THE AX PROJECT

LEGEND CRAFTED

All Legends begin with a quest.  This quest is to forge an object of antiquity, an object of legend, an object fit for a king.  As children we are told stories of great heroes, champions who’s names will be spoken for millennia, but what gives this heroes their stature.  Sometime it is courageous acts, or the valor of their convictions, but often it is a powerful object or weapon they wield.  A supernatural gift from mother nature, or a procession of a deity with great power, which only one who loves worthy can wield.  These objects live on in the tales of antiquity, and stories of legend.

Throughout history, axes have served many purposes, they are tools and weapons, they built homes and defended countries, they have also been objects of exquisite design, and craftsmanship.

The ax I will make will be created over the course of a year, one trip of our planet around our sun.  The goal is to enhance the simple ax to elevate its potential.  The work will begin on the winter solstice in Japan.  The raw iron will be drawn from the earth in a sand kiln.  A traditional way ancient people extracted metal from earth to make tools and weapons.  After the earth gives the gift of the raw iron we will forge the the raw material into a steel blank in the traditional way of the wordsmith of Japan.  The blank will be then taken to the lightning field in the USA, where it will remain for 60 days the blank will be struck by lightning to charge the metal with the power of the heavens.  To forge the ax it will need to be quenched in water, a block of ice will be gathered from Mt Kebnekaise in Sweden, and that pure untainted water will be used in its purity to quench the ax in its final forging, on the winter solstice. The ax will be crafted in a traditional sweedish eye design, polished perfected and mounted onto a handle of the finest wood.