My dad had a small blacksmith shop in 1983 in rural Montana. His grandfather was a blacksmith in Monroe County Kentucky, in 1820. When I was 10 in 1987 -- dad had my older brother and I stick welding on the front deck, attempting to weld barn nails end to end. I became a welding fabricator and a blacksmith in my 20's. Dad always said, "It's not cheating son, if the old smiths would have had these same tools, you bet they would have used them too." In point of fact, if you read any amount about blacksmithing -- you realize the blacksmiths even then -- embraced and used the tech of the day, like a manual drill press. In the end, a town smith was a bit of a MacGyver, using whatever tools, materials and means to get a job done (like a wagon repair).

I like to tell people that I practice blacksmithing exactly as my ancestors did: using every bit of information and technology available.

I've been a welder for in excess of 40 years. I've seen a lot of technological changes. I've got plasma cutters, high frequency start tig welders, pulsed welders etc. Yet a month ago I bought an anvil, a propane forge, and various blacksmith tools. This exponentially opens up what I can do. Being able to add hardened steel to structural steel parts.

It might be seen as a short cut that bypasses The Craft, traditional blacksmithing like. But it's also a method that makes it possible joint whatever steel you have laying around the shop.
I grew up on a small farm and welding was my fathers main craft. He didn't make anything artisanal you know. But he fixed the plow and created big planting tools to drag behind the tractor out of pipes and oil cans. He got shit done.... Thanks man, I haven't been thinking about those years for, well, years. He pretty worn down now, joint pains and Parkinsons. It's nice to remember the ways he was a craftsman in his own right. I inherited that practical can-do, trust your hands mindset and I'm grateful for that... I'll go give him a call.

I have a good friend and fellow blacksmith that says ''if you get caught up in trying to define who is and isn't a blacksmith because of their skill, the craft will die out.'' he has a simple practice for beginners, a set down, a square taper to a round point with a twist and a scroll on the other end. if you make that, you're a blacksmith. I believe if you make something artistic or functional out of metal with a forge and a hammer, you are a smith. whatever other tools are at your disposal are a bonus. guys in west Africa are still hammering steel into spears with rocks. i believe that level of skill deserves the title of blacksmith.

This is not cheating, just good workmanship......... 👍

I visited a historical blacksmith shop in Mt. Angel, Oregon. There was an ancient arc welder there, as well as some overhead belt actuated machinery. The shop was in operation from 1905-1979. This shop is an example of a blacksmith shop from the old tradition that survived into the era of the new technologies. It is definitely worth a visit if you are in town.

Welding isn’t cheating — it’s just another way to get the job done, especially when you're working solo. The comparison to the farmer and the tractor really puts it in perspective. Not everyone’s chasing perfection; most are just trying to make something that lasts. This video shows how tradition and modern tools can work together, and that’s something worth appreciating.

This is very interesting. Maybe you should make another one and polish all of it to see if the welds are at all visible? Maybe etching would bring the welds out? That would look interesting.

There is nothing wrong with using whatever fabrication method suits the need. As long as the artisan is not saying it was made with traditional techniques but turning around and selling a welded together piece. I would love to win the axe and have set a calendar reminder to check back! Thanks Nils!

I'm glad you did a preheat on the part before welding.

2:50 YT auto subtitles: "hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey"  😀

Long time welder and aspiring smith here. I love the way to put the axe together, and this video does a lot to maybe help makers overcome some perceived gatekeeping in the smithing world. I have long been afraid that if i'm not 100% old school smithing a piece, then I'm not really doing blacksmithing. Your comparison to farmers maybe not caring about tradition if it means a new tool can bring better results. Even within metal working, we see old trip hammers and then power hammers put to use. Gotta work smarter sometimes. And your blending of a new technique with old techniques produced a great looking piece at what I assume took less time than forge welding the whole thing. Nice work!

I’m a woodworker reading Roubo’s With All the Precison Possible from the 18th century.  A master for all time - would he consider today’s methods still woodworking? Yes he would if the outcome was of high quality. This is the evolution of blacksmithing utilizing modern methods to produce a stunning piece. It is every bit authentic black smithing.

I've often thought about fabricating a hatchet in a similar manner to how Japanese Axes are made, with multiple pieces forge welded together. This Video is 1000x cooler than anything I can do atm and a great way to fix the original failed Axe head

You damn Skippy that is still blacksmithing, brother! Thank you sir 🙏

The end product is amazing! If welding makes that happen, then mission accomplished!

this method fits directly in line with what was likely a historic small town blacksmiths primary source of work - repairing broken tools and stuff that was more difficult to replace. electric vs forge welding? meant doing a job faster and eventually less expensively - good for business and good for the consumer.

In my 20s I had a job that included redoing hard facing for railway repair machines. In my breaks I  made a ridiculously large sword by welding together lots of little bits from the scrap bins (with normal rods).  Stupidly ran a bead down the blade edge with a hard facing rod. Couldn't sharpen it until I trimmed the weld off.

The smiths of old would have used any method they had. I see nothing wrong with saving an axe. I would be proud to own it. thank you, Nils!