I really appreciate how Nick tackles pretty complex jobs with really basic tools. Most youtubers would only demonstrate this with a $15000 shop, and here he is using pliers for tongs, on a scrap metal anvil.
took the words right out of my comment box my friend, I think something like this would look good on a bowie knife. just my two CENTS on the matter tho....... Ehh Ehhh!!! Get It!!! I'm sorry... I will leave now...
Thank you so much for showing this process in its entirety. I've successfully done this a few times now, thanks to you. Here in Canada, US quarters are fairly commonly interspersed and I didn't even need to leave the house to get a stack. Only after a few billets did I realize that certain years of Canadian dimes, still commonly circulating have even higher nickel contents, some 100% most 25%, allowing for significantly less coppery results, if desired. Cheers!
I had heard of mokume gane before but I had just never realized you could just scoop up some quarters and forge them. Thanks for the heads up on this. Im going to experiment with this sometime soon.
You are the best RUclipsr, for me. I admire you, because you make the best things from old trash/other things. Especially your Knifes are really cool, because they aren't so cheap imitates, which can only be deco, they are real!And they also look really cool.👍👍👍best man
Man, that is some good looking stuff there! In fact - - in certain circumstances, I can picture it as bolsters on the handle of a Damascus steel blade. Although it might look a bit "busy" to your average Joe, it would make a truly *original* piece. Thank you very kindly for sharing this!
I've watched this video before but I used like ten bucks worth of quarters and only made two rings after a rewatch I saw you fileing the edges before you started drawing it out ! can't wait to try this thanks !
Wow man, it's been really enjoyable to watch you progress with your skill level and knowledge over the course of your channel. I've been a subscriber of yours for quite some time now and it's aLeah's fun to watch what you put together. Keep up the great work!
Fyi: (U.S.) coinage from 1980 or older is, iirc, 90% silver for Quarters/Dimes/Half-Dollars, 30% silver for Nickels, and the Pennies are solid copper. They aren't super common, these days... but pretty reliable source for Cu & Ag in small quantities - like jeweling or knife fittings.
Nice video, Just in time too, as i am making a hidden tang knife, and was looking for some material for the handle guards, and just got some new propane torches today, i wil definately be making some of this 'makume gane'
I have a question about a previous video but I wasn't sure if you would reply so I'm gonna ask here. In your 80 pound longbow video what diminisions would make a 50 to 60 pound longbow?
I didn't even know you could forge weld non ferrous materials. Do you use flux at all? What would you make from it? I'm just starting to learn how to forge and cannot decide between blades or jewelry. I'm trying to learn more about the metallurgy first. Thanks :) Looks awesome btw, it's like inverted domascus. Colour wise that is.
great information nick i have been learning from you for years now nick thanks for every thing you got me from doing nothing outdoors to making pvc bows,knifes,arrows,etc.. so i can't thank you enough and man the new book looks great,do you sell it in digital format? all the best.
Soft taps actually are more effective when forge welding. when you hit the metal too hard it will actually cause the molten metal to "splatter" and leave the cooler metal kind of stuck together but not well. I am apprenticing under a 13 year journeyman smith and he let me know this. I hope it helps you like it did me! keep up the vids man I really enjoy them!
Hello, great video! I'd like to know how you heat the coins in this video. I have MAPP torch , and I don't know if I can use it, since I'm new at working with metals. Thanks for the grreat tutorial!
Round one trying this, out of a stack of 11 quarters, only 3 and 4 stuck together. However, the tongs I was using were very short, just round stock I tapered the ends of and then folded into a long U. I couldn't get them properly into the heat before my glove started smoking.
