I love your channel. I don’t like all those other so called “blacksmith” channels with their trendy beards, cinematic shots, music and slow-motion clips where all they make are glamorous useless knives. You produce useful, educational and informative videos about actual blacksmithing where you teach useful skills and practical projects. Thank you.
I wouldn't call these mistakes. This is what happens when you have a goal but no written or firm directions on how to get there. There's always a little bit of trial and error in the process.
Justified getting a propane forge for my 64th birthday. Got some tong blanks and a nice 75k english anvil from the 30's. Have to assemble/cure up the forge and go through the misc. steel I've come across. I've some truck leaf spring I may cut, fold and beat into fullers and such. Have some broken jackhammer bits and will play around with old ball hitches. I'll be beating on rebar to make fire pit stuff and other trinkets until I develop some intuitive muscle memory. Looking forward to it, I've appreciated your videos for several years now.
I made a very simple cut-off hardie from a rail spike today. First I forged the spike's head to fit in my hardie hole. Then I blocked the bottom of the hardie hole with a file clamped to my anvil so the hot rail spike would rest at the bottom and hammered it over 90 degrees to sit flat along the anvil face. Next heat I clamped it in a vice and hammered the spike's tip up, and it's done.
This video helped me make my first hot cut hardy tool. Thanks!!!!! Immediately after seeing it, I drove to my own brand new workshop, and made this from a coil spring. I really appreciate your videos. Actually, this is my first Blacksmiths tool I've ever made myself.
A 45° Hardy might have been a good idea, but you are here to teach, so showing a "fix" is fine too. The plus is, you get to show the issues with forging large steel bits after twisting. Great teaching moment, thanks.
The "I don't know" bit is from either an auger or continous miner. Those bits are unbelievably hard. Having worked underground for 7 years, I've seen what those can do and rocks do not stand a chance against them.
you do a great job teaching. I've done this a few years now and have started watching your videos. I also give lesson's. we, need to keep this craft going. thank you.
What a great video to learn from. I've learned tons from your videos and I am very Thankful. I don't have a great deal of smithing experience, especially being a cabinetmaker. But I have made hardware needed to restore period antiques or repaired and made missing pieces. I had a small forge, I called it the BBQ forge with a cast iron pan and blower. A small anvil about 50 or 60 lbs and it worked okay. I lent them to a guy years back, with some hammers and a few tools, and he disappeared. My mentor gave me the forge and the anvil was my Grandfathers and that's what hurt the worse. So I've looked for anvils, I have a blower or two and can make a forge but anvils are expensepive. But living here in Lancaster Co. Pa. farm country, I keep my eyes open for that anvil that will fit my needs. With all the antique German box locks I've restored or make parts for myself, I've made keepers, a bit of forging on the latch and riveting to a back plate I made traditionally with files and the like. So your videos help a lot. One of the professions of my mentor was, born in 1889,' was a blacksmith in a carriage shop, where he learned black smithing and made 6 cents an hour in his teens. I did learn things from him though he couldn't do much work in his 80s and 90s. But I'm sure you can see something done and do it. Your work is beautiful and I love how you maintain the tradition, which I believe is very important. I use traditional old tools in my work. And I have seen many many pieces of traditional hardware for furniture and houses, which I've been involved with restoring. I have a deep respect for craftsmanship and the creative arts, the art of spirit and making something not just for its practical use but made as best as possible. And I also love running across pieces where someone wasn't necessarily skilled but did the best they could and made it work. In the old day people seemed to have a deeper appreciation and did the best they could. Thus folk art. Something almost lost and a few keeping it alive. I believe there has been a growing interest in all the skills and new appreciation for them in the factory produced goods of today. People are beginning to miss the beauty and spirit place in the love of creating something. Weather it be an apple pie or a beautiful piece of iron crafted with skill, experience and a love for the art. This you do and I'm very Thankful for this and your sharing your art. It keeps it alive. DaveyJO in Pa.
i couldn't agree more, as a carpenter and builder i'm always having to make or adapt tools and fittings, and knowledge like whats presented here is invaluable. how i see it, the more able you are to not only see what you need, but make it, the more generally capable it makes you and the less you are at the mercy of things outside your control, self reliant.
Your keeping good pace with your videos, and there not short either. Also its good efficiency as you keep signing off with " get out to your shop" or similar and I end up rushing out and trying something lol so I spend more time forging and not just wasting away watching you and others do it.
Wow, someone is listening and doing what I say? If I can get enough people conditioned to do that I could rule the world (insert maniacal laughter here)
Thank you! Thank you! I started today, what a great day - and you're right, sooner than later. I just need to make a notch on a long piece (coal rake) and I can't hold the peice and some chisel at the same time... Sure appreciated your mistake and repair as well!
Watching your videos really makes me want to start blacksmithing. The last hardy is what I've seen at renaissance fairs and really makes sense for the first hardies ever made, because it's quick, simple and effective.
