Carving an axe handle. Part 1.

This is few photos when I make a traditional axe handle. I use my old mobile phones camera, so photos is not very good.

I found a suitable shaped birch.

First I made rustic design with an axe.

It's very important that birch have curves naturally.

And then carving and carving...next I put glue at the ends and oil to the surface. So it is allowed to dry indoor...

Continued next issue.

Forging a traditional firesteel

This time I forging a firesteel with camera. It's very difficult to forge and photogaph at the same time...First I forge truly and then steel must heating again and stage the forging situation. Each operation I will do the same double heating.

Old file is very good material for firesteel. It's important that steel have enough carbon. The carbon content of a file is over 1%.

When steel is hot, it can be filed easily. I removed most patterns.

Then forging a tang.

Cutting.

Forging a little loop.

Design of the firesteel is ready, but it doesn't work yet...

Forging my stamp. I have designed new logo.

And then the most important thing: HARDENING. When steel is little more than 800 degrees, it is cooled quickly in water. Top of the firesteel is above the water.

Finally the whole firesteel cooled in oil. Not tempering!

Firesteel is ready and this is three different stones you can use with firesteel when making fire. Left is flint stone, which is the best and most hardest stone. In the middle is finnish quartz, which works well. Right is quartzite, which work also but it is more challenging than flint stone or quartz.

This is piece of chaga and tinder. Both works when making fire.

 My little daughter help me in photography.

I used for kindling dry leaves and grass this time.

Blowing....

and fire.


FOR SALE (when I do leather capsules which can be put on a belt):

-Few sets of firesteel with flint stone, piece of tinder and birchpark reel filled kindling.

-Price 60e+shipping, paypal is alright for me.

If you are interested, please mail: korteniemijuho@gmail.com

Next post you can see photos where I will make a traditional axe handle.

It is cloudberry season in Lapland

Lately most people in Lapland are spent time in cloudberry swamp. Cloudberry gathering is a big part of life in Lapland. When people meet each other, they discuss the cloudberry catch and wondered is the cloudberries ripe or raw.

Today the most of the cloudberries are too ripe but in wooded swamp you can still find good cloudberries.

Lappish cloudberry swamp.

 Northern bilberry is almost ripe. This is edible and healthy berry but I like more the taste of blueberry. Bears eat this berry with a good appetite.

Blueberry is very delicious and healthy berry. This is also bears favorite. Next week blueberries is ripe enough, I think. Although berries looking like ripe, they are not sweet yet.

I found anthill which the bear has dug. Ant eggs are a delicacy for the bear.

Twigs was still green below the pieces of anthill. So it's not long time when bear dug this anthill.

 Childrens are involved in the forest and cloudberry swamp. When the little legs get tired, kid carrier backpack is comfortable to sit.

This cloudberries waiting for cream and sugar.

Fatwood, firemaking, chaga and brain mushroom

Saturday was a warm day in Inari. Good day to spend time in nature. My dog is arctic race, so it like cool weather more.

 Luckily we have a lot of clean lakes in here. Usually water is very good to drink. As well as lakes have very much fish.

Puppy is my brothers karelians bear dog.

 It's nice to swim when weather is too warm.

 Dead pinewood. It's a local fatwood and very good fire making wood.

 There is fatwood everywhere. So I don't carry any wood in my backpack.

 This is my usual way to make fire. I have usually axe with me. You can see a traditional finnish axe in picture. I have fixed up blade of the axe and carved a new birch handle.

 First I make little pieces of fatwood.

 Carving feather sticks. This wood included less tar.

Then setting feather sticks on fire.

Then I add little pieces of fatwood on the feather sticks.

Then bigger pieces of fatwood.

 This polypore is chaga. Very healthy tea element and good tinder.

I  clean birchbark and dry chaga carefully. I have chaga for sale also.

Now is a brain mushroom season. You must be careful with this mushroom because it is extremely dangerous if you don't boil it two times. Boiling time is ten minutes and mushroom must flush with running water both after first and second boiling.

After this kind of process brain mushroom is safe to make food. This mushroom is very delicious.