How malleable is the finished product? Is it at all similar to the strength of bronze? If so I'd love to see that forged into the Habaki of a tanto or katana
I tried this but I had a hard time forge welding the coins together even with flux. I only got 2 to weld, I'm not exactly sure what u mean by "sweat". Like I see when the metal gets tacky, but when I start hammering the first hammer welds em and the second unsticks em. It's tricky, I wish there were more vids on this technique. Well done. I did use what I made to make a finger guard for a knife thou so thnx 😁
Thank you friend for sharing and making. I wish you'd go more detail into troubleshooting. Those of us who tried knows how frustrating it could get when you super cleaned the surface, you tried borax, you tried accetone, different flame types(propane, MAP, MAP+oxy, oxy+acetalyne, no gas but coal or electric furnace. Temp range from red to red orang., to org-ylw, ylw-wht, wht-melt, melt-spilled-mixed-oh-craps. Pretty much all available info. that you can google and youtube- still the top two fused the bottom three fused too but in the middle it seem holding up until you apply the pressure. Would you recomend something that you think is the main rule/ingridient?? thank you again
Amazing video. I have a question hopefully you or someone else can answer, I have been working on forging sterling silver from a puck of silver into a billet but it keeps cracking, am I working with it while its to low of a temp or to high of a temp? I have successfully done this with pure 999 silver but having problems with alloys. please help.
It depends on what you're trying to do. I like to do most forging of silver and copper at a red heat. If I'm working it cold, I try to anneal after every 30%-40% reduction in thickness or width as I'm drawing out. I'm still practicing and by no means an expert, but this works for me. Hope this helps!
Work it at a low cherry red, and let it anneal by heating it to a bright red, allow it to cool to the point at which it is no longer glowing, (black heat), and quench it. Sterling silver can be finicky, so work it slowly, with a light hammer or with light blows. I hope that this helps you.
Annealing is the key! I know a jeweler that makes a fortune by taking advantage of those cracks as a design element in his rings and cuffs. He does it deliberately in a very controlled manner. To avoid the cracks, anneal often.
what did you use to heat it up? was it propane if so was it larger than your everyday home depot burner? if you have a link to it that would be even better
Would it be possible to etch it in acid to bring out the pattern a little more? I really wanna try this, but I'd like to have a somewhat more defined pattern.
Real Deal Armory - - all due respect & based on your question; how many sharpened items are made from Copper &/or Nickel anymore? That being said: Why would it need to hold an edge? Thumb up for your questions though!
Real Deal Armory , I know with Damascus you can acid etch the metal. This eats away the outer layer of the metal to show the most of the metals natural pattern. Don't know if the same applies here tho, as I've yet to try it.
are you sanding (facing) the coins flat first or leaving the impression of the Head and tails on it and just making sure they are clean and free of oil?
So, the thicker lines were copper and thinner nickel? I've been flirting with the idea of forging copper stuff and specially mokume gane stuff, didn't know there was this much copper in quarters. Thank you! :D
I would think it would be very hard to draw a billet that large to wire if you are talking about a bench top hand operated rolling mill. If you are talking about hot rolling it, you’d probably need to get the billet at least to 1/2” x 1/2” before you could start reducing it down. Neat idea though
did you use a basic butane or map gas torch? Just curious because I was thinking about making some pendants for a group of ppl I know and want to do it in this style.
BackyardBowyer What kind of tongs are those, I am trying this but it keeps falling apart in my forge because I try to use vice grips and I don't have the appropriate tongs, PLS HELP!!
What if you mix Copper and Nickle together, like Molten Metals together.... I heard it becomes a beautiful purple metal with white streaks through it.... called The Net.
I really appreciate how Nick tackles pretty complex jobs with really basic tools. Most youtubers would only demonstrate this with a $15000 shop, and here he is using pliers for tongs, on a scrap metal anvil.
Absolute rubbish, my tools cost not 1 penny more than £14999.99p and yet I have done an instructable on this (pfffft)
That would make an awesome knife guard.
Thats what i was thinking, i might use it for a file dagger that i made a while back
took the words right out of my comment box my friend, I think something like this would look good on a bowie knife. just my two CENTS on the matter tho....... Ehh Ehhh!!! Get It!!! I'm sorry... I will leave now...
+LOLKING LoL 😆
Yeeeessss
That's exactly why I came to watch this video. I was like woah that thumbnail looks like a knife handle or finger guard. I want to do that now.
Finally! A use for all my spare laundry money!
I'm really enjoying your videos. You have this happiness in your voice unlike a lot of RUclips.
Thank you so much for showing this process in its entirety. I've successfully done this a few times now, thanks to you. Here in Canada, US quarters are fairly commonly interspersed and I didn't even need to leave the house to get a stack.
