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Ore to Axe. The Complete Movie.
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- Published on Mar 4, 2026
- 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 oredogproducti...
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.
I didnt even know ore dogs were a thing. Makes sense as iron oxides definitely have a scent to them. That is insanely cool
true
Man’s best friend for sure. We would be so behind in technology without dogs
Dogs can sense cancer, drugs, hypoglycemia, sausage... theyre pretty amazing
@michaelestrada1605 Rubbish. Bacon, roast pork, crackling, ham ... the pig is obviously man's best friend.
@Foreignmonk34 hahah sausage. I love how they can detect anything, but also sausages.
This has to be the best documentary i’ve seen in decades.
Aye !
Documentary was cool. The soundtrack, not so much.
“The Money Masters”
“Under The Sign of The Scorpion” (start at 30min)
No wonder regular people thought blacksmiths were magicians. That was awesome to watch
also cos early smelting of metals had a lot of bad side effects from the heavy metals present along with the target ores. A big reason for the stereotype of a zany blacksmith comes from the arsenic that was present in early copper extraction and bronze smelting.
In Medieval era you'd buy coal from charcoal burners (a stand alone profession since antiquity), and mining and smelting would likely be done by the mine. So blacksmith was only casting the last set of spells from this video.
more than that- they were thought to be people who made deals with the devil and were the only ones who didnt suffer because of it
This is the true secret of the sword in the stone.
Tell no one.
This is reflected in Norse myths
Came here from the Primitive Technology channel
Ye I saw that comment that's why I'm here
same
Lmao same
@larrysal8866 when whole world goes to sh!t I want to know how to make tools
Same
The amount of organisation and labour required to equip an army in centuries gone by, using methods like these, must have been truly epic.
War wolf the trebuchet lead to the stripping of lead from every roof and window in the countryside for the counterweight
Almost none actually. Until maybe 200 years ago the vast majority of armies expected soldiers to arm themselves. At best, officers would be given funds to buy from whatever smiths happened to be local. Equipment barely mattered since most battles were decided by who was better at feeding soldiers and keeping them from deserting.
@S@Sodier402I guess Rome wasn’t a thing
How little you know. Lol.
@Sodier402 doesn't matter who buys the equipment, it still has to be made en mass
Excellent. Really adds perspective on the cost of this essential and ubiquitous tool 200+ years ago.
In the Napoleon era they needed so much charcoal that they clear cut forests and build massive lines of charcoal kilns, acid rain happened too.
@CommonApathy yeah they moved to coke and coal
@CommonApathythey didn't know or care about so-called acid rain. And when man's reign on earth has come to an end. The planet will heal itself and replenish itself. Waiting for the next parasite to appear
These guys are absolutely legit. Imagine doing this so much that you develop a preference for making wooden internal furnace forms.
Man I wish I could disappear into the bush, chop some trees with my mates and our dog who can sniff out iron ore rocks, these blokes are living life
Impressive from every angle. Which material hasn't been be available to western blacksmiths for 200 years? Iron blooms?
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.
You can't commercially buy wrought iron as it's been supplanted by more brittle/less workable cast irons, or by steels.
It's occasionally made for blacksmiths or by hobbyists, but commercial production has died off.
awesome stuff. I hope the algorithm picks up this video. This is amazing
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.
Thanks for you very positive feedback! We had fun making it !
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.
Ore-sniffing dog? Who knew! This is such a lovely video. Thank you.
They should have trained it for precious metals instead!
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
I've been doing research for a novel on how iron and steel is produced for the last couple days and this video by far by far clarified the process more than any other. Thank you!!
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.
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.
@roqua He is also not using pure iron ore, but iron ore from bacteria deposits, which is quite a bit more impure and difficult to use
@RdClZn Yep, bacteria deposits average something like 60% iron, while hematite and magnetite max out at 70% and 73%. It is a factor, but having seen others smelt bacterial deposits into iron before, I think air flow (or oxygen blast) is key.
