How to forge a knife Part 1 of 2

[danniCALIFORNIA1]

Have you ever serrated a knife before? How do you do it?

[epicfantasy]

@danniCALIFORNIA1 Great question. I have never done it though. would make a good tutorial.

[349duffman]

whoa, will, your working that steel a little cold at times!. dont want to break it!

[epicfantasy]

@349duffman thx, I do tend to forge a bit cold. Gotta get a bigger forge !

[Mr1kyle100]

it would be cool if you made like a uruk-hai scimitar from LOTR

[epicfantasy]

@Mr1kyle100 I made a cardboard one. Does that count :)

Video is here on my channel somewhere!

[Mr1kyle100]

@epicfantasy ya i saw taht but would be cool as a real sword!

[Sharkfarify]

@epicfantasy could you make some kind of machete with the same technique?

[EgholmViking]

O.o your anvil is so quitet. . how u du dat?

[349duffman]

@EgholmViking its probably a vulcan or a fisher. while most anvils before the midtwentyieth centurys were wrought iron with a steel face, fisher norris and vulcan "arm and hammer" brand anvils were made with a cast iron base and a steel face. makes them much quieter and more economical. but for an very experience smith these anvils will not cut it, because once you get better you begin to develop preferences for your tools.

[dontmakeme103]

Is forging an extremely hard thing to do or will you get good results on the first few tries?

[squat224]

@dontmakeme103 its not insanely hard, something you get better at with practice, like everything else, patience is key, read some books and watch videos to get an idea of what they are doing and you should be fine. go simple for your first project and then add something to each subsequent project until you get something you are really happy with.

[2009ratola]

That's a nice blade you got there! But it's a little dull... How about you sharpen it up? Just need a bit of metal and the grindstone over there. Go, try for yourself.

[frostdragonlord]

What happens if u don't flatten it back out?

[jddavis19812007]

this video is awesome, and i commend you for being professional enough to edit and add voice over. keep up the great work :-)

[ThePatrick6122]

Okay two things. One I'm making a knife out of a piece of thick skinny steel, should I shape the blade then expand the metal or vise versa? Two, If i'm making a knife out of a old file do I still need to shave off the high carbon layer with a grinder or will that be taken care of while i'm shaping the metal?

[HaterswillLearn]

why do people dislike these videos?

[PENCILcrusher123]

all that equipment is to expensive

[EUSL84]

I found your videos very creative and "Fantasytic" keep up the good work.

[RAMBOKIDx7]

@epicfantasy Just built my little forge 5 hours ago and already started to forge a RR spike, but all I have is wood for now so I hope to get some of that charcoal you have. How much per bag?

Thanks,

[epicfantasy]

@RAMBOKIDx7 in spring time you can buy the bags at home depot. For now you can get it on amazon.

[HomeMadeGunNut]

Hey, how can i improvise an anvil or where can i find one?

[epicfantasy]

@HomeMadeGunNut craigslist or ebay is good. Harbor Freight has them too. You can improvise one with a foot long piece of railroad track too.

[JesusIsMyHero99]

@epicfantasy I have a ton of rail road ties...now i have a use for them haha FORGING PARTY!!!!!

[TheFishSwede]

@HomeMadeGunNut you can use a flat rock but they crack from times too times

[HomeMadeGunNut]

@TheFishSwede Thanks.

[craponater3212]

can u send me an emal or something so tht i know how to build a forge or how much ur anvil costed thanks,

[MrKoiking1]

have you done one on axes? if you know how to make one could you show us pleeeeeaaaaaassseeeee????

[carlyle0229]

why dont you make your knives full tang?

[BurtGoaler]

or just buy it

[TheBoneKeeper17]

@epicfantasy

So first off, I apologize if you have already answered this a hundred times:

But where do you get this "01 steel" you speak of?

[epicfantasy]

@TheBoneKeeper17 amazon has it. I have links on my website. In the blacksmithing section.

[gustaverds]

man, this i know i got it down. but I`m wondering how I can actually get the metal from the groun.. like METAL ORE... where do I locate it and how do I know what kind o f metal it is... PLEASE SOMEONE ANSWER> thx. great video man.

