Rautasulka - Iron Feather (image intensive)

Some images from Rautasulka Blacksmith festival in Sulkava Finland 2009 and 2010. Images (obviously) courtesy of my good friend photographer Vesa Nopanen. Hope you enjoy them.

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka2009/20090822150753-IMG_8007_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka2009/20090822150502-IMG_8001_small.jpg

Yes, Marlon Brando was there
http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka2009/20090822124902-IMG_7484_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka2009/20090822141408-IMG_7885_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka2009/20090822155742-IMG_6084_small.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821180433-IMG_8618_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821183201-IMG_8709_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821190051-IMG_8764_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821202510-IMG_8969_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821202903-IMG_8987_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821212252-IMG_9149_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821214207-IMG_9219_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821220515-IMG_9331_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821221019-IMG_9370_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821222453-IMG_9411_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

Looks like a great time! Thanks for sharing.

Awesome photos...thanks for sharing!

Terrific pictures!

John

Those pics are great. It really makes me excited about the forge I'm building!

THAT looks like an awesome place to go!

Kiitos kuvista!
Thank you so much for those fantastic pics!
Ystävällisin terveisin
Bernard

The Nordmannen ...

scary looking as ever :)

nice pics!

Awesome pictures!
Though, admitedly I'd have a hard time sleeping with that face thing on my wall :p

The Nordmannen ...

scary looking as ever

Not really. We are pretty much domesticated these days, but I am showing you the mean looking ones to uphold an image.

Here are the main organizers of the event. Left, chief organizer Master Smith Jarkko Väisänen and right Blacksmith Sami "the fly" Kärkkäinen... in funny hats... mr. Kärkkäinen looking a bit like Miyamoto Musashi :)

Rautasulka is a relatively small event, but so much fun to visit, especially if you know some of the blacksmiths who are, to put it mildly, an eccentric bunch.



http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821183624-IMG_8734_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg


More pictures



http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822130652-IMG_5927_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822140714-IMG_7834_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822141335-IMG_7879_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822180118-IMG_8267_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822131046-IMG_5931_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822124340-IMG_7468_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822130339-IMG_7609_small.jpg



Bernard,

Eipä kestä kiittää! Tulehan käväisemään ensi kesänä Sulkavalla, niin näytän vähän maisemia.

The face mask is pretty cool, and the steel roses . . . and I notice somebody brought a jackhammer to the party. Interesting; I never would have thought of that.

Some rough-looking characters there, and they have some interesting gear.

Soo... second picture, post #10... What are those? Because my first thought was some primitave and scary body-jewelery...

On second thought, they look like they could be used as a broach to hold on some sort of cape or shawl...

heron,

I once knew a guy who used explosives to make frying pans... believe it or not. He had discovered that you could get "the perfect shape" for a griddlecake pan with certain amount of TNT.

BRad,



http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822192830-IMG_8340_small.jpg
Master Smith Ivar Feldmann from Estonia

Ahhh... thank you for clearing that up for me. That is similar to my second idea...

Soo... second picture, post #10... What are those? Because my first thought was some primitave and scary body-jewelery...

On second thought, they look like they could be used as a broach to hold on some sort of cape or shawl...
Buckles

Frying pans from TNT. I wanna play! We used to do all sorts of things with explosives in the Army but making frying pans Ain't been there, ain't done that!

I love how many relatively young people are involved. I studied blacksmithing a bit in Western North Carolina as an independent study project when I was in high school, and it seemed largely older guys involved.

All of the metalwork shown in these pics is beautiful.

Josh

Those are called Norse Blanket Pins. They are used to hold on as you said, a coat or shawl, or as the name implies, blankets. Buddy and I made some.

the blacksmiths who are, to put it mildly, an eccentric bunchHeh... I thought all Finns were eccentric. :p

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Messerist,

Don't forget to post results here if you decide to try it :)

If memory serves he used a shallow hole in the ground to direct the blast and a circular 6mm steel plate. If you get it right the only thing you have to do is attach handles. Have fun!

joshk-k,

It used to be a thing for older guys, but not anymore. When I was studying to become a carpenter the majority of students were already young women, and in the metal crafts department next door it was about fifty-fifty. There have been many younger women participants at Rautasulka and the vast majority of male participants are in their late twenties or early thirties.

---

Here are more pictures. It would be nice to see material from other blacksmithing events.



http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822141127-IMG_7857_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822125731-IMG_7565_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822135539-IMG_7728_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822141325-IMG_7878_small.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821163825-IMG_8213_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821170101-IMG_8316_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821171236-IMG_8370_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821173309-IMG_8504_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821190217-IMG_8773_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821192149-IMG_8843_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822173557-IMG_8201_small.jpg

http://vesanopanen.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Rautasulka2010/20100821190247-IMG_8777_smallnet.jpg/_smaller.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822173834-IMG_8208_small.jpg

http://www.vesanopanen.net/rautasulka09/20090822175029-IMG_8244_small.jpg

Brilliant!

Safety glasses would be a good idea since those talented skilled folks aren't legion. I'd like to see them stay working as long as possible.

Kiitos! Hyvä loma idea.
Splendid pics, really!
Bernard

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b52/Gussick/mead.jpg

Long live the puukko knife!

Mead?

Leave that (and safety glasses) to swedes, our beloved neighbors. I mean why would anyone want to drink something that has so much water in it...

*raises hand* Mead and cider maker here.
I got a sweet tooth that's unquenchable, that's why.


Amazing photographs. This is how you do a report of an event like this. No unnecessary prose. Just lots of great images for a group upon whom the details are not lost.

Fantastic. I really appreciate that you've shared this with us. :cool:

Don't know about making skillets with explosives, but there used to be a company here in town that made tank ends for underground storage. They used the same technique and TNT and C-4 for the shaping of the ends. Thanks for sharing the pictures and story, very interesting.

I take it that mead isn't a diet drink? :D

Thank you all for your comments!

Actually, I have never even tasted real mead, only non-alcoholic stuff that is typically served during may 1st celebrations.

Bill,

It is. The trick is a strict high carbohydrate no fat diet with maximized use of artificial sweeteners - preferably aspartame. Granted, first you will gain a stone or two, but once you get cancer things really change!

Very nice, thanks for sharing. I'm amazed at the artistry being shown here, and it would be nice to have even one of those shawl pins; do any of these blacksmiths sell on-line?

Not to my knowledge, no. Some of them do have web pages... in Finnish only, with poor pictures and last updated in 2005. I have been working with Vesa Nopanen to change that, actually. It is a slooooowwww process.

Probably the fastest way for you to get one is to order it from a local blacksmith. Ancient items such as this one do not have copyright protection.

If you can get to a Highland Games of any size, there's generally a blacksmith at one of those selling stuff.
There's a guy who self describes as a Tinker who makes it to Grandfather Mtn games. He makes some very cool stuff, including his hand built Tinker/Romani wagon.

Very Nice metal Work!