Thank you for your video. I am not a blacksmith at all and probably never will but I love how you showed the process of it. It reminds me of life. Sometimes life gets hot and you get hit hard but in the end it works to make you come out right. Just like your tools. Thanks for the video!
Ya know....after 25 years blacksmithing i still love seeing the myriad ways people do the same work and i never stop learning...there maybe 10 million ways to do something wrong but theres 10 million ways to do it right ...keep doin what you do
hey that piece of steel your holding at 6:00 is a tooth from what i think is a vermeer trench digger ther are super cool pieces of machinery at least i think thats what it is
Any recovery that results in a working item is a good recovery!! But you do need to have a bit of an ideas to what can be done. Your videos give that iea. Thanks...keep up the great teaching
Thank you so much for doing what you do, your videos are amazing well presented and broken down in a way that can be understood by less experienced viewers, without "dumbing it down" as only an experienced craftsmen can explain. So stoked I found your channel, and that you are in the same neighborhood of Colorado! I just recently was fortunate enough to become the owner of my first forge (forced air and far larger than a beginner needs but it was priced to well to pass up)
Dude, your videos are the best educational blacksmithing videos on RUclips in my opinion. I have started making my own equipment to do some projects and the tips and tricks you show are helping me visualise what I need and how to go about it
I enjoy watching your videos. Most people will edit their mistakes and show only the perfect finished product, you show people how to correct the mistakes. Good job sir
John I was watching the orientation of the Hexagon as you started forging the cutting edge and thought I might mark an indication to keep me on the right track...As it works out I would NOT call it a failure, reason being as I'm very restricted to space around my anvil to move around so it's better for me to have the cutter at 45 degrees so I stand in the centre and still swing...Just a thought, I guess everyones needs vary...Toby
i absolutely love your blacksmithing channel, and the wealth of information, the detailed explainations, and your cool demeanor, your structured approach to things. With my limited blacksmithing experience the first jackhammer hardie you are making, i can tell that its a very tough material, but i also see with your experience you know to work it in the bright yellow range, to easen the workload, its a pleasure to watch :)
Thanks John, I'm woodworker who is trying to learn blacksmithing. Every winter I try to teach myself a new trick I can add to my quiver. This winter I chose blacksmithing and your videos have been invaluable! I watch them every afternoon when I get home from my shop and learned so much, with a few chuckles thrown in. My hands are feeling a little numb from spending the day making square shank nails for a customer out of quarter inch round bar. That will make you appreciate automation 😂 Keep up the great videos! I'm learning a lot from you!
Nails are more work than they seem like they should be. I have heard that a good nail maker can do 100+ per hour. Me it's about 20 and they aren't that good.
Thank you for the 3rd cruder hardy. It's an interesting quick & dirty path to have taken with many other tools e.g. a bending jig as well as options for refinement & variation for example welding a third, central piece of tool steel between lower carbon scrap.
Thank you for all of your videos! I have learned so much from you and you do a great job explaining and demonstrating it! Again, thanks so much and look forward to more videos!
Just fantastic. Thanks for the inspiration..... Probly the best blacksmithing vid I've seen to date. Im out to the workshop....... Thanks for helping to keep blacksmithing alive.... All I learn is to teach my son as he gets older, he's only 6yrs old so I've got a bit more time up my sleeve yet be4 he's really ready, even though he already has his own anvil and hammers. He's just got to be doing whatever dads doing..... My lil right hand man in the workshop.... So once again thanks for putting in the time and effort you do in making these tutorials.
You're welcome. I am glad there are young folks inclined to learn. Seems like more and more all of the time. Just a few years ago it was hard to find a smith that wasn't over 50. Keep him interested and active.
Regardless of mistakes, you're a straight up bad@$$! Love your videos, man. I'm just days away from completing my forge, and quite excited to start forging some projects. Not sure what the first one will be, probably a chef knife, but I see scoops and spoons on the creative horizon :)
That last salvage piece that you talked about is a tooth to a milling machine for asphalt. When I used to work for the city's asphalt crew, the machine we used had a big cylinder full of those teeth. They're super hard, and can take a beating. Given, we had to replace them every once in a while due to wear and tear, but they can withstand all sorts of abuse.
I used to operate an asphalt mill. The teeth we used had a carbide tip on them. We changed then when that wore off. Not sure what kind of steel they are made out of.
Thank you for making that mistake, because it hammers( pun not intended) out the lesson of keeping you mind on your work. I think I learn more from mistakes, because I make so many of them, oh well, I learned a lot. Keep pounding away, I am watching.
Your brilliant Sir thanks for such educational videos I have a lovely old anvil but no tools at all, I want to preserve some forgotten arts and will try to make some tools from your very educational lessons...Thank you for sharing your skill's with us, Toby
Enjoy all your videos. I work in the oilfield, here are the wrench sizes (flats) for the sucker rods you mentioned: Body Wrench 5/8 7/8 3/4 1 7/8 1 or 1-1/8 1 1 5/16 1 1/8 1 1/2
That tooth you were talking about is for a ditching machine commonly used on pipeline jobs to of course cut ditch sometimes called a rock saw. The tip of the ditching machine tooth should have a tungsten carbide insert so dont try forging the tip lol. Sorry if you covered that in the vid i paused it halfway to comment.
