KA Heritage Ancient - Late 1700's Scandinavian hand forged Hewing Axe

Ancient - Late 1700's Scandinavian hand forged Hewing Axe - bilyxa - mounted and framed

Hands down the oldest Scandi axe Dave has had the pleasure to work on. Hand-forged in the later part of the 1700s in what is now Finland, this axe would have been an expensive and hugely important tool to own. Located in Sweden from one of Dave's sources, this particular axe was additionally verified and dated by a Finnish axe collecting group shortly after it was stripped and cleaned. 

That process was extensive with this axe as you can imagine. Over 200 years of rust and crust took some time and a lot of hand work to remove. Electrolysis submersion for several days was the start, followed by extensive hand-wire-wheel stripping. Several small cracks were revealed and expertly closed and treated in a manner as to make them imperceptible. Dave's fabrication buddy was enlisted for this one.... a master welder was the only dude getting near this with a mig welder.

The end result is full restoration and museum-worthy! The hand-fabricated haft was expertly crafted in Quebec by Emile Bournival, himself an axe restoration expert and craftsman. The design is traditional Finnish and correct in appearance and fitting to how it would have been done in that period of history. 

Mounted with brass fittings and hanging on a nice piece of dark oak, this Hedvall example looks absolutely stunning in its gold-gilded custom frame! Hung and mounted by Dave, all these art axe installation boards and fittings are uniquely hand fabricated for each individual axe. This ensures that each hangs exactly as it should, and allows Dave to dip back into his woodworking days which is deeply satisfying. A hand-stamped and patina'd brass plaque marks and identifies this axe for future generations to appreciate and understand. Hang an axe on your wall!