"I live in Jalasjärvi and Ilmajoki is neighboring municipality. An Ilmajoen puukko really is a hattutuppi. I presume, that these hattutuppis were made by professional shoemakers or something and the puukko itself is homemade or a so called maasepän puukko.
That kind of sheath was quite expensive and it is usual that sheath would remain but puukkos vary and were replaced when worn out or broken. An interesting detail is, that the hattutuppis usually don't have a lesta (a form fitting wooden liner) inside. And as you know, the lesta is very typical for Finnish sheaths.
In the old days, hattutuppis were a little bit like any bag, you could throw in any kind of puukko you have. Because of this "hattu", your puukko is secured in, even if the fit isn't even close to perfect.
Usually puukkos in hattuppis are large, larger than an average puukko.
Usual blade length may be 10cm and over and very thick also, really clumsy workhorses. Nothing nice or glamorous as you can see from the Finnish Museum website.
This style of puukko was popular more than 100 years ago. As far as I know Annsi Ruusuvori is the only puukkoseppä who has made the hattutuppipuukko. I think it's a style worth reviving and I'd like to see them being made again.
Thank you once again to my friend Federico Buldrini for his many contributions and to Antti Mäkinen for the photos and information.
In 1927, in an independent Finland, Yrjö Puronvarsi is born, who in his youth, along with his eight brothers, learns the art of forging from his father and uncle. He will be the only one to carry on the job , although there will be a period in which twenty family members will work as smiths at the same time.
Yrjö has three children, two boys and a girl. Neither of the sons was ever interested in the family job , while the daughter, Ulla, in the early '80s, became the mother of Antti Mäkinen. Antti begins his smithing career in 2006.
Yrjö and Antti at the Finnish blacksmith competition at Petäjävesi, Finland.
The smithy is quite small (20 m²) and in the spring will be probably extended or even replaced with a larger one.
Outside are two emery grinders.
and a self made grindstone.
The 70 kg Lokomo anvil has been in use for more than a century and has been used by four generations of smiths.
so as to obtain a piece of steel of 80x25x8 mm.
that is then heated in the forge.
and then finished with a hand held hammer.
so as to obtain a steel bar 10 mm high and 9 mm thick.
and stamped with the maker's mark.
Forging is completed, now starts polishing and heat treatment.
Next is sanding with #120 grit.
The blade is now ready for heat treatment.
Annealing, normalization, heating and oil quenching.
and has the tempering cycle in an electric oven.
and bevels are mirror polished with felt wheel.
The blade, here next to a piece of steel such as the one that generated it, is now complete and ready for use.