It reminded me of my first spring fuller... I'd forgotten I still had it. A length of half-inch round, double back on itself twice and forged tight and square to fit my hardie, the two ends bent about 10 inches forward onto the anvil face and spaced vertically to fit stock between them. It was ugly as sin, but it worked very well for years before I made something better.
Nice. I have some jackhammer bits n didn't think about using them. I can get a bunch. Thanks for the tip. I use whatever seems hard enough to make hardies
I hope to forge someday, I have the bug bad from a hundred+ videos... Many on how to get started for cheaper... I've checked out many comparisons on anvils or anvil shaped objects or not even shaped much like an anvil pro's and con's. Cheaper forges or maybe just a fire, charcoal and something to blow on it. I have a pretty good idea which tools I need to buy and which I can make sooner or later. There is a pay to play forge in a nearby city but I'm thinking it's pretty expensive. Also it seems to be structured more to classes than free time, which I could use, but would rather mostly do my own thing, thus my own forge once I have a place to put it. Anyway for now I gain knowledge from people like you. How to do, what to use, why to do it. Things like normalizing, heat treating, etc... I'm starting to understand more. Why some metals, what the differences are, etc... Even if I never get to use it I find it very interesting, and if you don't start somewhere you never go anywhere... Thanks for the info, I would certainly have a hardy hole if I buy an anvil or if I make one, and a cutoff would be my first tool.
I liked it better at a 45 deg angle. (just my .02) I do love the videos and have subscribed. Thank you for taking the time to make them. I have learned a lot.
I really appreciate the quality and diversity of content in your demonstrations. Thanks for your contributions and efforts in advancement of one of our most noble art forms .
Wasn't a mistake, you just made it for hexagon or even an octagon shaped hardy hole :) I notice you made the standard convex curve on the cutting edge. I actually saw someone using a hardy that was concave, it made the material being cut tend to jump towards the centre of the tool when struck rather than tending to slide off the edge. I liked the look of it and am going to give it a go. I have also seen and used a hardy made from a straight piece of mild steel angle iron, seemed to work okay as long as the steel was good and hot you were trying to cut.
I used a couple of those mushroom looking things that came out of a blacktop eating machine to make some hardies. They worked fine but one thing to watch out for is making sure to knock out any carbide tip in the end of it before you go to forging on that end. (experience talking here, had to grind out the mark in my hammer.)
New to smithing (JUST got anvil, but forge needs to be completed and I can get started), but was looking for feedback on a hardy idea: flat bar (either from round stock such as coil spring and forged or already flat) about the width of my hardy hole, worked like your third tool but folded on itself from the center of the bar and the ends folded outward evenly as the shoulders. Small wedge hammered in to stretch the flat stock like you do when fitting a wood handle to a head (axe, hammer, etc), only slightly wider. Forge welded together (hence slightly wider, to correct for welding and hammering). Wedge has more of a diamond shape so you can forge weld another piece of smaller, folded, v-shaped flat stock over it that can be hammered to a chisel point for the hardy. Wanted thoughts for longer lasting tools for those of us on a budget? The second flat stock can be a harder steel, but I was thinking just using coil spring as well, since I was also thinking of hardening the first a bit as well just under the shoulders? For the stresses of being used as a counter weight against the inside of the hardy hole? What do you think? Anyone and everyone else? I'll seek further feedback on other videos as well but this will be one of, hopefully many, as I actually get started. Thank you all for any criticism and feedback offered.
First of all, thank you for doing these videos. I took some classes but when you get home, you're always left trying to remember what you learned and your videos are awesome to remind me or even show a new way! Keep the videos coming! Question about your hardy hole conversion plate... Did you make it out but it? If you made it, maybe a video? If you bought it, where? I have a Fontanini anvil (same one you got) and some free hardy tools but they're too small for the l my anvil. Thanks and keep the great videos coming!
I was just about to say it's still nice to know how to fix it or at least try to. But it's also humble of you to say it was your mistake. How long have you been a blacksmith for?
the i don't know bit is from rock grinding machines. these are replacable teeth with carbide tips that end up wearing off. check to make sure the carbide is gone. vermeer sells these and you could find info from them .
I use metallurgical grade bituminous coal. Low sulfur, low ash cokes well. It is getting harder and harder to find. You msy need to have it shipped depending on where you live. Check with local smiths to see where they buy theirs.
Thanks for your videos you are a real asset to people who are new to this craft it should shorten the learning curve for anyone aspiring to learn the trade. I will send you pictures of a couple of hold downs I have made that work pretty good for me. What type of audio system do you use when you make your videos. Thanks for your teaching. Regards Terry
Glad you are enjoying the videos. I use a Sony Bluetooth mic that is designed for my Sony camera. I explain some about it here ruclips.net/video/NsrSijxRuuk/видео.html
I would like to see details of a chain makers hardy. I've seen guys make chain on them but haven't been able to find one anywhere. A nice detailed video would be helpful if I wanted to make one.
