knife blacksmithing part 1 and 2

[TheProPilot100]

so is that just charcol you put in there

[aa583857]

cool it's like a song

[surfingorange100]

its like a beat

[albadubh]

Your eyes, hoss. I see everyone's point about eye protection, but it's your decision. I mean, if I want to ride a motorcycle without helmet, I'm more apt to get my head bashed in, but the only person I'm going to hurt is me. So, if you don't want to wear eye protection, go for it. You're not going to blind anyone else. Now, if someone else is watching, you might ant to get them to wear some, but I'm with you, eye protection is a personal choice.

[danthman114]

how much would it cost to get started in forging blades?

[varmdal]

@danthman114

It can be done pretty cheap actually,. you can find lots of recepies on how to make a homemade forge with simple stuff like a vaccum machine which also blows and a fire.  and just find a piece of H or I steel to use as anvil. try your local scrapyard :)

[corrosivetrip]

@danthman114 its gonna cost a whole lotta time and a fairly big chunk of coin if you're plannin on doin it for a livin. fuckin around in ur garage or what not, yea u can do it cheap and make all kinds of junk for ur friends to look at. to do it for a living requires more creativy, hard work, and fortitude than most ppl have

[corrosivetrip]

Including the waves of ppl plinkin and grindin the same 5 or 10 designs out in their garage, sellin the garbage to their friends or gullible ppl through youtube videos, and throwin a "customknives" tag in front of their initials. none of these youtube "customknives" clones are even gonna make a living out of it, unless they drastically step their game up. sry ive just come across so many of em its retarded.

[varmdal]

@corrosivetrip

hahaha couldnt agree more xD

well i just kinda did this for my own sake and for fun :P

and no i would never in a million year sell any of my crap knives. Im not anywhere near that good. i guess i just wanted to show some people that if you wanted to try and blacksmith.. its very much possible and it can be done with very simple tools. i was just so lucky to get an anvil from my uncle ^^

[corrosivetrip]

@varmdal youre a good man varmdal! actually i gotta lil somethin you just might be interested in. ill throw ya a PM in the next day or two. none of that rant was directed at you, of course, but you know exactly what im talkin about anyway. /shudder

[TheFr1ch]

You need eye protection sir

[CodyOebel]

Very nice work friend. I myself just finished a hand made 5160 steel big texas bowie. I made it for my brother in law as a Xmas gift.  Dont mean to be trolling, but take a look at my channel as well, and click on FinalVideo. I burned that video on a DVD to go with the knife for authenticity. I also got it razor sharp, hacked a 2x4 in half 3 times, and shaved my leg to show it holds an edge. A must for any knife smith to put his blade through!

[blacksmither1]

i like the improvised flatter.im gonna have to try and get something like that.keep on forging.

[cowsrcool7658]

im likin that forge 

[elsocioyepeto]

pura cara de tonto

[stampmanstuart1]

YOU NEED A COWL

[biohazarduss]

its called bladesmithing not "knife blacksmithing"

[Oliebol1123]

WOW i want that glove fireproof OMG

[varmdal]

@TheWaggaBloke

Why would i do that?..mate

[cr1tterp0wer]

@varmdal bahahaha

[Gothmic5]

@TheWaggaBloke he taps on the anvil to keep slag from building up on the hamer... mate

[BluesAndCigars]

@TheWaggaBloke

the "tapping is a good habit as it allows your hand to unclench and relax in between strikes giving longevity

to the blacksmith.

It is also a good habit if you are not rushed because it allows you to think about the product.

[snozmom4]

I enjoyed how much of the "work" you actually showed however a small commentary of what you are doing would be great....I am a homeschooling mother and you might be suprised at how many of us home-educators look for videos like this to help teach Colonial life in America....Westward Expansion and how early American Settlers from other countries came and brought their trades to our country. Love to hear how you learned your trade and such. Thanks for posting.

