The blanks are heated in the oven and then fall under the forging hammer.

During the preparation of the workpiece there is a constant control.

Then the most complex forging operation begins. You need to make a hole in the workpiece. Sew the axe blank.

The workpiece is already becoming like a future axe.

It is necessary to put a brand on the axe.

And to temper the blade.

It remains to grind the forged metal.

The next stage of manufacturing is the handle.

The right tree is very important. In our case, this is ash. It is important to use the devere of a certain humidity.

And of course, you need a cover.

In the end of the story we have thr new axe.

All these photos were made with my Canon 5D mk II. Even this video.