What you're looking for is also referred to as a "turtle" and can be made from a 3/8" to 1/12" bottom fuller with a slight neck protruding from one end or forged in that basic shape. Rowan Taylor I think showed one in one of his videos. At 4:10 you'll see the chain maker's hardy: ruclips.net/video/xVkTqepISPE/видео.html
Really enjoying your videos! My first anvil is in shipment to my home, it has no horn. What hardy hole tools can help make up for not having an anvil with a horn?
The hardy hole on my small anvil is i wanna say is the same width as a railroad spike.I may make a few cut off hardys and some swedges and fullers.I have some thicker steel around to make what i need.My cut off i made out of a railroad spike head actually does well but its not the best.
You touched on something that tripped my brain up. Your use of Vermiculite in annealing; I was wondering if you had a video on that process. The questions I have, for things as big as the hardy, do you bring the whole thing up to cherry temp and drop it in a box of the stuff, or what? Preciate the info and I'm learning lots.
Make a hardie tool that has a spring which curves back towards the edge of the anvil and has a flat plate which is in line with the edge of your anvil that acts as a set hammer
..I did the same thing with a 45 degree. Made another one right but i like the one a bit off better. Everything i cut falls into my catch bucket instead of hitting my stand and going elsewhere...
When I worked for the fire department the fork of a halligan was broken during training and it was thrown in the trash. I asked my captain if I could have it and he said yes. I was wondering if that would be good for making some hardy tools? The research I've done seems to indicate that it is probably 4140. I'm thinking that I could cut the adz off and weld on square bar for a shank to fit my hardy hole and still have a bunch left over.
Brand new to metal working and have what is probably a dumb question but you mentioned burning the metal. How can you burn the metal? Won’t it just become softer and softer the more you heat it? Ps. Just found your channel and love it! 👍 Great info!
I honestly do not know the answer, but I'll take a guess. I imagine it has to do with breaking down the molecular bonds of the metal making it impossible for it to return to its previous state. I think of it like the difference between giving raw and cooked bones to a dog. You can give a dog a raw bone and they will happily chew on it all day, but if you give them a cooked bone, it will splinter and cause all manner of problems. I'm thinking that if you were to overheat metal, you'd need to smelt it entirely to return it to a useful state, but then again, I'm just speculating.
Given enough oxygen most materials will burn. If you have ever seen fire works, the sparks are often from burning iron. Don't think of it as a self supporting form of combustion like a camp fire though.
I love your channel. I don’t like all those other so called “blacksmith” channels with their trendy beards, cinematic shots, music and slow-motion clips where all they make are glamorous useless knives. You produce useful, educational and informative videos about actual blacksmithing where you teach useful skills and practical projects. Thank you.
a man that isn't afraid to admit his mistakes on camera , is a man to learn from! Thank you
I wouldn't call these mistakes. This is what happens when you have a goal but no written or firm directions on how to get there. There's always a little bit of trial and error in the process.
Knowing that you make mistakes and can fix them is very encouraging to us beginners. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
I absolutely love Black Bear Forge's attitude and commentary with projects. Just chill AF and Humble.
Justified getting a propane forge for my 64th birthday. Got some tong blanks and a nice 75k english anvil from the 30's.
Have to assemble/cure up the forge and go through the misc. steel I've come across. I've some truck leaf spring I may cut, fold and beat into fullers and such. Have some broken jackhammer bits and will play around with old ball hitches. I'll be beating on rebar to make fire pit stuff and other trinkets until I develop some intuitive muscle memory. Looking forward to it, I've appreciated your videos for several years now.
Have fun, there's always more to try out.
I made a very simple cut-off hardie from a rail spike today. First I forged the spike's head to fit in my hardie hole. Then I blocked the bottom of the hardie hole with a file clamped to my anvil so the hot rail spike would rest at the bottom and hammered it over 90 degrees to sit flat along the anvil face. Next heat I clamped it in a vice and hammered the spike's tip up, and it's done.
Another great video by my internet dad. Thanks, internet dad.
This video helped me make my first hot cut hardy tool. Thanks!!!!! Immediately after seeing it, I drove to my own brand new workshop, and made this from a coil spring. I really appreciate your videos.
Actually, this is my first Blacksmiths tool I've ever made myself.
Makes me wanna find an ole Anvil…
A 45° Hardy might have been a good idea, but you are here to teach, so showing a "fix" is fine too. The plus is, you get to show the issues with forging large steel bits after twisting.
Great teaching moment, thanks.
I have an anvil with a 45 degree hardie hole, so....
The "I don't know" bit is from either an auger or continous miner. Those bits are unbelievably hard. Having worked underground for 7 years, I've seen what those can do and rocks do not stand a chance against them.
I would say the mining bit is 1041. Use to work for Sandvik Rock Tool.