Only after a few billets did I realize that certain years of Canadian dimes, still commonly circulating have even higher nickel contents, some 100% most 25%, allowing for significantly less coppery results, if desired.
Cheers!
Hands down, best infomative video I've seen in a while. Fantastic job sir.
I was looking for Makume Gane Tutorials for Clay and found this video. Very cool!
i love how you videos are fast and they get to the point
I had heard of mokume gane before but I had just never realized you could just scoop up some quarters and forge them. Thanks for the heads up on this. Im going to experiment with this sometime soon.
You are the best RUclipsr, for me. I admire you, because you make the best things from old trash/other things. Especially your Knifes are really cool, because they aren't so cheap imitates, which can only be deco, they are real!And they also look really cool.👍👍👍best man
Man, that is some good looking stuff there! In fact - - in certain circumstances, I can picture it as bolsters on the handle of a Damascus steel blade. Although it might look a bit "busy" to your average Joe, it would make a truly *original* piece. Thank you very kindly for sharing this!
I've watched this video before but I used like ten bucks worth of quarters and only made two rings after a rewatch I saw you fileing the edges before you started drawing it out ! can't wait to try this thanks !
I' ll say it again my friend. You are an artist. Thank so much for sharing. Greetings from Chile.
Nice! Glad to see you really getting into forging.Should be interesting to see what you end up doing with that billet.
wow. this is the coolest /easiest mokume gane process i've every seen
GREAT Tip. Thank you for sharing.
Wow man, it's been really enjoyable to watch you progress with your skill level and knowledge over the course of your channel. I've been a subscriber of yours for quite some time now and it's aLeah's fun to watch what you put together. Keep up the great work!
Thanks!
Fyi: (U.S.) coinage from 1980 or older is, iirc, 90% silver for Quarters/Dimes/Half-Dollars, 30% silver for Nickels, and the Pennies are solid copper.
They aren't super common, these days... but pretty reliable source for Cu & Ag in small quantities - like jeweling or knife fittings.
Your vids are inspiring. They give one courage to try something out themselves. Thanks
It is NOT illegal. read the law. he isn't doing this to be fraudulent. Jewelry is made from coins as well. Same principle.
This is awesome! I had no idea about the quarters! But it makes sense in hindsight because they are an amalgam.
The final billet is beautiful.
More power to you. I have issues bonding nickel together usually.
Stopping inflation $4 at a time
😂
I was waiting for this comment😂😂
Nice video, Just in time too, as i am making a hidden tang knife, and was looking for some material for the handle guards, and just got some new propane torches today, i wil definately be making some of this 'makume gane'
jason Mackenzie u stole the tanto kukri from Slavik tellys channel
That looks really cool, should try that once..
Just what I was looking for
Just found your channel I like! I will be back for more info. But now got get some quarters cleaned up
Really nice work! The pattern looks great!
I have a question about a previous video but I wasn't sure if you would reply so I'm gonna ask here. In your 80 pound longbow video what diminisions would make a 50 to 60 pound longbow?
Cool vid and really like the Damascus pattern.
Amazing video man! I really enjoyed it.
I didn't even know you could forge weld non ferrous materials. Do you use flux at all? What would you make from it?
I'm just starting to learn how to forge and cannot decide between blades or jewelry. I'm trying to learn more about the metallurgy first. Thanks :)
Looks awesome btw, it's like inverted domascus. Colour wise that is.
If it melts, it welds...
great information nick i have been learning from you for years now nick thanks for every thing you got me from doing nothing outdoors to making pvc bows,knifes,arrows,etc.. so i can't thank you enough and man the new book looks great,do you sell it in digital format?
all the best.
Soft taps actually are more effective when forge welding. when you hit the metal too hard it will actually cause the molten metal to "splatter" and leave the cooler metal kind of stuck together but not well. I am apprenticing under a 13 year journeyman smith and he let me know this. I hope it helps you like it did me! keep up the vids man I really enjoy them!
also use a flux like borax its common in most supermarkets in the US!
Hello, great video! I'd like to know how you heat the coins in this video. I have MAPP torch , and I don't know if I can use it, since I'm new at working with metals. Thanks for the grreat tutorial!
