Traditional German crafts: how to forge an axe

DW (English)

One of the world's oldest crafts is blacksmithing. German blacksmith Felix Baumgardt demonstrates how to forge an axe by hand. #handwerkskunst

Transcript

00:00Felix Braungart is a professionally trained metal worker.

00:05In Lochem, roughly 60 kilometers southeast of Cologne, he runs his own forge.

00:10There are just a few craft businesses like this one left in Germany.

00:14It takes about five minutes for it to heat up, but I have to keep a constant eye on it.

00:21I'll take it out now, have a look at the color.

00:24Once it has the right color, I can start forging.

00:27With hammer and anvil, he works on the front part of the raw material.

00:32The pointed end will become the axe head.

00:34The rod serves as a handle.

00:38Now I have to use the chisel to cut a slit into it, which I will later widen with a mandrel

00:43to create the hole for the axe handle.

00:47It's grueling work, with the heat too.

00:49And yet...

00:50I find it very tangible work.

00:54Metal, usually so tough and rigid when cold, almost becomes like modeling clay when it's

00:58hot.

00:59That's really fascinating.

01:04Because the steel is relatively thin, Felix has to work into the material straight and

01:10centered.

01:11No easy task with his heavy hammer.

01:14The forging process gradually presses the material out to the sides.

01:20After repeatedly reheating and hammering the steel, the handle hole in the axe head is

01:26widened, ready for its handle.

01:35To look at Felix, you might not immediately guess he's a blacksmith.

01:42You don't have to be a bodybuilder to become a blacksmith.

01:48It's mostly about technique.

01:50What you really need is endurance, the ability to keep at it for eight hours a day.

01:55Even with great technique, your arms will get tired.

01:58You have to train for it, but you don't need massive biceps for this job.

02:03Next he works the axe's cutting edge.

02:05First, it goes back into the fire.

02:09I check the color of the material.

02:11This particular steel can be worked at temperatures between about 850 and 1,200 degrees Celsius.

02:17It gives it a bright yellow to yellow-white glow.

02:20It's something you get a feel for over time.

02:22At some point, you just know what color the material needs to be.

02:30At the anvil, he's now stretching and flattening the cutting edge until it's thin enough.

02:41Next it's time to refine the shape of the axe head.

02:49The contours are still rough, but the overall shape is set.

03:02The raw axe head has to be left in the embers overnight, cooling down slowly to relieve

03:07internal stresses in the steel.

03:12The next morning, Felix can refine the contours and finally grind the cutting edge.

03:19As he works, the polished steel begins to shine.

03:22Yet even then, the edge still isn't sharp enough.

03:26It's still got to undergo a special hardening process.

03:29Next, I'll heat treat the axe.

03:32I'll heat up just the cutting edge until it's really hot and then quench it in oil.

03:40Oil cools the steel more evenly and quickly than water.

03:44Water is only used again for the final grinding process.

03:48The friction of grinding produces a fine polishing paste.

03:53Using varying grits, from coarse to fine, Felix sharpens the edge to perfection.

04:00Then he fits the axe's handle.

04:02The handmade handle is made from Robinia wood.

04:06To prevent it splitting, Felix drives it in with a wooden mallet.

04:10A small wedge is slotted into place at the top of the handle, making sure the head stays

04:15firmly in place when the axe is being used.

04:21It already looks pretty good, but we'll only know for sure if it's a truly great axe when

04:25we put it to the test.

04:32Looks like it made the grade.

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