Started as a machinist with them, finished an engineer.
Great video on how to make some of the most useful tools. Thank you
you do a great job teaching. I've done this a few years now and have started watching your videos. I also give lesson's. we, need to keep this craft going. thank you.
What a great video to learn from. I've learned tons from your videos and I am very Thankful. I don't have a great deal of smithing experience, especially being a cabinetmaker. But I have made hardware needed to restore period antiques or repaired and made missing pieces. I had a small forge, I called it the BBQ forge with a cast iron pan and blower. A small anvil about 50 or 60 lbs and it worked okay. I lent them to a guy years back, with some hammers and a few tools, and he disappeared. My mentor gave me the forge and the anvil was my Grandfathers and that's what hurt the worse. So I've looked for anvils, I have a blower or two and can make a forge but anvils are expensepive. But living here in Lancaster Co. Pa. farm country, I keep my eyes open for that anvil that will fit my needs. With all the antique German box locks I've restored or make parts for myself, I've made keepers, a bit of forging on the latch and riveting to a back plate I made traditionally with files and the like. So your videos help a lot. One of the professions of my mentor was, born in 1889,' was a blacksmith in a carriage shop, where he learned black smithing and made 6 cents an hour in his teens. I did learn things from him though he couldn't do much work in his 80s and 90s. But I'm sure you can see something done and do it. Your work is beautiful and I love how you maintain the tradition, which I believe is very important. I use traditional old tools in my work. And I have seen many many pieces of traditional hardware for furniture and houses, which I've been involved with restoring. I have a deep respect for craftsmanship and the creative arts, the art of spirit and making something not just for its practical use but made as best as possible. And I also love running across pieces where someone wasn't necessarily skilled but did the best they could and made it work. In the old day people seemed to have a deeper appreciation and did the best they could. Thus folk art. Something almost lost and a few keeping it alive. I believe there has been a growing interest in all the skills and new appreciation for them in the factory produced goods of today. People are beginning to miss the beauty and spirit place in the love of creating something. Weather it be an apple pie or a beautiful piece of iron crafted with skill, experience and a love for the art. This you do and I'm very Thankful for this and your sharing your art. It keeps it alive. DaveyJO in Pa.
i couldn't agree more, as a carpenter and builder i'm always having to make or adapt tools and fittings, and knowledge like whats presented here is invaluable. how i see it, the more able you are to not only see what you need, but make it, the more generally capable it makes you and the less you are at the mercy of things outside your control, self reliant.
Nice save on the hardy.Good to see your human.Thanks for another awesome video.
Just realized this after watching a couple videos. You are the Ron Swanson of blacksmithing. Love the videos.
Your keeping good pace with your videos, and there not short either. Also its good efficiency as you keep signing off with " get out to your shop" or similar and I end up rushing out and trying something lol so I spend more time forging and not just wasting away watching you and others do it.
Wow, someone is listening and doing what I say? If I can get enough people conditioned to do that I could rule the world (insert maniacal laughter here)
It's not necessarily wasting away watching the videos if you learn something useful
I really enjoy how much quality content you put out! Thanks much and keep up the good work! Always a pleasure.
I am glad you are enjoying them
4❤️
Thank you! Thank you! I started today, what a great day - and you're right, sooner than later. I just need to make a notch on a long piece (coal rake) and I can't hold the peice and some chisel at the same time... Sure appreciated your mistake and repair as well!
I am recieving a great education with your videos. Thanks for the excellent content!
Ive never blacksmithed in my life but i love your videos they are fascinating , many thanks for the content
Good tip I am going to call my local tool rental place and see if they have any bits!!
my first thought when he showed us what he was using .
Watching your videos really makes me want to start blacksmithing. The last hardy is what I've seen at renaissance fairs and really makes sense for the first hardies ever made, because it's quick, simple and effective.
Thank you for your video. I am not a blacksmith at all and probably never will but I love how you showed the process of it. It reminds me of life. Sometimes life gets hot and you get hit hard but in the end it works to make you come out right. Just like your tools. Thanks for the video!
wish i had seen the last one 8 years ago then i got my own shop started. have used a hacksaw or the hardy on my biking stump for years
You are an amazing person with an amazing sense of understanding
Thanks!
Your videos are instructional and inspirational thank you for making them.
Ya know....after 25 years blacksmithing i still love seeing the myriad ways people do the same work and i never stop learning...there maybe 10 million ways to do something wrong but theres 10 million ways to do it right ...keep doin what you do
hey that piece of steel your holding at 6:00 is a tooth from what i think is a vermeer trench digger ther are super cool pieces of machinery at least i think thats what it is
great video John... I'll be contacting all the rental places for sure!
Any recovery that results in a working item is a good recovery!! But you do need to have a bit of an ideas to what can be done. Your videos give that iea.
Thanks...keep up the great teaching
This is my new go-to for blacksmithing!
