Ore to Axe. The Complete Movie.

This documentary film details the process of smelting iron ore into metal and forging it into an eighteenth century-style axe. Follow blacksmiths with over 100 years’ collective experience as they demonstrate every step in the centuries-old bloomery smelting process. By combining earth, air, and fire, they create that “tool of necessity” used for generations. Oredog Blacksmiths Shelton Browder, Ken Koons, Stephen Mankowski, and Lee Sauder take you on the journey of finding ore, making charcoal, building a furnace, smelting the ore to iron, converting the iron to steel, and finally, forging the axe. If you have ever wondered how the tools so important to our ancestors were made, watch and see skills almost lost to history. To purchase a DVD of this video visit oredogproductions.com/ore-to-...
The processes documented here can be dangerous. The blacksmiths, photographer, and Ore Dog productions are not responsible for injuries or damage sustained when attempting the processes depicted in this video.

[@himself54]

I'm in awe of the process, and the sheer amount of labor involved - kudo's, gentlemen. Your axe and this film are a work of art.

[@Brad-py7sj]

Missed your opportunity for a great dad pun there.

[@conradsutton]

By far the most complete and comprehensive smelting/forging video I've seen to date. Many of the videos I've seen skipped a lot of important steps you gentlemen showed, and their results were predictably far inferior. Watching your seamless teamwork was as fascinating as the processes involved....great job, guys!

[@stephenmankowski3679]

Conrad, thank you. Lee Sauder is the best and an excellent teacher.

[@283518]

exactly, whats the point if steps are missed?

[@nativeflight7079]

I don’t get tired of watching this video. Im on my 5th

[@tomaspabon2484]

I didnt even know ore dogs were a thing. Makes sense as iron oxides definitely have a scent to them. That is insanely cool

[@clatz13]

Superb video. Somehow I found myself following peoples attempts at smelting iron (often failing). I think your video completes my journey. Thank you so much for posting this, just amazing to see the skill, effort and care you all put into your craft.

[@stephenmankowski3679]

Thanks for you very positive feedback! We had fun making it !

[@danielwebb1004]

Haha! Same here. This video is a "finally, someone who actually knows what they're doing" moment going down this rabbit-hole of a historical hobby.

[@mr-x7689]

When I studied Blacksmithing some years ago, making Iron and steel this way was one of the classes. When we did our charcoal, we tightly packed our wood to the point where we almost had to batton the wood in to the container. However our containers where massive. We could stand 3-4 people shoulder to shoulder inside those. Tho our coal where supposed to last over a year, as we used charcoal to light our forges. Doing the same i would estemate you would get 3/4 of the quantety placed inside your barrels. + Dont let the wood get thuroly started, but light it and let the fire get a good grip, then put the lid on, and alternate the openings at the bottom, A good burn will take about 1.5 days depending on the quantity placed in to the container. Slow burn = high yeld. As my teacher said. "A good burn, will make the local fire department thinking about making a visit." (Due to a large amount of slow drifting smoke being released from the barrel/container.)

[@theothergameygamer]

Excellent. Really adds perspective on the cost of this essential and ubiquitous tool 200+ years ago.

[@BlueJeebs]

Back when it was made this way, it lasted well over the creator's lifetime, and for some it was their most valued possession. I've done blacksmithing as a hobby using rail spikes myself, but had no clue how an axe is actually made, very interesting how the traditional axe was not entirely made of steel, but it also makes a lot of sense. Very insightful, thank you for this elaborate guide, not too many of these floating around the interwebs, that's for sure!

[@gabrielasweet7347]

Ore-sniffing dog? Who knew! This is such a lovely video. Thank you.

[@klausgartenstiel4586]

it took many iron tools to make an iron tool. add to that a herculean amount of power, precision, and perspiration, and the result is nothing short of wizardry.

[@roqua]

Hence why the popular and skilled creator of the Primitive Technology channel is having trouble smelting more than iron prills from his furnaces (5-6 attempts documented so far). One man running the blower/bellows and stopping to add charcoal and ore charges invariably leads to an inferior bloom.

[@MyBinaryLife]

Probably would have been a good call to bring a backpack with you to gather 50 pounds of ore in the woods, rather than just bringing a flour sack with you lol

[@highdesertsunset3011]

the amount of sheer labor is incredible - amazing human men in 2022 still possess this knowledge

[@roqua]

Great project documentary. I like to think most of us understand the primordial call of attempting to build essential technology from scratch (hence the broad appeal of the Primitive Technology channel)... but... as your film shows, inserting just a few modern upgrades in the process allows for superior and more predictable results, which end up being a bit more satisfying when coming out the other side. With only a few exceptions, modernizing the air blast variable is what most "build it from scratch like our ancestors would have" enthusiasts end up doing.

[@checkyourself-ish]

48:52 "We have come full circle this has been a journey to understand the ancient means of making iron to reproduce that method and to generate a material that has not been available to western blacksmiths for nearly 200 years" ?!

