After months of research, we found him: Nils Ögren of Ogren Axes in rural Värmland, Sweden—creator of collectors’ axes and winner of Sweden’s “Forged in Fire” equivalent. Contacting him to make patches for a backpack project from an unknown brand seemed audacious, but after we spoke over video chat he agreed to try!
The best part about Nils, in my opinion? His process isn’t fast nor is it easy. Nils works directly with a specific supplier, who mines their ore from the same exact mines that have historical evidence of Viking mining. The same mine and the same ore that the Vikings made their axes from hundreds of years ago. And while Nils may have a few “modern” machines (some around 100 years old), he’s following the same basic methods of the Viking blacksmiths of the time. Fire, metal, sweat, and grit. The hard way. The right way.
Calling these “patches” really doesn’t do them justice. They are legitimate 2”x3” miniature axes with Velcro on the backside. Each one is carefully handmade by Nils Ögren in his small shop, using the same processes he utilizes when making his Viking axes. Once the steel blanks are cut, Nils heats each mini axe to a bright orange and hammers the custom stamp warrior illustration from Chip Baskin into the side. The final stage is grinding down and polishing the axe edge to a mirror finish. Nils shared some great insight, that we shouldn’t actually fully sharpen these edges when they ship for both safety as well as government shipping/import restrictions. So if you’d like, you can sharpen this mini axe to a crazy sharp edge, just like his world-famous axes. But be careful, from experience sharpening my personal mini axe patch, they do get razor sharp.
GR1s GET THE AXE
Due to the labor and time-intensive processes, the only pieces that will include a mini axe patch are the GR1 (21L and 26L) for Drop 2. The other bags in the collection will ship with a subtle debossed matching leather patch with Chip Baskin’s Viking illustration artwork for a stealth aesthetic.