Thank you so much for doing what you do, your videos are amazing well presented and broken down in a way that can be understood by less experienced viewers, without "dumbing it down" as only an experienced craftsmen can explain. So stoked I found your channel, and that you are in the same neighborhood of Colorado! I just recently was fortunate enough to become the owner of my first forge (forced air and far larger than a beginner needs but it was priced to well to pass up)
Dude, your videos are the best educational blacksmithing videos on RUclips in my opinion. I have started making my own equipment to do some projects and the tips and tricks you show are helping me visualise what I need and how to go about it
I am glad the videos are helping
I enjoy watching your videos. Most people will edit their mistakes and show only the perfect finished product, you show people how to correct the mistakes. Good job sir
I appreciate that!
John I was watching the orientation of the Hexagon as you started forging the cutting edge and thought I might mark an indication to keep me on the right track...As it works out I would NOT call it a failure, reason being as I'm very restricted to space around my anvil to move around so it's better for me to have the cutter at 45 degrees so I stand in the centre and still swing...Just a thought, I guess everyones needs vary...Toby
i absolutely love your blacksmithing channel, and the wealth of information, the detailed explainations, and your cool demeanor, your structured approach to things.
With my limited blacksmithing experience the first jackhammer hardie you are making, i can tell that its a very tough material, but i also see with your experience you know to work it in the bright yellow range, to easen the workload, its a pleasure to watch :)
Great learning every time
Thanks again Sir
Thanks John, I'm woodworker who is trying to learn blacksmithing. Every winter I try to teach myself a new trick I can add to my quiver. This winter I chose blacksmithing and your videos have been invaluable! I watch them every afternoon when I get home from my shop and learned so much, with a few chuckles thrown in. My hands are feeling a little numb from spending the day making square shank nails for a customer out of quarter inch round bar. That will make you appreciate automation 😂 Keep up the great videos! I'm learning a lot from you!
Nails are more work than they seem like they should be. I have heard that a good nail maker can do 100+ per hour. Me it's about 20 and they aren't that good.
Awesome video thank you!!!
my favorit channel =) picking up blacksmithing because of u
Thank you, just starting need to keep practicing,
Thank you for the 3rd cruder hardy. It's an interesting quick & dirty path to have taken with many other tools e.g. a bending jig as well as options for refinement & variation for example welding a third, central piece of tool steel between lower carbon scrap.
Mr. Bear, finding your videos very helpful, easy to understand, and down to Earth. Thank you.
Thank you for all of your videos! I have learned so much from you and you do a great job explaining and demonstrating it! Again, thanks so much and look forward to more videos!
You are welcome
You fixed it!! Learning how to fix the F-ups is needed. Thank you. 😁😂
This kind of satyfying
Just fantastic. Thanks for the inspiration..... Probly the best blacksmithing vid I've seen to date. Im out to the workshop....... Thanks for helping to keep blacksmithing alive.... All I learn is to teach my son as he gets older, he's only 6yrs old so I've got a bit more time up my sleeve yet be4 he's really ready, even though he already has his own anvil and hammers. He's just got to be doing whatever dads doing..... My lil right hand man in the workshop.... So once again thanks for putting in the time and effort you do in making these tutorials.
You're welcome. I am glad there are young folks inclined to learn. Seems like more and more all of the time. Just a few years ago it was hard to find a smith that wasn't over 50. Keep him interested and active.
Great
Regardless of mistakes, you're a straight up bad@$$! Love your videos, man. I'm just days away from completing my forge, and quite excited to start forging some projects. Not sure what the first one will be, probably a chef knife, but I see scoops and spoons on the creative horizon :)
It’s funny, but your fiascos are some of our best work!
A hardy my head with age !
That last salvage piece that you talked about is a tooth to a milling machine for asphalt. When I used to work for the city's asphalt crew, the machine we used had a big cylinder full of those teeth. They're super hard, and can take a beating. Given, we had to replace them every once in a while due to wear and tear, but they can withstand all sorts of abuse.
I don't suppose you know what the material is? They look like they would be very useful for several different tools.
I used to operate an asphalt mill. The teeth we used had a carbide tip on them. We changed then when that wore off. Not sure what kind of steel they are made out of.
Thanks, I will have to experiment a little.
Another great video. I'll probably use that fold method since I need to fit a 2inch Hardie hole.
Thats a big hardy hole. Do you have a huge anvil or some other reason the hole is so large?
@@BlackBearForge 500+ lb PW. It's a beast.
Thank you for making that mistake, because it hammers( pun not intended) out the lesson of keeping you mind on your work. I think I learn more from mistakes, because I make so many of them, oh well, I learned a lot. Keep pounding away, I am watching.
Car springs are very versatile!
I was thinking of making one of these out of a log splitter i got this week.
I have heard of people doing that with fairly good results.
Your brilliant Sir thanks for such educational videos I have a lovely old anvil but no tools at all, I want to preserve some forgotten arts and will try to make some tools from your very educational lessons...Thank you for sharing your skill's with us, Toby
Thanks so much for sharing all this information. You sir are one hell of a teacher.