@roqualast I saw (admittedly a while ago) his setup was getting metallic iron but at too small quantities to do much useful, he had collected a fair amount of beads but the yield was pretty miniscule for the amount of bacterial deposit
@RdClZn That's right. My understanding is that with too slow or intermittent a flow of oxygen, much of the iron is trapped in the slag and only the small beads - or prills - will form. Adding flux can help, and PT has tried that, but there is a reason we call functional iron production facilities "blast furnaces" ... gotta pump in lots of air.
Best documentary so far on the actual making of the iron, right through from smelt, to bloom to forging the iron.
A fine example of the whole process, complete with the end product. Thank you, well done guys.
This is an incredible video! Thank you so much for creating it.
I know it's been one year but I got to say, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen
Absolutely glued me to the screen. Well done
You lads are the real deal for this historical recreation: preventing the old methods from being forgotten. Amazing film.
That dog is so fucking happy, so awesome to see.
Story, video, narration, music, all excellent. Piece of art...
Amazing to see these techniques still being used.
This is a beautiful piece of folk art!
This is a really tight production! Music was great!
15:00 wow. what fantastic music along with a great documentary. cannot thank you enough for sharing this
Great doc and music 😊
Wow! High quality educational video about actually melting ore into iron. Everything explained and done way better than on any survival channel. Thank you!
Wonderful video! Very well produced, too! I'll never take the axe I own for granted again every time i sharpen it.
Class 1st Class👍🏽Thank You for this Ore to Axe documentary film and for sharing this History .. 1st Class Pure Class .
A quality made axe like this would be worth its weight in gold
Great video! Thanks.
So much work going on in this vid. I needed a beer just watching it. Great job, guys!
Every man's dream is to build his own tools from scratch.
Best thing I've watched on the tube in a very long time!!! Some labour to produce an axe and thats with short cuts like not pumping bellows. Amazing video. Many thanks.
This video is a masterpiece
This right here is the real deal. Thank you so much for making these videos. I hope to take part in a smelt in the future
A fascinatingly interesting film. Wish I saw it 30 years ago, sure I would have used it as a tutorial. Thanks for making it available.
Fascinating! LOVED the music track too. Really really nicely done-Thanks!
Magnifique!
A triumph of showcasing centuries of hard work and knowledge, refined into a craft.
Bravo.
It is a marvelous video and a great documentary, Steve's concept to bring forward and document the process is remarkable and deserves a big thanks from the learners and enthusiasts.
Couldn't even think to miss a single second of the video and the narrative.
Thx for sharing.
Best bloomery smelting and forging video I've seen so far. Bravo, gentlemen, very well done.
You explain all of this so well! I learned some of this in Williamsburg, ha.
Great watch. Sat through the whole thing and I learned a lot. Love this type of work - extracting value from nature, creating something new and usable and carrying on traditions and techniques.
I own the DVD well done! Thank you for your contributions to the CRAFT and documenting the process!
Earlier I saw a video on oven making, they used sawdust clumped up with water to make a mound to build the furnace over. And they didn't even burn out the mound, just shoveled it out when it was dry
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.
This is incredible, thank you for making this.
Fantastic and informative documentary! I highly recommend it to all blacksmiths, persons interested in history, metallurgy, or even hard work! Bravo gentleman!
we forgot how much work needed to be completed in order to get 1 tool, and how much that tool ment to those people. We must not forget this knowledge
This is awesome. You gentlemen are salt of the earth. I was totally glued to this process all the way through. WOW😊
This was an absolutely fascinating documentary, thanks to all involved in the making of this piece of art. I enjoyed every second. Well done!
I've seen many versions of this topic, but this video is by far the best one so far, it actually showed every step.
Absolutely loved this vid !!
Respect to you gentlemen 👌
👍🏴
What a fascinating video. From start to finish what an incredible journey. Thanks so much for sharing 🌌🌌🎼🎨👍👍
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.
Missed your opportunity for a great dad pun there.
@Brad-py7sjcut above the rest?
Amazing
Looked for how to cut foam rubber & well here we are.... watching something just as wholesome inspiring & American as Dick Proeneke & Alone in the Wilderness. Right Now the Nation Needs more of this type of Media. It brings people together & makes for Great projects for family & Friends.
