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