Ilmajoen Puukko or Hattutuppipuukko

While writing a post about Annsi Ruusuvori I was introduced to a type of puukko known as a hattutuppipuukko, or “hat sheath puukko”. Annsi had reproduced a pair that is in the Finnish Museum and I thought they were very interesting and unique, unlike anything I’d seen. These puukkos originated in Ilmajoki, and in the Southern Ostrobothnian region of Finland in the mid to late 1800’s. I wanted to know more and asked my friend Saku Honkilahti about them. Here is his reply:

“I live in Jalasjärvi and Ilmajoki is neighboring municipality. An Ilmajoen puukko really is a hattutuppi. I presume, that these hattutuppis were made by professional shoemakers or something and the puukko itself is homemade or a so called maasepän puukko.

That kind of sheath was quite expensive and it is usual that sheath would remain but puukkos vary and were replaced when worn out or broken. An interesting detail is, that the hattutuppis usually don’t have a lesta (a form fitting wooden liner) inside. And as you know, the lesta is very typical for Finnish sheaths.

In the old days, hattutuppis were a little bit like any bag, you could throw in any kind of puukko you have. Because of this “hattu”, your puukko is secured in, even if the fit isn’t even close to perfect.

Usually puukkos in hattuppis are large, larger than an average puukko.
Usual blade length may be 10cm and over and very thick also, really clumsy workhorses. Nothing nice or glamorous as you can see from the Finnish Museum website.

So a hattutuppi is really different animal, compared to a Tommi puukko or similar, which are made by professional puukkoseppäs and fit together perfectly. The hattutuppi is kind of a forgotten piece of Finnish puukko history.”

This style of puukko was popular more than 100 years ago. As far as I know Annsi Ruusuvori is the only puukkoseppä who has made the hattutuppipuukko. I think it’s a style worth reviving and I’d like to see them being made again.

These hattutuppipuukkos all originate from southwestern Finland. All photos are from The Finnish Museum website Suomen Museot Online http://suomenmuseotonline.fi/fi

 

Here are the two by Annsi Ruusuvori that are featured in an previous post:

Yrjö Puronvarsi Blades / YP Taonta

The subject of this post is Puronvarsi blades also known as YP Taonta (YP Forging) under the current smith, Antti Mäkinen. Antti is the grandson of Yrjö Puronvarsi who was the smith for many years. Not only have they established a reputation for excellent, beautiful blades but Antti has a  selection of forged items including puukkos, axes, tools and decorative items. Please take a greater look at his skill at his site, http://yp-taonta.fi/

Thankyou once again to my friend Federico Buldrini for his many contributions and to  Antti Mäkinen for the photos and information.

A Puronvarsi blade from Brisa, http://www.brisa.fi/

The Puronvarsi Story

By Federico Buldrini

What I’m about to tell you is the story of a Finnish family who has devoted many of its members to the art of forging.

In 1809 tsar Alexander I conquest took Finland from Sweden, in the hope of expanding the southern borders of Russia unto the Danube, and for the next fifty years the authorities of the Grand Duchy of Finland will work tirelessly to convince the Russian court of the loyalty of Finland.

Our story takes place in Härmä, a small town 24 km south of Kauhava, the historic “puukko capital” in western Finland.
We are in 1850 and it’s in this year that a man from the Puronvarsi family starts his own business as a blacksmith. The son, Matti, following in the footsteps of the parent, learns and passes the craft on to one of his descendants, Esa Puronvarsi.

In 1927, in an independent Finland, Yrjö Puronvarsi is born, who in his youth, along with his eight brothers, learns the art of forging from his father and uncle. He will be the only one to carry on the job, although there will be a period in which twenty family members will work as smiths at the same time.

Yrjö has three children, two boys and a girl. Neither of the sons was ever interested in the family job, while the daughter, Ulla, in the early ’80s, became the mother of Antti Mäkinen. Antti begins his smithing career in 2006.

We’re almost to the present day. Yrjö, the blacksmith who worked longer in the family, passed down to his nephew his knowledge to create his heir. Today, being 85 years old, he doesn’t forge anymore full-time, but still works six days a week, for the love of it and for exercise.

Yrjö and Antti at the Finnish blacksmith competition at Petäjävesi, Finland.

Some photos of YP Taonta:

The smithy is quite small (20 m²) and in the spring will be probably extended or even replaced with a larger one.

Outside are two emery grinders.

A 40 kg Jupiter air hammer…

and a self made grindstone.

The 70 kg Lokomo anvil has been in use for more than a century and has been used by four generations of smiths.

What follows is a photo essay about the forging of normal sized puukko blade by Antti Mäkinen:

Let’s starts from a bar of 1070; it’s cut

so as to obtain a piece of steel of 80x25x8 mm.

that is then heated in the forge.

The tang is flattened and stretched with the power hammer

and then finished with a hand held hammer.

Then the blade is stretched out

so as to obtain a steel bar 10 mm high and 9 mm thick.

The bevels are roughly forged with the power hammer

and then finished with a hand held hammer.

The blade is finally touched up with the Jupiter air hammer

and stamped with the maker’s mark.

Forging is completed, now starts polishing and heat treatment.

The blade shape is now finished on the emery wheel

and on a grindstone.

Next is sanding with #120 grit.

The blade is now ready for heat treatment.

Annealing, normalization, heating and oil quenching.

Now the blade is sanded to #150 grit

and has the tempering cycle in an electric oven.

After the heat treatment is done the final polishing with steel wire

and #180 grit

and bevels are mirror polished with felt wheel.

The blade, here next to a piece of steel such as the one that generated it, is now complete and ready for use.