Forging a Tanto

[raysetiger285]

thanks for uploading this. how long dose it take without a press?

[JesusBladesmith]

@raysetiger285 I can do in one day what usually takes 3-4 days.

[raysetiger285]

@JesusBladesmith with the asistance of the press?

[JesusBladesmith]

@raysetiger285 That's correct.

[thedifferent1995]

is it pronounced jesus or hasus? (i cant think of how else to write it to make it sound like what im trying to say. no offence intended jw :) )

[JesusBladesmith]

@thedifferent1995 Try HEYSOOS.

[thedifferent1995]

@JesusBladesmith that works. thanks

[frozenwalkway]

would using spreader dies on the press make it spread quicker ?

[JesusBladesmith]

@frozenwalkway Sure but as I recall I was welding and squaring the bar more than trying to draw it out.

[frozenwalkway]

@JesusBladesmith ah my mistake amazing work man. thanks for the video

[TheSushiAssassin]

look dangerous.

[Trollskyy]

so perfect work ! i am really impressed, my hamon suck here - watch?v=POxqQ775q4U

[JesusBladesmith]

@Trollskyy You made a nice chopper. Hamon is affected by too many factors: steel choice, thermal cycling, quench temp and soaking time, clay, quenchant used, polishing method,.. Keep at it!

[Trollskyy]

@JesusBladesmith Yes Jesus - i took wrong steel, better choice are steels quenchable in water

[swedishhunter21]

i have heard people saying that a tanto is a dagger/ long knife?

[JesusBladesmith]

@swedishhunter21 Using the criteria of length, tanto are in the knife/long knife range.

[jalobeaulieu1]

Dear jesus.....

[nadiemequire]

Thank you Jesus. Nice video.

[TonyMcDark]

Damascus steel FTW + 1 way to make it faster

[LimonadovyJoee]

@TonyMcDark That is not a damascus steel. Damascus steel should have much more than 10 layers. Something about 200 layers is fine.

[wildmandazza]

I love his hammer work , and he has a good eye...thanks for the post well done !

[valcerfabri]

Todo esse trabalho pra fazer um facão??

[JesusBladesmith]

@valcerfabri Yes. Of course.

[arcadeanderson]

@valcerfabri hehehe, voce é engraçado. Não é só um facão, é um tantô. São muito mais afiadas que um fação.

Congratulation Jesus. Did you finish this tanto?

[JesusBladesmith]

@arcadeanderson Yes.

[Jpw2325]

Nice job mate

[scottiblasto]

what is that hammer that you use called? I have never seen one like it! Great video!

[DeltaElite121]

Interesting video. I've always really liked the idea of weapon and armor smithing. A great art in itself.

[dwineyard]

How much pressure is the press applying.

[JesusBladesmith]

@dwineyard 22 tons

[anvilock]

Jesus thank you for the vid. I was wondering what your anvil is made of ? Also did you forge your bladesmithing hammer ? Thanks again.

[JesusBladesmith]

@anvilock It's one of Chuck Robinsons' See Robin Forge anvils. I did not forge my hammer.

[offenwrong]

Hey Jesus I am very much an Amatuer, as a matter of fact all I have is the hammer right now....I noticed as you were hand pounding the metal began to curve up while your left hand was also slightly higher than the anvil...would raising the anvil about an inch or so fix this problem?...just trying to work out any bugs before I get started

[JesusBladesmith]

@offenwrong As you forge the bevel, the metal movement naturally causes the blade to curve up. I usually straighten in the next heat.

[offenwrong]

@JesusBladesmith Oh I see...thx

[1whoowns]

are you sure you are heating the steel up at the proper temperature?,because the steel looked bright yellow which is over the forging temperature which could damage the steel ?, unless the camera is showing the steel being brighter than it actually is, secondly what kind of steel are you using in this forging process

[JesusBladesmith]

@1whoowns You are correct. The camera is not able to read the color of the steel correctly. I am using tamahagane.

[Rikasso66]

what does the water do on the anvil?

Thanks nice work

[JesusBladesmith]

@Rikasso66 It blows the fire scale off.

[helicrashpro]

Is that just a big block of steel you are using for an anvil? Where did you get it? I am looking for an anvil for and did not realize how expensive they are. I have been looking for used ones and they are still really expensive. Is there a good alternative?

[JesusBladesmith]

@helicrashpro You can use a heavy enough block of steel or a railroad track for an anvil.