[@senseipaans]

Awesome documentary. Really enjoyed it.

[@jasonmelius4839]

This is an incredible video! Thank you so much for creating it.

[@stantilton2191]

A fine example of the whole process, complete with the end product. Thank you, well done guys.

[@gregseljestad2793]

Excellent discription! Enjoyed every minute.

[@adammontgomery7980]

I'm usually inclined to try (at least once in my life) the "old way" of doing things. This, not so much! Very cool to see, and I appreciate all the little metal objects a bit more now.

[@283518]

this is excellent

[@seekerofhorrorseekerofmeme6861]

I know it's been one year but I got to say, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen

[@alanbutler7712]

Fantastic and informative documentary! I highly recommend it to all blacksmiths, persons interested in history, metallurgy, or even hard work! Bravo gentleman!

[@miladeskandari7]

Absolutely glued me to the screen. Well done

[@officinaferraria]

Great video! Thanks.

[@pedrocampanholi]

As a mechanical engineer its fascinating to see all the different process and the understanding of the material that the olf ones already have, thanks for the excellent video

[@jasonshaw5656]

This is the best video on KZbin. Thank you for detailing the process step-by-step and making it easy to follow.

[@villageblacksmith9982]

I own the DVD well done! Thank you for your contributions to the CRAFT and documenting the process!

[@jake-rg3fd]

Phenomenal. Well done fellas.

[@gavinedwards3225]

This is so educational. Thank you

[@adamt5986]

I learned a lot from this video. The effort and ancient ingenuity that went into something that seems so trivial nowadays. I have a new respect. I didn’t know Hudson’s Bay Company had an outfit in Vancouver, WA, I should have known.

[@anonymouschatlurker3556]

So much work going on in this vid. I needed a beer just watching it. Great job, guys!

[@sambo170a]

Thank you guys that was amazing work and educational

[@Danny_Boel]

good movie, awesome music too.

[@Jin88866]

Amazing video! Words can't describe how much I enjoyed watching it. It's the most complete iron production process video I've ever seen, actually. I think you guys should wear masks when crushing the roasted ore and ear protection when hammering the iron. Not for safety, but for your health! Thank you so much for sharing this precious knowledge and craftsmanship.

[@cristianpopescu78]

This is so wonderful film...Fantastic! The dog !!😍 I use neodym Magnet which finds rich iron black stones.

[@indicator27]

this looks fun, learning a lot over here. hope to make it my first tool from my forge this summer

[@stephenmankowski3679]

Thank you! It is fun !

[@DrDastardly776]

Great 👍 I love this stuff. And one day i will try this.

[@Noah-jx8qw]

amazing video. Thank you so much for uploading it to KZbin so me and others in the younger generation can watch it. I can see how much work went into making this film

[@GnarledSage]

WOW!! Just WOW!!!! 👍

[@justsomeguy3978]

Incredible

[@brushmasterspaintingfranchise]

you guys are ledgends

[@user-bg5cd3ob6n]

Very interesting video, thank you so much for this experience

[@nel-oneplay1120]

video ini membuat saya ingin sekali mencobanya, di tempat saya banyak sekali batu besi, terimakasih sudah membagi video ini..

[@centurionoomae1543]

Wow. Thank you so much for this film gentlemen, may God bless you.

[@stephenjohnson6841]

What an amazing video! What a truly incredible journey Major kudos to this team! Thanks!

[@timothynaquin8899]

I really enjoyed watching y'all work. I do have a question. When converting the iron bloom into steel, would a crucible have been a better option to produce a higher quality steel?

[@j.f.c]

Impressive from every angle. Which material hasn't been be available to western blacksmiths for 200 years? Iron blooms?

[@danielwebb1004]

I'll guess he means wrought iron which is actually wrought out of a bloom vs. modern processes, but I barely know anything about this subject.

[@JustinFlesher-tt7mn]

Just made my own blast furnace, going to melt down some pre I found next week. Do I need to be concerned about the fire getting TOO hot?

[@milkismurder]

Such a good video, thank you for the excellent explanations to go with the meticulous footage

[@rognavolter]

This was great! Thank you for the high level of explanation!

[@flyingpinguu]

great

[@edparadis1578]

Excellent production! Thank y'all for taking the time for a great video!

[@Bear_Feces]

Great job on the ore, and great video!

[@troychristianson5377]

Well done! Thank you for sharing.

[@nearstudio2589]

Great job

[@glenmatthewwilson]

Great film, thanks for sharing! Inspiring. Can't wait to use the iron I got from you :)

[@MrTinyglutton]

Kudos, awesome video👌

[@tijlaerts]

Nicely done folks. A well made video of an amazing process. Love to see it.

