Finnish/Earlier Scandi axes - Kirves

I got an email this morning from a friend in Finland with a photo of two axe heads he got at a Flea market. The first was a Hultfors Bruk, rust with some dents, but cleaned up well, the second head was a Gransfors Bruk, with most of the paper label still on it. It cost him two Euros a piece or a total of four Euros, so I asked him if he wore a mask when he bought them! John
 
jake pogg said:
Up above,Jay has mentioned Mikhail Artemiev,an appropriate addition to this thread:M.A. is a Karelian maker(a part of NW RF adjoining Finland),and not surprisingly carries on the local,regional traditions in design of tools.
A very gifted(and prolific)maker,he's "translated" the traditional Kirves construction methods(a complex laminate) into a solid mono-steel forging,(using the Russian analog of AISI 52100,high-Cr material for bearings,mostly).
Here's a good general overview of his work,including some landscapes of the area,the environment where these fantastic tools were born,so long ago...http://rusknife.com/topic/8769-михаил-артемьев/
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Instagram channel artaxe674

https://www.instagram.com/artaxe674/
 
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Great that I found this topic. I also got interested in the old axes some time ago. This week I managed to catch few nice ones. The Billnäs 30.4 (or 30.5) and few 61.2s. The 12.2 has factory made new handle. There is a small factory making birch handles in Finland. They still produce a handle that fits into Kemi model head! The Finnish army (SA) used to order this model handles.
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Jani said:
Great that I found this topic. I also got interested in the old axes some time ago. This week I managed to catch few nice ones. The Billnäs 30.4 (or 30.5) and few 61.2s. The 12.2 has factory made new handle. There is a small factory making birch handles in Finland. They still produce a handle that fits into Kemi model head! The Finnish army (SA) used to order this model handles.
36223905_10215912043251844_6182070746408288256_n.jpg
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Jani, Welcome to the forums and great axes! The Kemi's are classic designs - your axes look quite intact for their age. The 61.x's, when well-sharpened, are one of my favorite handtools to use.
I have tried to track down the handles you mentioned but not speaking Finnish has limited my success. I did find a domestic distributor online but they quite politely told me they don't ship to the US. Owning and using this style of axe here often means making one's own handle - part of the fun for sure.

Ernest DuBois said:
Ever since the day I found one of these 12.2s in the ground at the abandoned station in Porvoo they have stirred me deeply.
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Agreed, there is something unique about them. They do have a special voice all their own.
 
The toe is quite worn on that one. Like Americans, it seems Scandinavians also like sticking their axes in the dirt.
 
Ernest DuBois said:
Can you imagine it, that same day at the station shop he
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tried to sell me more of these axes, for a single euro each. I passed, without regrets.:)
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One Euro for an old Billnäs/Kellokoski axe? This is not a conundrum I've had to deal with lol. You can definitely choke up on that kirves.

Square_peg said:
The toe is quite worn on that one. Like Americans, it seems Scandinavians also like sticking their axes in the dirt.
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Axe/Shovel/Hoe/Hammer - same thing = Those rocks aren't going to split themselves :rolleyes:
 
At least one company in Finland is still making replacement handles in several sizes:

kirveenvarsi_suomalainen.gif

SUOMALAISET KIRVEENVARRET
200 – 40 Kirveenvarsi, suom. 40 31×47,5
200 – 50 Kirveenvarsi, suom. 50 31×47,5
200 – 60 Kirveenvarsi, suom. 60 31×47,5
200 – 65 Kirveenvarsi, suom. 65 33×50
200 – 70 Kirveenvarsi, suom. 70 33×50
https://puusorvaamo.eu/kirveenvarret/
 
Square_peg said:
The toe is quite worn on that one. Like Americans, it seems Scandinavians also like sticking their axes in the dirt.
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Yes, and the Finns too;). But seriously now, I see it not so much as an issue of wear but of poor sharpening. Let me lay it out. The toe gets damaged, for whatever reason, whether it's prone to damage/wear or not I don't know but good sharpening will always be done with consistency as an aim equal to a keen edge, so, removing enough from the entire length of the edge to get down even with the low spots, just like planing a wooden surface with your plane. To get at a flat surface the entire surface has to be taken down even with the lowest spot otherwise you get a wavy surface.
 
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