[pkcheeze]

I know what I'm doing tomorrow, making a forge :P

[fannar10]

ooohh that how you make a sword ;D

[Trollskyy]

this hammer is hand made ? looks pretty usefull :) great movie, great skills, i really enjoyed it. I need to try some japanease style knife, never tried it before - if You want to see my knives please watch my YT profile.

[RaiAntou]

Tantos are cute =)

[Trollskyy]

how many tons of power with this press ? i also use press in my knifekaming adventures :) jst look at my YT profile for few of my knives

[JesusBladesmith]

@Trollskyy 22 ton.

[Jadandlud]

I was wondering, is it possible to forge a tanto using Damascus steel?

[JesusBladesmith]

@Jadandlud Yes but it will not look the same as using tamahagane.

[pernellae86]

unless your goal is to make a spiritual piece there is no cheating, you don't think the Japanese masters of old would have this equipment if they had it, i think they would.

[xomanowar42]

tamahagane is expensive as heck, where did you get it?

[JesusBladesmith]

@xomanowar42 I made it.

[MonoxideChild1219]

How much did that anvil cost you, and where did you buy it?

[JesusBladesmith]

@MonoxideChild1219 See Robin Forge. Ask for Chuck Robinson.

[bluegoose94]

could you please tell me what is falling off the metal at 3:00 and a little before. ty

[JesusBladesmith]

@bluegoose94 Fire scale.

[firefox8192]

what is that stuff flaking off of the hot metal

[JesusBladesmith]

@firefox8192 Fire scale, molten flux.

[zaktan163]

what temperature is in youre forge?

[JesusBladesmith]

@zaktan163 Over 2500 degrees F.

[hanzo651]

I like it very

I greet the Polish

[DarkLordVincent]

whats the liquid on the anvil? cant be water or it'd be evaporating and sizzling

[JesusBladesmith]

@DarkLordVincent It is water. Part of it evaporates but there is enough that remains to blow the scale off.

[Serkant75]

Love Jesus ^^

[BathingApe333]

is forging a 7/8'' diameter, 7'' long round w1 steel by hand very hard to make a 8'' inch knife blade with a 5'' handle. Becoz i cant afford a press so i have to do it by hand. and btw that was a great video.

[JesusBladesmith]

You can do it. W2 moves slowly under the hammer. It will takes several heats but it is doable.

[ihaterobbie123]

jesus, did you make this?

[JesusBladesmith]

@ihaterobbie123 Yes.

[MonoxideChild1219]

@JesusBladesmith You lost a lot of metal in the forging process. Is that normal?

[JesusBladesmith]

@MonoxideChild1219 Yes. You loose 50% in the rough forging of the bloom and an additional 30% up to the final forging.

[MichaelBrauer]

Wow, thanks Jesus! I know nails is cheating, so I got my hands on some iron ore. 5 mm pieces? Great! Half the fun is discovering what works and what doesnt. I will keep you posted on how it goes! Thanks very much again dude!!

Cheers!

[MichaelBrauer]

Jesus, assuming I made a simple tatara like yours, could I use very small nails? Would they take up carbon given the conditions are right? I have Iron ore I got here in Brasil, I could use that but i have to break it up and dont know how small to break it up.

Thank you very much!

[JesusBladesmith]

Iron nails will work. Using nails is a little bit like cheating. The iron ore will be more traditional. Break it up into 5mm pieces. You can roast the ore to help breaking it up.

[twieneke76]

Iron nails are cheating but a hydraulic press isn't? ;-)

[JesusBladesmith]

Just a tiny bit ;-)

I can't afford to pay for strikers.

[happymark1805]

@JesusBladesmith - LOL, you need to feed strikes, but I do'nt think it makes a difference if you use a hydraulic press or strikers

[Cstrife234]

@twieneke76 Haha, yeah.

[attackoftherandom]

@twieneke76 he isnt doing anything the old smiths wouldnt if they had a power hammer. lol.

[znhype]

once upon a time this was alldone without machines, not that that takes away from the skill of modern day swordsmiths... much respect past & present

[MichaelBrauer]

Hello Jesus. I have seen another video of yours about smelting steel. I myself am a bladesmith, and would really like to learn. I have tried once, my result looked more like WI. I had maybe 4 inches of burning charcoal before I loaded a bag of tiny nails ontop and more charcoal a few times. I couldnt find iron ore. Might I need more charcoal? More or less how much is too much air? I did see some sparks above the fire, no good?