[varmdal]

@snozmom4

hey, thanks for the comment, always nice to hear from someone whos mature and doesnt Yap about small details :)

well i learned my trade from a guy i met who had been blacksmithing for 10 years. and i spend a lot of evenings at his place where he tought me the basics. and ive read a lot of books. and as always looked up stuff on the internet :)

[varmdal]

@firelord3377

what the fuck is wrong with you dude? i never said i was a blacksmith master. and im not american. i know im a bad blacksmith i dont need you to tell me.  But why just post this kind of crap?

[Maxified666]

@firelord3377 You know... I thought Germans were pretty smart people... but you prove me wrong.

[Maxified666]

@firelord3377 You make a better forging video than this guy before you talk shit about other people's videos. If you didn't like it there's always the exit button.

[boredism07]

very true... unless of of course you have an outdoor smithy. it's nice not having to worry about it, but i have to watch the weather.

[notbysam]

I made my first knife out of 4 paperclips , and a two day old mcdonalds milkshake

[Cunhamatatta]

That's pretty cool. I'm twelve and getting into blacksmithing, and am planning to make some knives in the future.

[3981784]

nice i've been wanting to learn how to do this for a while now i'm 13

[IBG67]

Hey man, that was awesome. Ive been interested in blacksmithing lately and would like to know how to get into it some. Im only 15 and will need to know quite a bit of info.

[DirkLeDaring]

nice anvil

[boredism07]

hope you've got good ventilation if your burning coal. the sulfur in the coal turns into sulfuric acid when it hits your lungs...

[DaedricLavaWhiskey]

that makes absolutely no sense at all

[GamingWorldHD]

do you think you could be able to make a samurai sword?

[cava002]

Umm, I'ts not only the ability, making a katana is a big process, first you need a forge enough hot to make the steel really really hot, another thing is that you'll need a machine or a team to make one, because it is really dificult almost impossible making it alone, cause when you make it slowly, each time you get the metal red hot, you give stress to it and at last it is a bad steel piece that can get broken in any time, I'm not trying to say that he can't make it, but is something difficult

[lolley1100]

you can still heat tempur it tho...

[varmdal]

No sadly :P but ive made a few junk-yark swords.. useing a grinder and steel and a hammer for bending it into a sabre... ive never uploaded thoes videos.. dont think anyone whould want to watch them :P

[firestar9999]

gloves m8 :P

[captaincake5]

awesome video. i love the set up u have. i wish i had the kind of anvil and forge u have. good job.

[jtphantom]

you shouldnt add coal when the piece is in the fire, it will get the soot on it and take longer to reach forging temps

[varmdal]

around 110 kg

[varmdal]

around 110 kg :)

[dawolfdawg]

what is the purpose of hammering then tappin the anvil?

[varmdal]

keep a rythm and to relieve the hammer of stress, i was told by my master :)

[edeltrautschweinheb]

Cool video, I started about a year ago. Have you ever noticed how much iron there is in an old car that works great for blacksmithing? The springs are nice but a pain in the ass to get straight. :)

[varmdal]

hehe yea i have a few springs my self, but until i run out of old steel plows, ill use thoes ;) they are good quality steel

[Dmajorproductions]

awesome knife

what metal u use? sheet? strip?

awesome vid

keep it up mate

[uChakide]

A question, why do you tap the anvil in between strikes? Is it to cool the hammer or just blacksmith habit? Just curious.

[varmdal]

mostly it's to keep a rythem.. but its also to get the tension out of the hammer.

[varmdal]

@uChakide its from keep stress from building up in the hammer

[websterzdesign]

@varmdal Ummm...who told you that? Whoever it was they are full of cr@p.

[AZNYe]

and where do u get a fire proof glove

[varmdal]

hehe i wish i had fire proof gloves :P but infact its just a matter of timing how long you can hold your hand over the fire and having a good thick leather glove ^^

[Zhen011]

i see

[AZNYe]

is it fine if i use a 4lb sledge hammer

[varmdal]

hmm it depends on how strong your arm is ;)  the hammer i use most of the time is around 2 lb i think its easier to strike a lot of light and precise blows than a few hard unprecise blows :P but thats just me ^^

[Zhen011]

thx im only twelve lol

[iacomastro]

You are far better then me in blacksmithing, but...