[349duffman]

@gustaverds you obviously dont "got it down" this i know

[TheEpicKyranAndDylan]

I went mire from and I saw what I liked so I subscribed ;)

[drakos365]

I was wondering about the last step you did where you cooled it slowly. I have seen others stick the blade in some type of oil. Can you tell me if that does the same thing?

[epicfantasy]

@drakos365 you kind of have it right. The dipping in oil comes later when it is done. That is how we harden and temper it. For this stage we cool slowly so the metal is softer and we can work on it. Good question.

[harami48]

how about a tutorial on making a katana?

[epicfantasy]

@harami48 Maybe at some point. It would be a great project. Next i am doing a normal longsword. Already have the steel.

[dennisjonesjr]

I started watching your channel because of your mead making stuff. I didn't realize you did so many cool things. Thanks for the videos :)

[epicfantasy]

@dennisjonesjr You are very welcome! Thanks for sticking with me. Lots more vids coming!

[bondanel]

packing is quite disputed, as annealing after this, rearranges the crystalline net back to it's normal stress relieved state. I don't want to be the smart ass here but packing is the secondary output of all that pounding with your hammer on whatever edge/side or part of the metal and that's the whole point in annealing the blade. In my opinion, packing is more like a fairy tale around blacksmiths, however I like it! :) BTW, hammering at low temp makes the best knives!

[epicfantasy]

@bondanel great comment, thanks. You are most likely right about the packing. Could be a fairy tale. I am going to skip it in further tutorials.

[moniclebob]

By the looks of it, you are forging at quite a low temperature, is this due to the nature of burning charcoal, or is it better for the knife to not forge at high temp?

[epicfantasy]

@moniclebob Great question. I tend to forge at a low temp. Backyard forge. The coal does get hotter. The sunlight tends to make it look cooler than it is, that too.

[mack3dg]

what kinda stove does one needs for this kind of work

[spacekid1337]

Lol. Nice pink hairdryer :P

[epicfantasy]

@spacekid1337 lol, its not very manly

[justinhuang33]

好! from TAIWAN.

[EvanAprhys]

I have a few questions, hope you don't mind. What are you using for fuel (looks like homemade charcoal)? Do you use coke? I am noticing your hammer strokes and they appear very controlled (in comparison to mine at least), so how long did it take you to get that good? Also I love your anvil.

[epicfantasy]

@EvanAprhys Thanks, My hammer blows are not that good yet, but I would say it takes a year to start to get it. Dunno, I use home made charcoal most of the time. But its a hassle to make a barrel full of it. You can buy bags of it called "Hardwood Lump Charcoal" That works good.

[EvanAprhys]

@epicfantasy Thanks a lot!

[sammallory79]

Want to trade for some medical marijuana?

[rafhit]

@epicfantasy

I sub!

pls blacksmith a blade of woe! xD

[raxit1337]

How long does it take for a bar of steel to heat up(enough to start shaping it)

[epicfantasy]

@raxit1337 Depends on the fire but a few minutes is usually good. for the first time. Then working it it gets up to heat quicker.

[raxit1337]

@epicfantasy Okay thanks:D

[Rupert0512]

forge 500 of them, next step, dragon / daedric armor :)

[epicfantasy]

@Rupert0512 Daedric armor would be cool.

[BigDumbJerk]

No more Skooma for you

[Ch1spy4]

@Rupert0512 I did that xD It was a pain but now i have heavy dragon armour :P

[deaddragon1]

@Rupert0512 he did but then he took an arrow to the knee! :DDDDDDDD

[Spart248]

How did you become so good at this? Where did you get the inspiration to start this hobby? And were you taught or did you self teach yourself? I know i am bombarding you with questions, and I am sorry about that, but I am very interested, as I am planning on getting started with blacksmithing myself. I already am on my way to assembling my forge.

Thanks

[epicfantasy]

@Spart248 I always wanted to blacksmith. Finally just decided I was going to do it no matter what. Good decision. I am self taught and I have ten books on the subject. Thats the best way to start, get a couple of books. Even if just from the library. Go for it. This is life. Make it something that you simply will do.

[DocCircut]

Can you do a tutorial on arrows, so i can jam one through a knee?

[epicfantasy]

@DocCircut lol, okay skyrim!

[izntdan]

could you do a armor making tutorial

[epicfantasy]

@izntdan I am thinking about this. I might, in the spring.

