The shepherd’s axe is a fairly common thing in Eastern Europe and goes by many names… fokos, ciapuga, valaska, and certainly others. It’s for walking in the countryside with a dash of self defense. Wolves? Brigands? Trolls? You decide. They’re very fun.
Today was a good day to check in with the surviving hives and see how everyone made it through Winter. We’ve had an unusual stretch of beautiful weather here in the mountains of Vermont and I wanted to give the hives some time to enjoy it before I went in…
I’m going to be making more jewelry inspired by Ancient things & maybe a dash of Art Nouveau. I like making swords and blades, but sometimes I get very, very sick of sanding steel. I can see why the Japanese just forge that baby and send it to a guy…
That first busy day of Spring is always a joy. This big hive is cleaning house and getting ready to find some nectar. The maples ought to be looking tasty right about now. What a beautiful week of 50’s, 60’s and sunshine. 😊
Today was 44F, which for February in Vermont is quite warm. I was able to peek at some hives I’d previously only been able to listen to. I was also able to clean out the dead bees that fall to the bottom of the hives and can block the bottom…
We’re finally having a normal snow-year here in the Green Mountains of Vermont, and more of a usual blast of cold air. This week, the low temperatures will be down to -8 F, and the bees will have to cluster tight. I gave them all a knock to check in,…
Pro tip for cold climates & mead brewing. Mead likes to ferment at 70-78F. In my experience, cold temps can extend the primary ferment by 3-4 months. When it’s well below zero here in the Green Mountains, I let the wood stove stoke overnight and the house can get down…
So what does a myth-making, metalsmithing, beekeeping kind of guy do with all that honey? That’s right, he brews mead. Join me at http://www.patreon.com/jarthurloose for as little as $3 a month for the full video as well as previews from the Saga of Sigewif, and more. You can help support…
I’ve have had a few inquiries lately, and yes, I am still making the stainless damascus rings. I do, however, expect another very subdued wedding band season as we head into 2021, so I am also working on the Saga of Sigewif and putting more time and energy into multi-media…
So. An experiment in posting via my iPad whilst cooking stainless billets in the forge… LOL. They must be held at high temp for quite some while with little to do but watch, and keep things smooth and even before the Big Squish. Voila! I think this will work. How…