WRAP A CHAIN AROUND YOUR ANVIL!!!!!!!!!!

[varmdal]

ive solved that problem now :P but... aint the high sounds a part of the blacksmithing experience ^^ witin the next month there will .. *cough* be some new videos.. :)

[iacomastro]

Ahahahah... have a good work!!!

[Burnth666Priest]

put water with ur coal...

[wasd0ne]

what kind of cole can u use? grill cole or sumthing??? where can u get it?

[varmdal]

i use blacksmithing coal. Just try typing it in on your browser and see if you find any :) if you have a local blaksmith or someone nearby at least, they'll know how and where to get it ^^

[bazzwkd]

i am on a fabrication and welding course that ends in 2 weeks and i am going to fail;( anyhow what qualifications do i need to be a blacksmith ? something i always wanted to try it looks like it takes alot of skill and practise

dose anyone have any idea why steel isnt magnetic when it reachers a certain tepriture ? :/

[WCBlacksmiths]

Nice work, looks like you are set up nice, only one thing I would plead with you about, please wear glasses. You wouldn't believe how many young kids watch this stuff. We need to be good examples to them. You only have 2 eyes and in a split second one or both can be gone.

Otherwise, Great video, Keep up the good work.

[varmdal]

@WCBlacksmiths

Yea. i can only say that ive improved the whole safety situation alot since this old video ^^

[stampmanstuart1]

@varmdal YOU NEED TO VENT YOUR SMOKE, SIR

[HEAT747]

make some gold youll be rich!

[jamesx6x]

You don't really MAKE gold. It's kinda impossible. You need ore to smelt it, and all the mines for that are taken, so you'd need to pay.

[morgan191]

you know you could put some briks or something at the sides if you wanted to stop the coal spreading about, or use a bowl fire ( is it called a forge i'm not sure)

[varmdal]

i quess if you were to make a living from it.. then yes. i KNow a guy who lives from doing it, he survives.. but he aint rich ;)

[fluffy1696]

how long have you been doing this? im currently picking this up as a hobby along side carpentry, there both a lot of fun :)

[varmdal]

well.. First time i picked up the hammer and starting smithing was.. 2 years ago.. although it wasnt very often in the start. i have school until 1th of july and then i have some couple of months with nothing but blacksmithing and carving runes :) so i dont know if i have some great "gold drops" of knowledge for ya.. but ill be happy to ask :)

[fluffy1696]

ah,ok ta,ive had a ganders in the past but this summer ive 4 months off so im goin the whole hog,spent way to much :) where did you learn your meathods exc, ive been reading a couple of books recently,i dont know what level your at but if you feel you've still got some ground to cover i can give you the book names and where to get them if you want.books on blacksmithing are as rare as rockin horse shit so id recomend gettin them :),o yair um what country are you in? hope you dont mind me askin..

[ashcaw]

Great video, enjoyed it. But whats with the man-handling of the fire? You don't have to control the fire with your hand to look big!.. I wouldn't mess with ya :p Good work, keep it up!

[varmdal]

hahahaha

yea i know im a mean mofo :P lol

nah.. its just to keep the coal in place :P everytime i put it in it spreads out.. kinda anoying ;)

[SitFoofoo]

So tapping the anvil after you've hit the metal is just for rythm? Does it have a practical use?  I always thought it was to stop the hammers momentum with the anvil, instead of with your elbow. (I'm not a blacksmith so you know..)

Good video by the way. And some helpful comments.

[LeviDigsHoles]

your real good.

do you think blacksmithing would be a good job?

[varmdal]

well thanks :P i do my best.

but a good job? well. ive always said to my self that if i lived in the middleages or for just a 100 years ago.. i would have become a blacksmith.. but nowadays, its too hard to make a living from blacksmithing.

[LeviDigsHoles]

thanks

[varmdal]

thanks :) and yea.. it is the greatest hobby in the world, if you ask me ;) but i wouldnt call it cool..hot perhaps? :P

[varmdal]

no? thats just plain stupid.