[MrMycards123]

if it were bigger it would be a CURVED SWORD!

[drewbob901]

i was also wondering where you buy your steel becuase i live in georgia niwhere near a steel mill or anything of the sort but there are a lot of scrap yards around again any tips would be very apreciated

[drewbob901]

im 14 and i dont have acces to a welder so i dont think i can make a forge like yours but i have an abundance of cinderblocks and i have rebar and i was wondering what type of forge do you think i should make and if you have any tips i would be moast appreciative

[pseudoweapon]

@drewbob901 Don't use cinderblocks or cement for building a forge. It could blow up.

[cyan933]

im trying to get into knife making, and i just wanted your opinion on using steel from locks since at school broken locks are easy to come by..

[epicfantasy]

@cyan933 not really sure. that might be stainless steel. wouldn't be good. Can give it a try and see.

[Charsept]

I'll definitely be using these videos as a guide after i get my forge up and running.

[epicfantasy]

@Charsept Go for it!

[izntdan]

how did you make your forge

[sxj016]

Let me add...you rock!

[sxj016]

You really need to make a Hibben IV clone with a tanto point from some 1095...0.25 inches thick. Then make the handle out of hardwood exactly like that on a Condor Golok. The world would beat a path to your door :)

[TheMtndewguy]

Hey as young as I am I've worked at a renaissance fair for about 5 years now and I am 15. I have always been interested into blacksmiths and forging. Just wondering but do you need a license and what advice would you give to a beginner?

[epicfantasy]

@TheMtndewguy You have fun. And you can do anything. Two bits of advice: Be safe at all times. The metal, even when black is still 1,000 degrees. And, start out small. A small knife, just slowly learn and work your way up. 

[cmccabe1991]

@epicfantasy could you do something for a sword or something similar that would be very interesting to see

[visualbasicje]

@cmccabe1991 He did one for forging swords. It's probably in his channel.

[cmccabe1991]

@visualbasicje cool thanks

[shakenbake691]

kind of a stupid question but what is the stuff that you use in the fire to make it hot enough, and what kind of metal do you have. Great video by the way

[epicfantasy]

@shakenbake691 THe wood is called Hardwood Lump Charcoal. It works well. You can buy it in bags. I am using O1 Steel here.

[aceconklin]

Hey im trying to get into blacksmithing and i want to get all my facts straight before i jump in.

So my question is where do you get your steel from?

and how much is the piece in your video?

great videos by the way! Very interesting and in detail!

[epicfantasy]

@aceconklin thanks for watching. Important thing is to jump in!! Don't let doubt stop you. You will figure it out. I use 01 steel . I believe the piece cost 17 dollars on amazon and its good for two knives. You can scrounge up all kinds of good steel.

[caledoniankilt]

@aceconklin Hey there, so you can get your steel from either a do it yourself like shop or you can use old steel from perhaps old cars or other scratch. just don't use any steel alloyed with other metals.

so enjoy forging.

[Bear5177]

Question, do you have any sort of bellows for your forge? Also, how long does your coal last or how much do you need for a project like this?

[epicfantasy]

@Bear5177 Rather than a bellows I use a hair dryer as a fan. 2-3 bags of lump hardwood coal for a project like this.

[yurinmyspot]

114 likes to 1 dislike. nice ratio:)



[ConorC96]

Would a fire pit be a good forge? btw nice tutorials.

[caledoniankilt]

@ConorC96 if you`ve got a way to giv it enough oxygen yes!

[jccrick123]

can i soften a file over a camp fire and then so rest with a grinder and the harden the knife over a fire

[epicfantasy]

@jccrick123 maybe, but the campfire probably won't get hot enough.

[francis7841]

@jccrick123 To soften the file you have to heat it to a red hot state ( you can do this with a propane torch ) then allow it to cool for a few hours in sand or ash. To check if it is softened enough try to scratch it with another file. If it scratches it it softened. If it doesn't, try again. Re-tempering is fairly easy too and can also be accomplished with a propane torch. Not the best method but if you have no forge it will work.

[84620000]

@jccrick123 yeah, but you either need a bellows or a blower to make the fire hot enough.

