Did you just forge an axe, while making a video in one take, and explaining the nuances of how to do it at the same time? That is impressive. You clearly know what you’re doing and I’m grateful that you’re sharing the knowledge.
John is the Bob Ross of black smithing! Chipping away at those "Happy little axes". I would love to come down to your shop and learn all I could. Your teaching style is quite refreshing.
I’m really enjoying watching your informative videos with my boys. They say - you should be a blacksmithing teacher.. they’ll sign up as your first students. God bless you.
I'm extremely new to this, to the point of still building my forge setup at home. I just wanted to say, I think your videos are fantastic! You're exceptionally good at explaining things clearly and informatively. I think between forging and watching your vids, my gf won't be seeing much of me anymore :D
Thanks For Another Great Video John! I'm Glad That You Took The Time To Explain The Special Tool On Top Of The Anvil, I Love Finding Out About Special Tools. Over The Past 50 Years I Have Made Many Special Tools To Do Any Number Of Given Jobs That i Was Confronted With as A Mechanic, & Now Having Only Been Into Smithing Less Than 2 Years, I'm Absorbing Information Like A Sponge, Thanks Again, !!
Awesome tutorial!!! I haven't delved into the world of axe making, but I'd love to give it a try! Its a huge coincidence that my blacksmith buddy and I were talked about axe making just yesterday. Imagine my surprise when I saw your upload on making an axe in full tool steel and in mild with a tool steel bit. Thanks John, and keep doing what you do best!
Love your videos. I don't know anything about what goes into what you are doing, but you sure seem to have a good feel for the steel... Thanks a ton for the fun... I appreciate it....
Love the videos .....I am just starting to research blacksmithing I have been an iron worker welder and fabricator for 20 years and am very interested in learning Smith work your videos have helped immensely.
The real in depth and step by step explanation of the weld was real helpful. I'm probably going to work on an axe that I've had in the works for a while now tomorrow, and the next step is welding in the bit. Thanks man!
John, really wonderful videos on making the two small axes. I certainly appreciate your taking the time to produce and edit lengthy videos to teach folks how to make things they may not otherwise attempt. I might also caution those making the ax with the tool steel bit. Don't trim your bit edge back too far or you might just trim it away!! I almost did that on an ax I made by folding over mild steel then forge welding the bit in.
Another excellent video. The explanation and fine detail around the barbs and how the 5160 will want to slide out of the mild during the forge weld was tremendously helpful. It makes total sense, but being new to this it would be an easy thing to get frustrated with if not prepared for it. After you explained it it made perfect sense. Kudos and keep up the fantastic work!
Love you for giving the how to ways of acheiving an end for most projects as we all never have equal shops,toolings or skills. John you are a "Master" of respect and teaching Thanks John......again
West Denver here... I feel bad for the people that decided to buy on houses up on the flats north of us... There is a reason all of those weird windmills are up there still. Let alone the radiation, but whatever. It gets WINDY!
Have you ever done a video that details several of the blacksmithing tools like the different drifts, chisels, & punches? I've seen some of your videos on the specialty tools, but it'd be great to have an explanation of several of the common ones...
I have done quite a few on those subjects. If you use the search bar at the top of the UA-cam page and type Black Bear Forge along with the subject you're looking for, you should be able to find them. I also have playlists setup for many of those topics.
Your Brilliant at tool making John. Seems the Bearded mild steel axe is the better option for a newbie like me to try making as it employs easier forging and also a forge weld lesson. Thanks for all you share
great video John! quick question...I see alot of smiths normalizing and tempering multiple times, often 3 times seems to be the charm. In my old smithing books, any tool that is hardened and tempered if often done in one heat, and none of this 3 times stuff. Is this just some modern contrivance, or is this good practice (I mean the multiple normalizings, temperings, or hardenings) Thanks a bunch for putting these videos out there!
I have wondered the same thing. No one has ever explained the metallurgical science behind it. There may be some benefit, but without good data to show what the benefit is and why it is, I haven't taken it very seriously.
Im glad to hear that from you. Ive also heard some claim you must anneal or normalize tool steel before forging it, and some say also after forging but before hardening it. Any validity to that one in your opinion?
I’ve read a little bit on it but the really technical research articles aren’t about what we do and are tough to get through. Ed Caffrey has done work with heat treatment of 5160 and has used a metallurgist to analyze his outcomes. He found that thermal cycling evens out the grain size in the steel. Others have shown the same thing. Basically, having consistent grain size reduces the chance of cracking or warping. A lot of thought about this is put into low carbon steels for structural use....from what I’ve read anyway. Ed also determined that quenching 5160 three times is optimal. I haven’t tried this and can’t imagine risking warping or other issues two extra times...but there is apparently about a 20% improvement in performance of the steel.