[thusalwaystotyrants]

shut the fuck up

[varmdal]

what the hell is your problem?

[sltydgg]

Thanks for the video. Also thanks to all the more experienced guys for the POSITIVE responses, encoragement, and adivice. It helps me as well as this guy.

[KholdAxe]

oh and nice knife flattening rig

[KholdAxe]

dude i cant beleive you just put on a glove and just start plunging your hands into the fire. I would be so afraid if i did that.

[varmdal]

heh well, if you got a good glove, you dont really feel the heat :P but i cant use my gloves anymore since they have been worn out :P And it is worth mentioning that i dont hold my hand in the fire for more than a few seconds :) And the flattening rig.. well.. kinda insane actually.. i got a piece of metal on my eye so i was hammering with one eye only. I wont be useing that Rig again anytime soon.

[KholdAxe]

is it a welding glove?

[varmdal]

Nope, just plain ordinary workmans glove :) but ofc with leather on the insides.

[andrewtheguitarist]

hi everyone. I am a newbie to blacksmithing. If anyone knows how to make your own iron rods from scratch i would appreciate the info. Also varmdal AWESOME knife forge. I like ur little rythem too =P

[varmdal]

thank you :)  well.. im pretty sure i saw a iron casting video in here on sometime.. try searching on iron casting or iron melting. Good luck ;)

[GraAik]

Its nice...! :)

[MyMIXmedia]

How come you tap the anvil a few times after you hit the work piece. Is it to like stop the ringing noise or something.

[varmdal]

Well.. maybe :p havent thought about it.. But i DO know.. from my Blacksmithing master.. that it was best to have a Rythem when you BS. Most blacksmiths have a rythem, and some dont seem to have one :) So i mostly do it as a habbit because its give the whole thing a rythem thats easy to follow when you stand there for 4-5 hours ;)

[SilverCreekForge]

How long have you been blacksmithing? Nice job on the video.

[varmdal]

Oh.. for about a year now. But it has been kinda slow, ill admit that much :P its hard to get the time with homework and all.. but i try :)

[SilverCreekForge]

If you use a magnet, it won't become magnetized, unless it is a reall small anvil, put it on the side or under that horn. Also, I tend not use gloves, as I get much better hammer control and better use of tongs. Just me though. I can also hold onto anything that is one foot or longer a lot better without gloves, don't need tongs for that.

[varmdal]

Mm okay, ill try that :P thanks

[smithy4242]

Nice work. If you wrap a length of chain with two weights on the end around the anvil you can get rid of that sharp ringing. This also makes a good hold-fast for light work.

[moafu]

great video, every day i learn more and more. one of these days gon start to hammering miself:) keep it up good work:)

[varmdal]

well, if you have the right coal and put a "blower" or something to provide you with a decend air flow trough your grill.. maybe you could get it pretty high up. try it? its worth a try... :P but i dont know how your grills looks or works soo. its hard to tell

[Lidskjalf]

Nice video! I´m have a anvil who looks similar to this, is it a "SÖDERFORS"? You don´t have any hood over the forge for the smoke?

[varmdal]

a hood over my forge.. well that something ive been working on for some time :P its only in the start when theres a lot of smoke that i really need a hood.. the rest of the time its not that of a problem.. but yea :P i would prefere a hood so i wouldnt have to go out of my workshop in the startup :P

[Puddeleisen]

Hello Varmdal, have You ever tryed to put a large Magnet to Your anvil? This will take away the high "pinging" when hammering on it.

keep on hammering. :-)

[varmdal]

wont that make my Anvil magnetized too?

[Puddeleisen]

Hello varmdal

Yes, some partikels can stick on Your anvil and some more will stick on the magnet. But this is much less problematic than the pinging that can be harmful to Your ears.

best wishes, puddeleisen

[varmdal]

well.. i think ill rebuild my anvil stand and have some metal parts around the anvil foot :D that too will make the pinging sound go away

[PierreE14]

great job

thanks for sharing, I'd like to learn blacksmithing