@ifumah It is done to maintain a rhythm and momentum. Also helps to keep the same strength of hammer hits. If he stopped after only a couple hits and then restarted again there would be loss of hit strength and momentum.
amazing how the ancient bladesmiths both european and japanese use the same clay mixture/heat quench to harden their swords. Their must be some shared knowledge somewhere.
i am from norway, and the reason why vikings where believed to have "magic" swords were because they hardened there swords in blood, the reason for this is that water would make the sword become colder much faster thus making the sword much harder, which means they would crack much easyer. The blood made them hard but also soft, so the vikings blades broke other swords and were much sharper.
@xXCREEKSTARXx yeah, ive read about it in books here in norway. They used cows blood to harden the steel, instead of water which would make the steel to hard and it would crack when meeting a much softer but still hard edge of a vikings sword. but the biggest problem they had was that the swords wasent as small as people think, they were long and incredibly heavy, so they got the "Barbarian" rumor since they swinged the sword upwards, starting under them and cleaving there enemies.
@kristiancharlesberg "Barbarian" was originally a Greek term for anyone not Greek and thus not civilized because the first groups they met their language made a "barbar" sound to the Greeks. The Romans then adopted it to refer to non-Romans such as Gauls or Germans (Vikings were descendent from apart of this group). The Vikings got the name "Barbarian" because they were considered uncivilized compared to the Romanized German kingdoms that sprung up after the fall of Rome
@switchgear100 i have read alot about them, and a teacher i had in collage was a viking fanatic, and he told me all i know about them, Barbarian might not be the right translation from norwegian, but they were looked upon as barbarians, savages, because of there fighting style. The short swords where acually not as common amongst vikings as people think, they used bough blunt weapons, and axes and alot of longs swords, big' ol heavy hardened iron things with engravings of mythic creatures on.
@kristiancharlesberg Where did you read this? I don't think that is true. I have read a lot on swords, including viking swords, and that is probably bogus. Everything I have read, a good quality viking sword had an iron/steel paternweld core and a hard steel edge. They weren't that heavy, no more then other one handed swords. Other European countries did this as well. There are lots of "the enemy sword is magical" myths out there. I found nothing that supports your statement
@BeakyRed Well it's a bit concerning. The way he wears no Respirator, not Goggles, No hearing protection, and no kevlar gloves when sanding. Doesn't send a very good message. At least he has his apron. :-)
@harumba2 I was just thinking he would have to watch out not hammering/burning his hands, but now that you mention the stuff I can see how it is disturbing
@BeakyRed Yes I love my Kevlar Gloves. I haven't cut myself since I started using them years back. I used to cut myself weekly. The Anvil can get mighty loud too. He'd be coughing up black loogies. I've had to have micro bits of metal removes with a needle from my cornea for not wearing goggles, and then it happened again two weeks later - back to hospital, pick a spot on the wall and stare while the (hot) doctor picked out the fleck of rusty metal from my cornea. It happens for sure.
@harumba2 Our ancestors have been working this stuff without "modern safety equipment" for thousands of years. I can only imagine what it was like working in the 1920's.
Ok, great you made thanks a lot for making me want to make a saxe knife so I can try to be like ppl in my book! So, Im going to practice my knife throwing(not that it needs that, but its fun.) and my archery, and possibly try to make my own custom arrows over the summer!
Use a magnet to find the right temperature, then you can add a little borax to the clay and it will stick much better. Normalization before hardening will prevent wrapping, heat it to hardening temperature and let cool slowly about 3 times.
@cjoemex you do realize that that manouver is done to clean the hammer of exess metal that clings to the hammer when the metal is being struck when its hot.
@SuhojDer Really? I've always done it so I can look at the metal for a second, or to turn a larger piece without disrupting my rhythm... If you get metal stuck to your hammer while you're forging things you should get some better steel.
How can someone learn how to do this sort of stuff? Is there anywhere you can get lessons from a professional or is there somewhere you can take a class on it? How would I learn how to make a sword? (aside from watching youtube)
@stenorizer you should be able to find a blacksmith shop primitive or not in just about any city, i live on vancouver islnad and we have about 5 on the island alone, if you really want to get into it. you should be able to chose heavy metal classes in some areas, and maybe even schools
@stenorizer I strongly recommend you to take a course in blacksmithing before you start attempting swordmaking. Just watching videos will not teach you everything you have to know. Particularly for blacksmihts, if you do things without knowing what you are doing or why some things are made in certain ways your work is going to be 1. unsafe 2, random, 3 you will solve problems the wrong way. 4 you will eventually call yourself a smith without really being one. (THIS is the case in England atm)
@AardwarkOfDoom Don't worry, I just found out that my grandfather is a blacksmith who has made swords and tons of knives. I've known him all my life, but he lives a few hours away so I really didn't get to see him that much. I'm going to stay with them some over the Christmas holiday and learn some of the basics properly.
