Mikhail Artemiev

Mikhail Artemiev

Adapted by Federico Buldrini from a text by Roman Zelenov and Mikail Artemiev

Russian bladesmith Mikhail Artemiev lives and works in Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Republic of Karelia. His grandfather Karel was Karelian with Finnish roots. He’s the first forger in his family, but his now two years old son might follow in his steps. Mikhail is an enthusiastic tourist, doing several polar Ural hiking trips and participating in various open water marathons and practicing winter swimming.

Mikhail attended Petrozavodsk Railway Technical College, where he received his first theoretical metalwork knowledge, then he joined the Railway Depot upon graduation.
In the repair workshop he honed and improved his practical forging skills and it was here that he actually forged his first camp hatchet. For some time this forge was his production base.
In 2006 the city administration commissioned him the design and forging of the gates and fence for the city park.

With the growth of customers, it became possible to establish a private smithy and workshop for wood and leather working at home, near the railway station and in the view of Lake Onega.
Mikhail has now specialized in forging axes, carpentry tools and traditional Finnish knives.

As the owner of a one man company, every stage of production, from forging, to heat treatment, handle shaping and sheath making is personally tackled by Mikhail.
Within twenty years of practice he developed more than fifty different axe models, from the Finnish style to the Old Russian style based on 15th century archaeological findings.

Blacksmithing skills come with experience after thousands of unsuccessful attempts of putting what you have in mind into steel. Character strength, patience and determination all play a huge role for success. It’s necessary to be tuned for every new work, to have constant attention and even the blacksmith’s mood can affect the final result: sometimes Mikhail dances in the forge.

For axe forging Artemiev uses mostly tool steel like 9KHS (150Cr14) and KHVG (O1). The steel billet should be slightly heavier than the final head weight as with each heating the surface burns out and further metal is removed by grinding.

A spheric billet is firstly forged square, then heated to red to punch the eye hole and stretch the neck. Then the head is hammered out, the edge with nose and toe is forged and, depending on the model, the hammer shaped back. The blades are dipped in red hot smelted salt,then quenched in oil. After the heat treatment, the finishing touches are done by grinding. It takes above 250 steps to craft the axe.

Each axe is unique and, since production is mostly done by hand, no more than 16-18 pieces leave the workshop in one working session.
Birch and ash pre-dried and seasoned for 6-8 years are used for handles. Every handle is individually planned for each axe head, roughly shaped by saw, then sanded and fitted with a 2 ton pneumatic press. In the end the wood is soaked in linseed oil.

A great attention to details, ergonomics, design, reliability, durability, convenience, positive emotions and the pleasure that axe owner take from working must be embodied in every product. The axes mustn’t be only functional, but also beautiful: a household tool can be collectible and an ancient symbol of male power and embodiment of military spirit.

Forging has much in common with sculpture and chess playing, but instead of malleable clay, stubborn steel is used, and intellectual game goes along with hard physical work. A blacksmith needs to plan the design in advance, break it down into stages, imagine how dynamic force from the hammer blows will affect the metal, understand the laws of thermodynamics, what happens during heating and cooling and win the constant race against time.

It takes up to 2 months of hard work to develop a new model, starting from forging, practicing forging techniques, optimizing specific processes to start the first forging round, then a certain number of finished products will eventually be discarded by the smith. A constant search for new solutions, improving and testing axe-making technologies and the desire to create motivate the artisan.
To create unique and unparalleled work it needs to be blacksmith, artisan, artist, creator and scientist all at once.

As a final note, Mikhail has the dream to create a private museum of the axe and hand tools next to the workshop, wherein to show his works and leading visits for schools, families and tourists alike.

The ax

The ax, the shiny ax is the attribute of the woodsman. As unavoidable as the key in St.Peter’s hands.

I have worn out many axes, Mustad axes, Finstad axes, Swedish axes, many.

Some served me faithfully for wood fragrant days, others have broken in the hard wood and called curses over the unworthy oath of the smith.

But all the deceitful as well as the faithful axes had their face. Its strict steel profile unlike any other. You see it as soon as you haft your ax,

this own expression that says I’ll meet you many mornings, be in your dreams as a silent reminder.

And when you swing the new ax in the first trying chop, it’s like the muscles are listening.
And if you don’t get to know the axe and become friends with her….

Then it happens, she reminds you of the steel’s bloody tradition.

Hans Børli

Mikhail Artemiev