Enjoy all your videos. I work in the oilfield, here are the wrench sizes (flats) for the sucker rods you mentioned:
Body Wrench
5/8 7/8
3/4 1
7/8 1 or 1-1/8
1 1 5/16
1 1/8 1 1/2
thanks
That tooth you were talking about is for a ditching machine commonly used on pipeline jobs to of course cut ditch sometimes called a rock saw. The tip of the ditching machine tooth should have a tungsten carbide insert so dont try forging the tip lol. Sorry if you covered that in the vid i paused it halfway to comment.
Beat me to it. I worked for a few rock sawing/blasting companies in the past and was excited to dump some knowledge.
Great video. Eventhought the last example was very hokey. Sometimes you gotta make due with what you have on the fly...and that's A-ok 👍👍
It reminded me of my first spring fuller... I'd forgotten I still had it. A length of half-inch round, double back on itself twice and forged tight and square to fit my hardie, the two ends bent about 10 inches forward onto the anvil face and spaced vertically to fit stock between them. It was ugly as sin, but it worked very well for years before I made something better.
I am very glad I found your channel! Very informative and well explained details. Good job, please keep it up!
Nice. I have some jackhammer bits n didn't think about using them. I can get a bunch. Thanks for the tip. I use whatever seems hard enough to make hardies
I hope to forge someday, I have the bug bad from a hundred+ videos... Many on how to get started for cheaper... I've checked out many comparisons on anvils or anvil shaped objects or not even shaped much like an anvil pro's and con's. Cheaper forges or maybe just a fire, charcoal and something to blow on it. I have a pretty good idea which tools I need to buy and which I can make sooner or later. There is a pay to play forge in a nearby city but I'm thinking it's pretty expensive. Also it seems to be structured more to classes than free time, which I could use, but would rather mostly do my own thing, thus my own forge once I have a place to put it. Anyway for now I gain knowledge from people like you. How to do, what to use, why to do it. Things like normalizing, heat treating, etc... I'm starting to understand more. Why some metals, what the differences are, etc... Even if I never get to use it I find it very interesting, and if you don't start somewhere you never go anywhere... Thanks for the info, I would certainly have a hardy hole if I buy an anvil or if I make one, and a cutoff would be my first tool.
Hey good job buddy thanks for sharing how to fix it to
I liked it better at a 45 deg angle. (just my .02) I do love the videos and have subscribed. Thank you for taking the time to make them. I have learned a lot.
This video is fantastic thank you so much
Sweet Video black bear forge, mahalo td
I really appreciate the quality and diversity of content in your demonstrations. Thanks for your contributions and efforts in advancement of one of our most noble art forms .
thanks John ive been hoping to see a hardy tool video1
There will be a few more to come
As usual stellar stuff!
Good video
Thanks
Black Bear Forge your welcome you do a lot of great work
Great tutorial, thanks for putting in the effort and uploading this to share...
You are welcome
great stuff. im 60 and feel like im a first year apprentice. im ok to learn.
Great simple ideas!
Wasn't a mistake, you just made it for hexagon or even an octagon shaped hardy hole :)
I notice you made the standard convex curve on the cutting edge. I actually saw someone using a hardy that was concave, it made the material being cut tend to jump towards the centre of the tool when struck rather than tending to slide off the edge. I liked the look of it and am going to give it a go.
I have also seen and used a hardy made from a straight piece of mild steel angle iron, seemed to work okay as long as the steel was good and hot you were trying to cut.
I used a couple of those mushroom looking things that came out of a blacktop eating machine to make some hardies. They worked fine but one thing to watch out for is making sure to knock out any carbide tip in the end of it before you go to forging on that end. (experience talking here, had to grind out the mark in my hammer.)
The one I have doesn't have the carbide anymore, but that is a good tip.
New to smithing (JUST got anvil, but forge needs to be completed and I can get started), but was looking for feedback on a hardy idea: flat bar (either from round stock such as coil spring and forged or already flat) about the width of my hardy hole, worked like your third tool but folded on itself from the center of the bar and the ends folded outward evenly as the shoulders.
Small wedge hammered in to stretch the flat stock like you do when fitting a wood handle to a head (axe, hammer, etc), only slightly wider.
Forge welded together (hence slightly wider, to correct for welding and hammering).
Wedge has more of a diamond shape so you can forge weld another piece of smaller, folded, v-shaped flat stock over it that can be hammered to a chisel point for the hardy.
Wanted thoughts for longer lasting tools for those of us on a budget? The second flat stock can be a harder steel, but I was thinking just using coil spring as well, since I was also thinking of hardening the first a bit as well just under the shoulders? For the stresses of being used as a counter weight against the inside of the hardy hole? What do you think? Anyone and everyone else? I'll seek further feedback on other videos as well but this will be one of, hopefully many, as I actually get started. Thank you all for any criticism and feedback offered.