Muchas gracias Jesus, puedes mandar me un email? Dios te abendiga!

[JesusBladesmith]

Those are too many questions and I don't have the space in this reply to answer. I would be guessing without exactly knowing what you did, anyhow. You could make steel in a small furnace like I describe in my website.

[JesusBladesmith]

si no eres un forjador debes de aprender y despues comentar.

[leviatan286]

no sere un forjador pero asta yo se qe la manera en qe forjaste esa espada no da la seguridad de corte resistencia ni de buen filo 1 al 10 se ve como un 3.5

[marceloQUIROGA]

Estimado Leviatan, Espero que comprendas mi comentario, pero deberias preguntar y ver los trabajos de este Señor, no te ofendas!, o mejor porque no muestras tus trabajos, asi los vemos todos. No es que Jesús Hernandez no pueda defenderse, sino que antes de hablar de algo, hay que saber o tener experiencia, Todo el mundo conoce su calidad , hasta nosotros los que vivimos en el 3º mundo (Argentina) un saludo cordial, toma una maza, un hierro candente y luego opina, sino calla y aprende.

[JesusBladesmith]

It will take more words that I can type in here to properly answer your question. Let me say first, that the camera that I used doesn't read infrared exposure very well and will create an image that looks brighter than it is. Secondly, when forge-welding the color of the steel will be orange-white (over 2200 degrees F) but when you forge the temperature range will go down (1600-1800 or more) depending on the type of steel. The grain can always be refined later with proper heat treating.

[arhvash]

From what I`ve seen in other blade forging videos the blacksmiths are always aware of not overheating the steel, cause it will weaken the future blade.

While in this video the steel you were using was so hot that it looked like a piece of clay(overheated?).

So what I want to ask is, how "soft" can you make steel by heating it without weaken it?

[Excomunicater]

The only way to significantly weaken the steel by overheating it is if you get the steel past melting temperature. The metal will spark and become deformed and pitted if this happens. The metal is supposed to be right below or just about at melting temperature so that the steel can bond properly. This will weaken the steel slightly which is why getting the metal welded in as little heats as possible is favorable. Also another way that the steel will weaken is if it is re-heated too many times.

[Lolmonkeya]

that must be one powerful hydrolic press

[JesusBladesmith]

Yes. Wet-forging. Bang!

[slome815]

Was the last part with water on the anvil?

[arhvash]

What is that stuff falling of the steel. Maybe I sound stupid, but I know very little about blade forging :)

[JesusBladesmith]

The stuff is called scale. In this case is a mixture of iron oxide and borax used for forge-welding.

[MisterBaz1]

Hey Jesus. I've been tracking a lot of your work over on Don Fogg's forums. You, sir, are truely amazing.

I was wondering, where did you get the mild steel for your makeshift anvil?

[JesusBladesmith]

In time. I need to find a volunteer to operate the camera.

[thetanukikaji]

I think you have a really nice forging technique. I wish mine were as nice. Any more vids coming our way?

[JesusBladesmith]

I make my own tamahagane. Check my website: Jesus hernandez Bladesmith

[thechoreographer]

How much did the tamahagane cost. I understand that it is only in small supply

[Conan568]

I've gotta get me a hydraulic press.

It'll make my next interrupted twist sword easier to make.

Would a 5 hp single phase motor be overkill Jesus?

[JesusBladesmith]

5 hp shoul de right.

[Conan568]

Great, thanks a lot.

[JesusBladesmith]

It's a sawmaker's hammer.

[howes1960]

The hammer was what caught my eye, is it a japanese design? I'm using a cross peen for big work and ball peen for small

[hullumies15]

how did you make tamahagane, or where did you buy it?

[JesusBladesmith]

Ebay.

[lordofgonzo]

Where did you get that hammer?

[lordofgonzo]

Thanks for telling me. Video is awesome by the way.

[JesusBladesmith]

My hammer is what you call a sawmaker's hammer. The anvil is a bladesmith post anvil made by Chuck Robinson.

[lordofgonzo]

What sort of hammer was that you were using, and what do you use as an anvil, if it's alright to ask.

[JesusBladesmith]

No, I didn't make my hammer. I would like to see a picture of yours.

[moredoublebass]

Did you make your hammer? I have one similar to it.