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Alright, so the Old Wedge is finally completed, and the pictures are all done! History: I wanted to commemorate the importance of hand tools through out history, and especially those which were made with the expressed purpose of breaking harder materials than themselves. In this case I chose to utilize a approx. 300 year old mountain wedge which has most likely been used for everything from splitting granite to securing personnel and equipment in the now closed Silver Mines of Kongsberg city, Norway. I imagine this old wedge lying in the overwhelming depth and darkness of the hollow mountain for hundreds of years, rusting away - awaiting another hand to once more pick it up and put it to use. As such - I have written a poem in Old Norse in honor of this underappreciated tool: Old Norse: langr ek svefn, draumr minn myrkr, biða hondin, gefa mik styrkr. Modern English: long I slept, my dreams dark, awaiting the hand, to give me strength. From the private collection of a generous local - this wedge found it's way into my possession, and by my hands I have given it new life and new purpose. Through fire and oil I have hammered it, tempered it - and crowned it with the purest gold of earth, and most beautiful meteorite iron from between the stars. Unappreciated for several lifetimes of mortal men - finally it is reborn, new and noble! I present to you Fornkili, the Mountain Cleaver! Fornkili stats: Blade length: 13,2 cm Blade width: 2,7 cm Blade thickness: 4mm Hardness at edge: 58HRC Handle length: 12 cm Weight w/o sheath: 225 grams Blade: The blade is forged in a san-mai lamination consisting of a jacket of approx. 300 year old bog-iron; re-purposed from an old chisel found deep inside the now closed Kongsberg Silver Mines. The core consists of 75 layers folded and twisted pattern welded steel - made up from an old sawmill blade from Numedal and modern 15n20 nickel steel. The blade is heavily engraved and inlaid with 24 karat gold in the form of borders around the ricasso, as well as the knife's name "Fornkili" - the "Old Wedge" in Elder Futhark runes. Handle: The handle is composed in a laminate consisting of ergonomically shaped stabilized Poplar wood, set in a frame of deep relief engraved and 24 karat gold inlaid sawblade steel w. vulcanized fiber spacers. The bolster is in 4,5 billion years old meteorite iron - older than our own solar system - inlaid with the knife's surname "Bjargkljufar"; Mountain Cleaver - also in 24 karat gold. Two vulcanized fiber and one copper spacer separates the meteorite iron bolster from the rest of the handle. Sheath: The sheath is sewn in 4 layers of 2mm thick leather, w. a 1,5mm thick hand-cut and engraved brass frame. The frame has a matte front finish with mirror polished bevels on all sides - tightly stitched with Tiger Thread - utilizing saddle maker's stitches. The leather has been hand stamped - and set with a metal plaque carrying my initials "KH" in Elder Futhark runes. This plaque is made from the same bog-iron as the jacket of the san-mai lamination blade - and equally engraved and inlaid with 24 karat gold. A leather strap holds the knife firmly in place in it's sheath. And then there's the pics: And that's it! Now It's off to see if this "Old Wedge" can fetch a pretty penny on the Norwegian market... Chiao! Sincerely, Alveprins.