[@Sassenhaim]

Old fired pots contain grog too

[@WesleyScates1997]

Wonderful video fellas. An excellent look at the historical production of iron axes. I've been fascinated with smithing for years and I love the historical stuff that revolves around it. I also have a question about the music in this video. Who are the musicians and where can I find more of their music specifically around the 15min point

[@kristianmorris9738]

What an amazing documentary!

[@stephenmankowski3679]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@miraclefarm1927]

Excellent video! Have some young men we will show it to. Blessings

[@simonphoenix3789]

I don't get the rationale behind the attempt to infuse carbon into the bloom by heating it a second time. When the ore is being smelted into the bloom, wasn't it already in a high carbon environment with all that charcoal surrounding it? what's the difference between that and the second time? I thought carbon would only dissolve into steel when it was in the liquid form?

[@nofunclub]

Subbed

[@varun009]

Get an e-ssist electric trolley. They're really good for outdoor stuff. Essentially an electric, all terrain wheelbarrow.

[@stephenmankowski3679]

Thanks for the tip!

[@jrbuck2844]

What rocks did you use

[@georgecochran4091]

How did you train the dog though?

[@joshschneider9766]

grog is any prefired ceramic material not just furnace lining.

[@Noah-jx8qw]

Again, amazing film. I have a question. Could the axe head be made entirely out of steel with no wrought iron?

[@StealthDonut1]

What an amazing and fascinating video! Quick question: Wouldn't it offer the finished axe head a little bit of protection to hot blue it in oil? Rust is the enemy of every ferrous metal. Just curious!

[@wyattguilliams5325]

Maybe I need to rewatch it But during the reheat process to make it steel, was it the first made bar of iron placed into the pit and then heated with the slag or was this the iron pills potentially in the slag reheated to make a new bar of ore?

[@jacobmarshall5391]

I think the latter

[@alexandrechagasmoreira3780]

👏👍

[@baerlo]

The film seems to be very authentic. Unhappily, although quite used to english clips in general and iron forging in special, I couldn´t understand more than half of the statements, due to strong accent.

[@onanysundrymule3144]

You might like to try using the closed captions option, either in English or in you own language.

[@jason561120]

I have a couple of questions. Do you know approx. How long the total manufacturing time would be from start to finish. Also did they ever just drift the complete eyehole like they do today? Thanks, loved this video.

[@stephenmankowski3679]

Jason, it’s about 3-4 hours from the pre heat of the furnace to the removal of the bloom. The folding and welding plus drifting is the most common method we see from past methods using wrought iron. But slitting and drifting works with good quality iron and certainly mild steel. Steve

[@tijlaerts]

Because of the grain in wrought iron its more likely to split the bar if you slit/punch and drift to shape. If it's high quality wrought it can be done but there is more risk. Doing everything from scratch like this would take at least like 30 hours or so, probably more.

[@GnarledSage]

@ore dog productions I wanted to ask you guys about this primitive channels. I’m thinking they’re mostly fake, but, after watching the process by you, I’m almost sure they are. I want to ask you because you know this subject very well and I’m sure you could give a definite answer. I can’t post links here, but, one of the channels that does a lot of iron and tools from it, is called, primitive skills. I’m not sure that you would even see this comment, but, if you do, I’ll be very grateful and honored to know what you think. Thanks in advance if you take the time.

[@tiresomekarma4054]

What did you use to find the general area for locating iron ore because I'm having a hard time finding info about my state

[@stephenmankowski3679]

The area in this region of Virginia was in the early 19th century a very large iron producing center. There are many blast furnace sites and plenty of abandoned ore mines not far away. Check your state’s geological history and iron making history. Steve

[@tiresomekarma4054]

@@stephenmankowski3679 Thank you for the extra info Steve. Have a blessed day

[@jacobmarshall5391]

​@@stephenmankowski3679Truly?! I live in the Appalachian mountains in VA. Im assuming that that is where this is filmed. So there is a good source of iron here? I was skeptical about trying this out, because I didn't know if there was a viable source of ore here, but my spirits are somewhat lifted. Excellent craftsmanship, and thank you for the abundance of knowledge. Cheers!

[@ajhproductions2347]

Did that dog really sniff out the ore or are you guys just messing with me? And where is this? What state?

[@canadiangemstones7636]

It works. If you want to find gold ore, use a golden retriever.

[@jacobmarshall5391]

​@@canadiangemstones7636😂

[@syedfuadin4861]

It look like tamahagane

[@justinmorgan2126]

As soon as he got out the large steel lump hammer to smash the ore I was disappointed.... was hoping for a more authentic process than a "let's use tools to make tools we already have which are probably better than what I'M making" video...

[@wisdom6721]

Africans do this with less tools… Spiritually at that.

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Please make a video of you smelting iron, would love to see it.

[@PNWHerb]

less than 5 seconds showing the finished axe? thumbs down 👎👎👎

[@danielwebb1004]

I would have liked to see a lot more about that too.