Round one trying this, out of a stack of 11 quarters, only 3 and 4 stuck together. However, the tongs I was using were very short, just round stock I tapered the ends of and then folded into a long U. I couldn't get them properly into the heat before my glove started smoking.
How malleable is the finished product? Is it at all similar to the strength of bronze? If so I'd love to see that forged into the Habaki of a tanto or katana
mac mizer and a suba.
Great Video. Please comment on the type of torch you used. I didn't think a propane torch was hot enough for melting non-ferrous metal.
Nathan Brandel copper and nickel melt at lower points than iron, so it would actually be easier.
Thanks Nick! So good!
I tried this but I had a hard time forge welding the coins together even with flux. I only got 2 to weld, I'm not exactly sure what u mean by "sweat". Like I see when the metal gets tacky, but when I start hammering the first hammer welds em and the second unsticks em. It's tricky, I wish there were more vids on this technique. Well done. I did use what I made to make a finger guard for a knife thou so thnx 😁
Thank you! I have been trying to figure out how to make copper "Damascus", and now I at least know that it's possible.
Amazing work as usual!
We would love to see you do a crossbow project with a steel arm as were found in medieval period, it would be cool to see your approach.
Very cool! What would you charge to make one of these billets? Aside from $4 in quarters...
Your the man Nick!
What a great idea.Thanks for sharing..
Really cool Nick
Could you do a twist mokume gane?
Beautiful!
Inspiring, as usual.
Thank you friend for sharing and making. I wish you'd go more detail into troubleshooting. Those of us who tried knows how frustrating it could get when you super cleaned the surface, you tried borax, you tried accetone, different flame types(propane, MAP, MAP+oxy, oxy+acetalyne, no gas but coal or electric furnace. Temp range from red to red orang., to org-ylw, ylw-wht, wht-melt, melt-spilled-mixed-oh-craps. Pretty much all available info. that you can google and youtube- still the top two fused the bottom three fused too but in the middle it seem holding up until you apply the pressure. Would you recomend something that you think is the main rule/ingridient?? thank you again
Love the video. Great way to learn for a beginner. Cant wait to give it a try
+kelly daugherty Thank you for watching!
Amazing video. I have a question hopefully you or someone else can answer, I have been working on forging sterling silver from a puck of silver into a billet but it keeps cracking, am I working with it while its to low of a temp or to high of a temp? I have successfully done this with pure 999 silver but having problems with alloys. please help.
It depends on what you're trying to do. I like to do most forging of silver and copper at a red heat. If I'm working it cold, I try to anneal after every 30%-40% reduction in thickness or width as I'm drawing out. I'm still practicing and by no means an expert, but this works for me.
Hope this helps!
Work it at a low cherry red, and let it anneal by heating it to a bright red, allow it to cool to the point at which it is no longer glowing, (black heat), and quench it. Sterling silver can be finicky, so work it slowly, with a light hammer or with light blows. I hope that this helps you.
Jake Easterday Thanks for the tips, I will see how it goes.
Annealing is the key! I know a jeweler that makes a fortune by taking advantage of those cracks as a design element in his rings and cuffs. He does it deliberately in a very controlled manner. To avoid the cracks, anneal often.
what did you use to heat it up? was it propane if so was it larger than your everyday home depot burner? if you have a link to it that would be even better
This is my next project! Can you teach us how you would make Damascus steel? This would be a sweet guard on a Damascus blade.
thats some damn cool crafting
Would it be possible to etch it in acid to bring out the pattern a little more? I really wanna try this, but I'd like to have a somewhat more defined pattern.
I'm assuming this wouldn't hold an edge very well?... also is there anything you can do to bring out the pattern even more? Great video. :)
Real Deal Armory - - all due respect & based on your question; how many sharpened items are made from Copper &/or Nickel anymore? That being said: Why would it need to hold an edge? Thumb up for your questions though!
Real Deal Armory , I know with Damascus you can acid etch the metal. This eats away the outer layer of the metal to show the most of the metals natural pattern. Don't know if the same applies here tho, as I've yet to try it.
Very nice. I've been wanting to do this for a while. I assume a charcoal forge will make this much more difficult?