@deedevil63 Hitting the Anvil and not the actual metal must be done, so the not needed, already cooled down outer regions of the metal dont stay on the hammer.
For the same Reason Smiths have the metalbroom, you´ve seen it in the first part, to keep the metal itsself clean.
If you should have any more Questions about smithing feel free to ask.
@TheTillinger123 You hit the anvil so you you can see the metal without disrupting your rhythm, or so you can turn the steel over, metal doesn't stick to the hammer.
The wire brush is for getting rid of the fire-scale. You get rid of it because if you strike the metal with the scale still there then you get an imprint of the scale on the metal, and it looks like a five year old forged whatever you're making.
@wtfdudenotcool101 You don't deserve an answer, for sarcasm leads nowhere, but since i'm a great guy i'm answering. I shouldn't have posted what i did, it was a mistake. But you should have explained if you know why he did that and not just bitching. Now someone better than you imo explained it and i admit i was wrong. I don't assume people with even 50 years of experience are right by default over my opinion because i actually have a mind of my own. Are we done or do i need more explaining ?
@Alkhoren The way to go about this is to ask why instead of saying things like "he hit the anvil for no reason".
This implies that you actually know there was no reason for him to hit it and lo and behold you get comments like mine. Choose your words more carefully or do a simple google search which could have saved you even more time.
@wtfdudenotcool101 That's probably right though i did not care enough to go google it, i don't picture myself asking "why does the blacksmith hits the anvil and not the blade". I doubt there is many answer as well. nor do i care now btw.
I have been looking into doing this for years but i need to know. being a stay at home dad, How to aquire the tools, like the forge something portable seeing is how my wife is in the air force. any info would be awesome Magnificent videos.
@Breathor Would propane/mapp make a good element for heating the metals ive also heard some people talking about the cons of using coal. so just thinking of a way to throw something together that cold be efficient cheap and well like i said before portable. I dont think burning coal on a military base or in rural neighboorhoods would be a good thing for my families image lol. not to mention MP's.
@DarkSifu Ah i see, well i dont know much about propane forges because i dont use them but yeah they work just as good as any other type of forge, so ive heard
@DarkSifu Propane forges are very easy to build. All I've ever had I built from stuff I had laying around. I've probably never spent over 40 bucks making one...
Forced air burners are the way to go for efficiency and performance. There is tons of info/plans on the web.
why does he keep the hammer bouncing on the anvil? is there a reason?
ifumah 2 weeks ago
@ifumah It is done to maintain a rhythm and momentum. Also helps to keep the same strength of hammer hits. If he stopped after only a couple hits and then restarted again there would be loss of hit strength and momentum.
Kossean 2 weeks ago
amazing how the ancient bladesmiths both european and japanese use the same clay mixture/heat quench to harden their swords. Their must be some shared knowledge somewhere.
TheUnNerved 2 weeks ago
The best part was where he hit the metal with the hammer.
therealgarygnu 1 month ago
note that this process is probably this smiths own customized process. every smith goes about things differently at least in some way.
frozenwalkway 1 month ago
4:25 MAGIC!!!!!
lonrodo 1 month ago 17
i am from norway, and the reason why vikings where believed to have "magic" swords were because they hardened there swords in blood, the reason for this is that water would make the sword become colder much faster thus making the sword much harder, which means they would crack much easyer. The blood made them hard but also soft, so the vikings blades broke other swords and were much sharper.
kristiancharlesberg 1 month ago
@kristiancharlesberg
Are you sure?
xXCREEKSTARXx 1 month ago
@xXCREEKSTARXx yeah, ive read about it in books here in norway. They used cows blood to harden the steel, instead of water which would make the steel to hard and it would crack when meeting a much softer but still hard edge of a vikings sword. but the biggest problem they had was that the swords wasent as small as people think, they were long and incredibly heavy, so they got the "Barbarian" rumor since they swinged the sword upwards, starting under them and cleaving there enemies.
kristiancharlesberg 1 month ago
@kristiancharlesberg
Wow, thank you for the reply :D
xXCREEKSTARXx 1 month ago
@xXCREEKSTARXx Kristian might be right, but I would be skeptical. Read my reply to him.