First of all, thank you for doing these videos. I took some classes but when you get home, you're always left trying to remember what you learned and your videos are awesome to remind me or even show a new way! Keep the videos coming! Question about your hardy hole conversion plate... Did you make it out but it? If you made it, maybe a video? If you bought it, where? I have a Fontanini anvil (same one you got) and some free hardy tools but they're too small for the l my anvil. Thanks and keep the great videos coming!
Thats just a plate with a square hole cut in it and a piece of tubing to fit the hardy hole.
@@BlackBearForge wow, I was trying to make that way harder in my mind then! Thank you sir and thanks again for the videos!
Thank you, Love it.
I was just about to say it's still nice to know how to fix it or at least try to. But it's also humble of you to say it was your mistake. How long have you been a blacksmith for?
the i don't know bit is from rock grinding machines. these are replacable teeth with carbide tips that end up wearing off. check to make sure the carbide is gone. vermeer sells these and you could find info from them .
What kind of coals are you using? Where do you get them? Thank you for your expertise. You’re a great teacher.
I use metallurgical grade bituminous coal. Low sulfur, low ash cokes well. It is getting harder and harder to find. You msy need to have it shipped depending on where you live. Check with local smiths to see where they buy theirs.
THANK YOU
You're welcome
Another great video, and very informative. Looks like you got a package from Ken's Custom Iron.
Good eyes. I haven't tried his tongs yet, so we will see them for a video as I see how they work.
Thanks for your videos you are a real asset to people who are new to this craft it should shorten the learning curve for anyone aspiring to learn the trade. I will send you pictures of a couple of hold downs I have made that work pretty good for me. What type of audio system do you use when you make your videos. Thanks for your teaching.
Regards Terry
Glad you are enjoying the videos. I use a Sony Bluetooth mic that is designed for my Sony camera. I explain some about it here ruclips.net/video/NsrSijxRuuk/видео.html
I would like to see details of a chain makers hardy. I've seen guys make chain on them but haven't been able to find one anywhere. A nice detailed video would be helpful if I wanted to make one.
I think I know what you are speaking of, but I have never used one or made one. I'll think on it for a while
John I would also like to see the chain makers anvil/hardy tool. Chain making is an addiction.
Check out these guys making chain in 1939. ruclips.net/video/9Zn6HSuO-VY/видео.html
What you're looking for is also referred to as a "turtle" and can be made from a 3/8" to 1/12" bottom fuller with a slight neck protruding from one end or forged in that basic shape. Rowan Taylor I think showed one in one of his videos. At 4:10 you'll see the chain maker's hardy: ruclips.net/video/xVkTqepISPE/видео.html
Great video John!
Really enjoying your videos! My first anvil is in shipment to my home, it has no horn. What hardy hole tools can help make up for not having an anvil with a horn?
The hardy hole on my small anvil is i wanna say is the same width as a railroad spike.I may make a few cut off hardys and some swedges and fullers.I have some thicker steel around to make what i need.My cut off i made out of a railroad spike head actually does well but its not the best.
It is much easier to make smaller tools, so a smaller hardy hole can be a real blessing.
Maestro super
Hmm, this sounds like a perfect excuse to attempt a collar weld as well!
I think you're right. In many ways it sounds easier.
You touched on something that tripped my brain up. Your use of Vermiculite in annealing; I was wondering if you had a video on that process. The questions I have, for things as big as the hardy, do you bring the whole thing up to cherry temp and drop it in a box of the stuff, or what? Preciate the info and I'm learning lots.
9:07 sooo hypnotizing
Great video. Really appreciated! (sorry my english)
Thank you. Your English is good
Make a hardie tool that has a spring which curves back towards the edge of the anvil and has a flat plate which is in line with the edge of your anvil that acts as a set hammer
..I did the same thing with a 45 degree. Made another one right but i like the one a bit off better. Everything i cut falls into my catch bucket instead of hitting my stand and going elsewhere...
Sometime an unintentional design change can be a good thing
Good
When I worked for the fire department the fork of a halligan was broken during training and it was thrown in the trash. I asked my captain if I could have it and he said yes. I was wondering if that would be good for making some hardy tools? The research I've done seems to indicate that it is probably 4140. I'm thinking that I could cut the adz off and weld on square bar for a shank to fit my hardy hole and still have a bunch left over.
Brand new to metal working and have what is probably a dumb question but you mentioned burning the metal. How can you burn the metal? Won’t it just become softer and softer the more you heat it?
Ps. Just found your channel and love it! 👍 Great info!
I honestly do not know the answer, but I'll take a guess.
I imagine it has to do with breaking down the molecular bonds of the metal making it impossible for it to return to its previous state. I think of it like the difference between giving raw and cooked bones to a dog. You can give a dog a raw bone and they will happily chew on it all day, but if you give them a cooked bone, it will splinter and cause all manner of problems.
I'm thinking that if you were to overheat metal, you'd need to smelt it entirely to return it to a useful state, but then again, I'm just speculating.
Given enough oxygen most materials will burn. If you have ever seen fire works, the sparks are often from burning iron. Don't think of it as a self supporting form of combustion like a camp fire though.