I'm trying to make a section of copper pipe into a flat bar. Would I use similar techniques to this, or something different?
hey BackyardBowyer what kind of torch are you using ? propane or acetylene ? would really love to know.
Can you use a few 90% silver quarters mixed in?
Subbed. Good channel and a free education.
you can use it to make a knife guard, it will be very nice
did you use flux weld and just not show it or does that metal for some reason weld itself?
You've come a long way from making home made bows and arrows.
What do you use for an anvil and forge? I'd love to get into a craft like this but my budget is quite limited.
Jarrod Calder I think he just uses a big metal bar as a anvil and a propane torch surrounded with bricks
Dude, I LOVE this video!!!
are you sanding (facing) the coins flat first or leaving the impression of the Head and tails on it and just making sure they are clean and free of oil?
Kenstubeofstuff he only cleaned these
fantastic idea
Really cool; love the idea
VERY COOL, NICK! ;)
Do you sell the products that you make?? If so do you have a catalog or a website??
Love it! I only have a coal forge making this very difficult
best tutorial yet on youtube
+knives&stuff hey knife and stuff I love your vids, it is a very good tutorial.
Rodrigo EspecialesyAgradecimientos thank you Rodrigo :)
What did you use to heat it up? Harbor freight weed burner?
Cool I have the same 4lb hammer from harbor freight but the handle really sucks I need to replace it soon
So, the thicker lines were copper and thinner nickel? I've been flirting with the idea of forging copper stuff and specially mokume gane stuff, didn't know there was this much copper in quarters. Thank you! :D
do you have any experiance with smithing outside of the DIY stuff you make?
Is it possible to draw this out into a wire to be used in a twisted ring?
I would think it would be very hard to draw a billet that large to wire if you are talking about a bench top hand operated rolling mill. If you are talking about hot rolling it, you’d probably need to get the billet at least to 1/2” x 1/2” before you could start reducing it down. Neat idea though
awesome looking
I've been trying to make Damascus for a while, but tive been thinking about starting with this since it has a lower tempature and mybe easier, is it?
that looks easy. gotta try it.
Can you forge weld like 2 or 3 of those to get more mass?
So are you letting it cool on its own or are you quenching it in water?
TheAndroid3k doesn't really matter
TheAndroid3k copper reacts differently to quenching than iron. It would actually make it softer.
did you use a basic butane or map gas torch? Just curious because I was thinking about making some pendants for a group of ppl I know and want to do it in this style.
I used a propane torch. The extra heat of MAPP gas wouldn't hurt.
hey what were you using to heat this because I've tried and it likes to laminate almost every time.
What size propane torch did you use. I was not able to get them hot enough
We know you have plans with that billet! Share!
Wait a minute correct me if I'm wrong isn't nickel a metal that's belonging to the ferrous group metals with iron and cobalt ?
what may of happened if the heated alloy was filed instead of waiting for it to cool?
BackyardBowyer What kind of tongs are those, I am trying this but it keeps falling apart in my forge because I try to use vice grips and I don't have the appropriate tongs, PLS HELP!!
GREAT TUTORIAL>>>THANKS!!!!!
Not familiar with cold-shuts in forging, I was taught they were only a thing in castings.
where do you get your blacksmith stuff at?
What kind of torch and gas are you using?
Could you make some knife with that mix?
I would not mind if you could do one showing how to make some jewelry please
I made it and it made one killer knife gard
What if you mix Copper and Nickle together, like Molten Metals together.... I heard it becomes a beautiful purple metal with white streaks through it.... called The Net.
How long do the quarters take to get to forging temp? Also would a butane torch work rather than propane?
If you have a facebook check out Blacksmithing for Beginners they can answer your questions better than I can.
i wonder how tough/durable it is compared to normal damascus.
You are comparing nickel and copper to steel. You shouldn't even need to google to find that answer.
Alright, I'll answer without being an a-hole; Quarters are made of copper and nickel and a few other metals. They are much too soft to hold an edge.
+Party Otter the ADVANCED FAST HAND FINGER WIZARD MASTER He is wondering what the outcome would be and I'm sure he know that aren't as tough/durable