mojothemigo 3 weeks ago
@kristiancharlesberg "Barbarian" was originally a Greek term for anyone not Greek and thus not civilized because the first groups they met their language made a "barbar" sound to the Greeks. The Romans then adopted it to refer to non-Romans such as Gauls or Germans (Vikings were descendent from apart of this group). The Vikings got the name "Barbarian" because they were considered uncivilized compared to the Romanized German kingdoms that sprung up after the fall of Rome
switchgear100 2 weeks ago
@switchgear100 i have read alot about them, and a teacher i had in collage was a viking fanatic, and he told me all i know about them, Barbarian might not be the right translation from norwegian, but they were looked upon as barbarians, savages, because of there fighting style. The short swords where acually not as common amongst vikings as people think, they used bough blunt weapons, and axes and alot of longs swords, big' ol heavy hardened iron things with engravings of mythic creatures on.
kristiancharlesberg 2 weeks ago
@kristiancharlesberg Where did you read this? I don't think that is true. I have read a lot on swords, including viking swords, and that is probably bogus. Everything I have read, a good quality viking sword had an iron/steel paternweld core and a hard steel edge. They weren't that heavy, no more then other one handed swords. Other European countries did this as well. There are lots of "the enemy sword is magical" myths out there. I found nothing that supports your statement
mojothemigo 3 weeks ago
Yeah this guy really doesn't believe in safety equipment. Nuts.
harumba2 1 month ago
@harumba2 Lol but he's a master blacksmith
BeakyRed 1 month ago
@harumba2 Oh sorry nevermind I took your comment as an insult
BeakyRed 1 month ago
@BeakyRed Well it's a bit concerning. The way he wears no Respirator, not Goggles, No hearing protection, and no kevlar gloves when sanding. Doesn't send a very good message. At least he has his apron. :-)
harumba2 1 month ago
@harumba2 I was just thinking he would have to watch out not hammering/burning his hands, but now that you mention the stuff I can see how it is disturbing
BeakyRed 1 month ago
@BeakyRed Yes I love my Kevlar Gloves. I haven't cut myself since I started using them years back. I used to cut myself weekly. The Anvil can get mighty loud too. He'd be coughing up black loogies. I've had to have micro bits of metal removes with a needle from my cornea for not wearing goggles, and then it happened again two weeks later - back to hospital, pick a spot on the wall and stare while the (hot) doctor picked out the fleck of rusty metal from my cornea. It happens for sure.
harumba2 1 month ago
@harumba2 Our ancestors have been working this stuff without "modern safety equipment" for thousands of years. I can only imagine what it was like working in the 1920's.
Froddofromtheshire 1 month ago
You could really do some damage to yourself on the sanding phase. Obviously this guy is a professional though. Really interesting.
TheGreatTamara 2 months ago
Ok, great you made thanks a lot for making me want to make a saxe knife so I can try to be like ppl in my book! So, Im going to practice my knife throwing(not that it needs that, but its fun.) and my archery, and possibly try to make my own custom arrows over the summer!
microminers 2 months ago
Use a magnet to find the right temperature, then you can add a little borax to the clay and it will stick much better. Normalization before hardening will prevent wrapping, heat it to hardening temperature and let cool slowly about 3 times.
brutolf 2 months ago
@cjoemex you do realize that that manouver is done to clean the hammer of exess metal that clings to the hammer when the metal is being struck when its hot.
SuhojDer 4 months ago
@SuhojDer Really? I've always done it so I can look at the metal for a second, or to turn a larger piece without disrupting my rhythm... If you get metal stuck to your hammer while you're forging things you should get some better steel.
teagm003 4 months ago
you hit the anvil so many times your aim sucks
cjoemex 4 months ago
It's too bad that places like this don't exist in Lousiana. I want to get into this as well.
