Backyard Bladesmithing, Part 1

Footage from my second knifemaking project, using "primitive" methods as inspired by Wayne Goddard's book "$50 Knife Shop". I attempt to forge a knife blade out of a railroad spike. The forge is a hole dug in the ground with a cast iron pipe on the bottom with holes drilled in the top of the pipe. The pipe is duct taped to shop vac tubing which is in turn duct taped to a hair dryer. The forge fire is fed by this airflow through the pipe. My anvil is a granite rock with a flat top. I don't know what it supposed to be used for, but I pulled it out of a rubble pile from a landscaping company. The railroad spikes I picked up while rabbit hunting.

Shot with an Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Edited on the software provide with the camera (its pretty crude). First time using this camera.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Forging
• knife
• from
• railroad
• spike
• granite
• anvil
• hair-dryer
• bellows
• primitive
• knifemaking

[blackbearbushcraft]

this is just what i needed! thanks for the inspiration dude! good video!

[Blackhardt72]

@blackbearbushcraft Thanks! Rock on

[hghplnsdrftr1]

love it.....does it get hot enough?.....what about the granite....how does it hold up after pounding on it?

[ukscouts]

that dog barking really got on my tits

[Mathaius833]

a good idea also for a makeshift anvil, is to use a small piece of an i-beam

[truggeri]

Awesome! Although I don't know if you got the spike hot enough before forging, it tends to be nearing white hot when you forge (although it could just be the camera :) )

[zambiesz]

be carefull when using bricks, they can explode because of the water in them. Fire bricks are safe.

[juliannevillecorrea]

@user240485 i recently purchased a 7 kg head .. am releaved to know it is a tested idea.. thanks

[juliannevillecorrea]

cool .. i think some more air flow ... the granite will chip off i guess

[user240485]

I have also heard of using a large sledge hammer head as a makeshift anvil. I think the granite or ground base maybe absorbing most of the force. But none the less it does give ideas.