[bleujae1]

@jccrick123 is it possible to make a curved style knife like this, but with the simpler method? i mean i know its possible, but is there any difference in the methods? or the strength of the knife?

[lorddante97]

try making a warhammer

[ZACKWOLFWALKER]

where did you get the steel?

[cheyennew811]

@ZACKWOLFWALKER

you can get O-1 tool steel from your local Fastenal store. If they don't have it in stock you can have them order it for you. That's where I get mine. They also carry 1095 carbon steel. Just make sure you know what kind of stock you want(round, flat, etc..) and the length.

[DuDaxIIIxTuts]

i love ur vids (i subbed for stuff like this)

[t4paN]

Both this and part two are an excellent tutorial! Thanks for the upload, I think I'll be trying this sometime soon!

[Dragon1813]

The bid with the sand, how did you do that? did you just lay the hot steel in the tray and pour the sand over it?

[epicfantasy]

@Dragon1813 I had a pile of sand in the tray, put the knife on top then moved the sand around to cover it. Should do this process quickly.

[ScandinaviansAreCool]

Lol thhe one dislike must be Justin Bieber!

[OCoptimusconvoy]

Do you really need to be you know super strong and stuff to do blacksmithing?

Oh also how long does it take to get the knife red-hot, and how do you achieve the temperature?

[OCoptimusconvoy]

Do you really need to be you know super strong and stuff to do blacksmithing?

[epicfantasy]

@OCoptimusconvoy You don't have to be strong at all. Anybody can do it. Once the forge is up to temperature it only takes a few minutes to get the knife up to forging temperature.

[OCoptimusconvoy]

@epicfantasy oh awsome! I really want to but i don't think my dad would like the idea of me buying this huge anvil, taking apart the lawnmower, and puttin pipes all over the backyard :) Do you actually need an anvil or can it really be anything hard? Oh and also how do you get to the temparature?

[epicfantasy]

@OCoptimusconvoy There is always a way. You can make it happen.

[Beschaulichkeit]

@OCoptimusconvoy A piece of a railroad track is fairly decent and you might find that easier to get your hands on from a steel scrapyard. In a pinch, although nowhere near ideal, the head of a railroad spike is workable if you file/sand it smooth and you've got somewhere to clamp it. Those you can find laying around on railroad tracks wherever they've been discarded.

[333badcat]

@OCoptimusconvoy i know its been a month but you put a pice of medeal in a fire until it is(red) dont touch it! it will burn your flesh in a sec but when its red you can bend it easliy with a nice hit of a hammer

[OCoptimusconvoy]

@333badcat Okay thanks, and what do you mean by medeal? metal right?

[333badcat]

@OCoptimusconvoy ya metal and use a pld (not rusty) rail road spike there great

[OCoptimusconvoy]

@333badcat Well if I find one i will :)

[mastr980]

Could you make a tutorial on how to make a Semi-Serrated knife?

Maybe even a How-To make a pocket knife?

[epicfantasy]

@mastr980 pocket knife no, but the semi serrated knife might be something.

[clonetrooper661]

id like to know how to forge a broadsword 1 handed and the sheath

[scifiman98]

I have a question: if you make a knife that has a full metal body, for example a throwing knife from assassin's creed, would it be better to use the stock removal method or the forging method?

[epicfantasy]

@scifiman98 hmm, good question . I don't think it matters. But if I had the choice I would go for the forging.

[maglinjosvinn]

@scifiman98 i am a smith. forging causes the grain patterns to follow the contours. grinding cuases the grain to stop abruptly. there's a thousand and three different opinions about it, but i've always found forged items to withstand forces better than stock removal items.  i base that on 10 years of forging and 4 years of working in a stock removal knife shop.

[nokomisforge]

nice job one thing I would recommend never leave you tools in the hardie hole or pritchel hole it is an accident waiting to happen

[TheBlaBlaThing]

When will part 2 come out?

[epicfantasy]

@TheBlaBlaThing probabably today. I am editing the video.

[Timurv1234]

Hey,why don't you make something from Lord of the Rings ???

[epicfantasy]

@Timurv1234 great idea, thanks!

[Ydouneed2nomyname]

Howuch Is all the materials and equipment? Including the forge and anvil?

[MrWarman17]

you should show how to make a sheath

[Reitbakk]

Great. Now I can forge too.