Thank You for All the hard work that went into this Fine Production.
Nice to see a striker holding his hammer correctly for a change , so many use one like a sledge on a rock breaking day out
An excellent video. Seeing the guys at work reminds me of my childhood in the ‘70s in North Wales and watching the old man working at a Smithy just down the road from where I lived.
On our way to school there’d always be a group of us children standing just outside the door, seeing sparks flying in the darkness and watching the raw material taking shape.
Good times. 👍👍
Fantastic 10/10 video! Thank you, gentlemen.
An axe in the number one tool, weapon and building block of most civilizations alive today.
WOW! Impressive skills and knowledge! Thank you for sharing.
this was amazing to watch
Those skills must be tought in school - one might need to know one day in the near future ! Nice job !
Wonderful.
Excellent documentary
The yield they got from that smelt is indicative not only of good quality ore, primarily that these fellas knew what they were doing. Absolutely incredible yield.
This knowledge is priceless. Thanks!
Just watched this with my dad, we were hooked from beginning to end. Love everything about this, and appreciate yall sharing it with us!!! Wow!!
Awesome documentary. Really enjoyed it.
These hard working men are keeping alive a very old method of producing Iron. Must be very few men or History Clubs that would go to this length and effort for a Real Time Reproduction of How it was done before the Industrial Age.
PROTECTORS of old technique . Beutiful people. Hai from KERALA, INDIA 👋🌹
Amazing! So interesting and educational! Thank you!!!
Very interesting video, thank you so much for this experience
Deserves far more than the 36k views, great video
Outstanding movie, Gentlemen.
The amount of effort this took for these guys who already had metal tools is insane. It makes me wonder how it is possible that it was done for the first time
rock tools
I'd seen traditional japanese steel making/forging before i'd seen the western - i'd had the presumption that our western culture was somehow more crude and less artful by comparison - it's an enriching thing see here how our ancestors were just as masterful and invested in their art/methods. Gems like this video are what always made yt the best source - somehow it slipped through the algorithm's attempts to feed us slop and push whatever hellish agenda of the day. Incredible film making for short doco, the perfect mix of info and footage and the best cadence in the narration/no-narration for learning/enjoyment. 10/10
Really great documentary. Really enjoyable, not a word wasted. Great camerawork and sound. Nice to see guys working in harmony for a common goal.
I did enjoy this upload. Thank you!
7:47 Also helps if you have some mules to pull the logs to a sawmill.
Absolutely loved this what I would give for a piece of work like that true artist
Thank you for showing us the process. I loved the style it was made in. I cant stand the modern style of programmes. This was made in that classic understated way that is best.
Thank you for that.
From Edinburgh Scotland with respect and sincerity.
this is excellent
This is the best video I have found on RUclips yet. I was just left in awe. Thank you for making this video.
A very interesting video love it like to see more of them so interesting thank you.
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.
Really enjoyed this and I feel like all the questions I had when I found this video were answered :)
Man.. i wanna hang out with these fellows..
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.
This is such a wonderful film...Fantastic!
The dog !!😍
I use neodym Magnet which finds rich iron black stones.
29:44 three hammers, spot on. another example of the great craftmanship of these blacksmiths.
fascinating production
I have greatly enjoyed your video, it is totally awesome. I wish to express my appreciation to all of the people involved in its production. Years ago I saw a similar video but nothing like yours which covered the whole process of seeking the iron ore material down to its smelting. I hope that this skill is passed on for it should never be lost. Thank you again.
I went to a German school when I was 11 years old. We were taught History and I remember we remained a couple of lessons at the chapter which described how the ancient Germans smelted iron in mounds made of earth. I clearly remember the layers of iron ore and charcoal, and the guy with the bellows and the small hole where the melted iron came out, to be immediately channeled in an open mould, for a sword or another utensil - I don't remember this part very clearly.
Excellent video, I love and miss the old ways. Thanks for sharing a part of history.
thank you for sharing. Great informative video ❤❤
This is absolutely the best video on the internet, hands down. Thank you for sharing !!!
Literally making axe from dirt
Great job!
So brilliant, super amazing job
Great video! Really well made