solarboy48 4 months ago
How can someone learn how to do this sort of stuff? Is there anywhere you can get lessons from a professional or is there somewhere you can take a class on it? How would I learn how to make a sword? (aside from watching youtube)
stenorizer 4 months ago
@stenorizer you should be able to find a blacksmith shop primitive or not in just about any city, i live on vancouver islnad and we have about 5 on the island alone, if you really want to get into it. you should be able to chose heavy metal classes in some areas, and maybe even schools
boomeranthrax 4 months ago
@stenorizer I strongly recommend you to take a course in blacksmithing before you start attempting swordmaking. Just watching videos will not teach you everything you have to know. Particularly for blacksmihts, if you do things without knowing what you are doing or why some things are made in certain ways your work is going to be 1. unsafe 2, random, 3 you will solve problems the wrong way. 4 you will eventually call yourself a smith without really being one. (THIS is the case in England atm)
AardwarkOfDoom 4 months ago
@AardwarkOfDoom Don't worry, I just found out that my grandfather is a blacksmith who has made swords and tons of knives. I've known him all my life, but he lives a few hours away so I really didn't get to see him that much. I'm going to stay with them some over the Christmas holiday and learn some of the basics properly.
stenorizer 4 months ago
@deedevil63 Hitting the Anvil and not the actual metal must be done, so the not needed, already cooled down outer regions of the metal dont stay on the hammer.
For the same Reason Smiths have the metalbroom, you´ve seen it in the first part, to keep the metal itsself clean.
If you should have any more Questions about smithing feel free to ask.
TheTillinger123 5 months ago
@TheTillinger123 You hit the anvil so you you can see the metal without disrupting your rhythm, or so you can turn the steel over, metal doesn't stick to the hammer.
The wire brush is for getting rid of the fire-scale. You get rid of it because if you strike the metal with the scale still there then you get an imprint of the scale on the metal, and it looks like a five year old forged whatever you're making.
teagm003 4 months ago
him tapping the anvil is annoying me alot
xMrjamjam 6 months ago
@xMrjamjam so, you decided to watch a man forge a sword, but listening to a hammer annoys you?
deedevil63 6 months ago 6
@deedevil63 nope, sometimes he hit the anvil for no reasons. not the blade.
Alkhoren 5 months ago
@Alkhoren I'm sure you know better than a craftmans who's spent his entire life learning about metals, blacksmithing and forging.
wtfdudenotcool101 3 months ago
@wtfdudenotcool101 You don't deserve an answer, for sarcasm leads nowhere, but since i'm a great guy i'm answering. I shouldn't have posted what i did, it was a mistake. But you should have explained if you know why he did that and not just bitching. Now someone better than you imo explained it and i admit i was wrong. I don't assume people with even 50 years of experience are right by default over my opinion because i actually have a mind of my own. Are we done or do i need more explaining ?
Alkhoren 3 months ago
@Alkhoren The way to go about this is to ask why instead of saying things like "he hit the anvil for no reason".
This implies that you actually know there was no reason for him to hit it and lo and behold you get comments like mine. Choose your words more carefully or do a simple google search which could have saved you even more time.
wtfdudenotcool101 3 months ago
Comment removed
Alkhoren 2 months ago
@wtfdudenotcool101 That's probably right though i did not care enough to go google it, i don't picture myself asking "why does the blacksmith hits the anvil and not the blade". I doubt there is many answer as well. nor do i care now btw.
Alkhoren 2 months ago
that bucket was amazing because it look like just a small bucket of oil however it was long enought to put the entire sword in
dsdragonspawn 7 months ago
man you use only ash ?what was that mixture ?
yamorido2 9 months ago
compliments for this documentary, it is so interesting!
my english is not good enough to get what kind of clay has been used at minute 3 for the heat-treatment.
could you please tell me what exactly is ?
ProgBoys 10 months ago
I have been looking into doing this for years but i need to know. being a stay at home dad, How to aquire the tools, like the forge something portable seeing is how my wife is in the air force. any info would be awesome Magnificent videos.
DarkSifu 10 months ago
@DarkSifu for a forge i would saw a 55 gallon drum in half lengthwise and put legs / castors on those legs for portability
Breathor 7 months ago
@Breathor Would propane/mapp make a good element for heating the metals ive also heard some people talking about the cons of using coal. so just thinking of a way to throw something together that cold be efficient cheap and well like i said before portable. I dont think burning coal on a military base or in rural neighboorhoods would be a good thing for my families image lol. not to mention MP's.
DarkSifu 6 months ago
@DarkSifu Ah i see, well i dont know much about propane forges because i dont use them but yeah they work just as good as any other type of forge, so ive heard
Breathor 6 months ago
@DarkSifu Propane forges are very easy to build. All I've ever had I built from stuff I had laying around. I've probably never spent over 40 bucks making one...
Forced air burners are the way to go for efficiency and performance. There is tons of info/plans on the web.
ArtistBlade1972 6 months ago
@ArtistBlade1972 Awesome thanks for the help :D
DarkSifu 5 months ago