[rogantu]

nice job Will, and yes please if you know how teach us what cad10666 asked about :)

[epicfantasy]

@rogantu yup, can do. The next big blacksmithing will be a short sword. Apprx 18-24 inches in length. I have the steel. Will start that some point this summer. But, may do a smaller blacksmiithing vid beforehand. Also in a couple of days will post part 2 of knife forging.

[rogantu]

@epicfantasy You rock man! :D

[cad10666]

Could you make a blacksmithing tutorial but for a sword

[theeholygoalie]

Excellent video. I would love to see you make the knife from rambo 4

[BeenieBomb]

Considering that I'm only 14, I'll stick to you cardboard weapons. ;)

[versatilechicken]

if you're forging it you can use things like leaf springs and large coil springs. they're usually made with 5160 =)

[pillowman552]

leftys rule my main man! love the videos keep em coming!

[GaiaChrono]

this is actually really helpful especially since im into making props thanks so much for making this its really appreciated

[TheWolf739]

at the part when you covered it with sand, will that work as a cooling method with hardening and tempering the stock removal knife, or do you need to use oil for that sort of thing?

[epicfantasy]

@TheWolf739 with stock removal you dont have to do this. This sand cooling is needed because we forged the knife, heated it way up. With any process what you need to do when the knife is done is Harden then temper. Heat to curie temp (non magnetic) then dip in oil, then heat just a little bit to temper and dip in oil. Thats coming in part 2.

[jamesbob91]

How long did this take you to make?

sorry if you said this through the video, i didnt hear it :S

[epicfantasy]

@jamesbob91 I think this whole process took me 8 or so hours to do.

[jamesbob91]

@epicfantasy thanks for the reply :)

[lamxung5000]

@epicfantasy For a knife,that's long.

[Ammo1313]

Much more informative then other tutorials that I've found. Thanks!

[HavensUbove]

Where do u get an anvil???

[1zacster]

If I were to make a knife I would grind it down with a grinding wheel then smooth the edges and then get it to I forget the name, where it is magnetically neutral then quench it in oil then apply the handle and carve it into shape :)

[THEBIRDMAN9412]

This is awesome!

[Starfox384]

did you make the forge your self?

[epicfantasy]

@Starfox384 I have a tutorial if you want to make one!

[ArtistBlade1972]

The reason this became a myth is because old smiths used to pack edges at decending heats each time. They knew it helped, but they were wrong about the reason. The actual reason it makes a difference is the steel's grain shrinks in mutiple heats below critical temperature. The successive normalization cycles below critical are doing the packing, not the hammer :)

[epicfantasy]

@ArtistBlade1972 wow, thanks! amazing and well thougth out comments. This is why we do it, keep growing and learning.

[ArtistBlade1972]

Well good job Will! glad you finally did it man :)

couple tips though, you should not as a general rule keep the blade of uniform thickness. The blade should taper distally from tang to point. This improves strength and flexibility. Also, the edge packing thing is a myth. Sure the steel grain compresses when you hammer it at low heat, but all that is reversed when you bring the blade to austenizing temp for quench.

[cryosabrexXx]

apart from the earlier forging videos did you do any other projects before this or just practice? looks very nice for a first project :P

[imminonice]

man i did most of ur stuff most thing i enjoyed is the spartan kit keep it up man ur cool

[crosbyjorden]

are you left handed ?

[epicfantasy]

@crosbyjorden yup

[crosbyjorden]

@epicfantasy cool

[Starfox384]

@epicfantasy hey so am i : )

[danclyde12]

screw the knife im going to make a sword!

[epicfantasy]

@danclyde12 my next big blacksmithing project will probably be a short sword. 18-20 inches long. Should be an interesting project. Already have the steel. Short sword before we make regular swords. Building a sword forge too.

[danclyde12]

@epicfantasy sweet. that way im going to be ready for the zombie apocalypse

[TeenageIronman]

cool

[trekzilladmc]

You always have great videos.  Keep up the good work, Will!

[yellowdogger]

been looking forward to this!

[Antkay15]

This is looking awesome

[shoopwhoopX]

TINK TINK TINK .......TINK TINK TINK TINK

[choopdewoot]

needs more of a point on it. what is the practical application of this blade?