Please forgive my ignorance on this....i've never forged anything but am learning so that i may start. But would it have been better to create the slit in the working end of the axe before punching the handle hole so that you didn't have to do it twice? Thanks, and I love your channel. It's integral to my new blacksmithing hobby.
I have really been enjoying your videos! I am still in the process of building my gas forge, and my anvil is being shipped, so I hope to be putting your videos into practice soon! Thank you so much! Keep them coming!
If I used that tool more often I would figure out a better way to wedge things into it. But since I typically saw the slot, I almost never use it for that. Plus it works better on larger axes.
Good morning John, the step down in front of the handle drift, is that a design feature or a way to strengthen the axe in general? Thank you for your time and effort.
Loved the video. Do you make your own drifts or do you buy them. Maybe you could do a video on drifts and how to make them. Particularly for axes and hammers. Thanks.
I have done one on hammer drifts and will plan do one on axe drifts. I have an assortment of purchased, shop made and secondhand drifts. Probably an assortment of 20 - 30 for hammers, axes and adzes.
I often wondered why many men would say were making ourselves an axe, or whatever it may be, and it is only one man that is doing the work and recording the video. We that are watching are not the ones doing the work, so the words simply are out of place here. Do you get me?
when chiseling you should probably may a pair of vice jaw plats that have a small lip at the bottom so the vice both hold the piece and also bottoms out the piece so it dose fall when your cutting the slot?
Nice void,I like the the tool steel axe better because you can use the poll as a hammer,people disagree an say u don't use an axe for a hammer but in real life u use what u have.a all tool steel axe can be stress relieved to be a good hardness for a axe bit an a hammer,or u differential quench the ax for different hardness. Anyway very good void like normal .r the axes in video for sale an what is Price. Thank you
On a project like this with an added tool steel edge would there be any benefit to keying the slot for the tool steel? Maybe by drilling a hole at the base of the slot, then upsetting the tool steel at the edge. Not a large amount but enough that it would act as a retainer for the edge as you welded it.
While it would certainly keep the steel in place for welding. That is really all it would do. Once the weld starts to stick it would no longer serve any purpose. So it seems like a lot of extra work in the long run. A tack weld where it will later be ground out works very well
Very nicely done and very informative video as always really enjoy your videos. Just curious what are the dimensions of your drift, I want to make one but I just don’t know dimensions to make them. Any help would be appreciated thank you sir and god bless
The best place to get dimensions are from a store bought axe handle. That gives you a standard size and shape to use as a patterns. But I will try to do a video on making a drift and include the dimensions.
Have you ever heated up your drifts to punch so it doesn't cool the steel you're working on and, if so, does it make any difference with the ability to forge? Someone said that it would be good to warm the anvil, but I think the cost of doing so wouldn't outweigh any benefits you might gain. What do you think?
In very cold weather I do preheat the anvil by putting some hot pieces of plate on it. There are stories of anvils breaking due to sub zero temperatures. Drifts heat up so quickly in use that I have never worried about preheating.
Yes I do. I will do a newer video on the subject soon. But in the mean time there is a 4 part demo from the rocky Mountain Blacksmithing conference ua-cam.com/video/2LPPfT8-HzQ/v-deo.html
John, thanks so much for this video, really educational! I've not had great success with forge weld attempts so far - I have flux and I'm using mild and high carbon steel. It seems my hammering may be too aggressive - I'm giving it "everything" with a really heavy hammer, whereas you're showing us we should just take very light hammering to set the weld in, and repeat several times. I am forging outside (gas forge) and do find it somewhat difficult to judge temperatures a lot of the time, but I'm giving it a good soak at full whack, so feel like I must be reaching weldering temperature. What sort of colour do you look for?
Know for sure that your forge will reach welding heat is the first thing. Then I make sure the material is the same color as the interior of the forge. If you move it and there is a darker spot on the forge floor where it was sitting you aren't hot enough. However, not all gas forges will reach welding heat. Working outside does make it extremely hard to judge heat by eye.
Thanks John. It was made by a company in Germany and rated at 1200 C - is that high enough? I haven't actually taken any direct measurements myself - maybe I should get one of those IR guns so I have something to go by. That's a useful tip about color temperature of the forge vs the workpiece. It is a bit of a pain outdoors at the moment but it's currently the only option... I have to take it inside to do any heat treatment, but that's only for a short period.
Oh I almost forgot, I have once successfully welded 3 pieces of O1 together, so it must be possible in my forge, just my technique isn't anywhere near good enough yet - there was a lot of incomplete welding and I had to grind off quite a lot to get to the solid metal.
If I band saw the split, I always do that first. I can't think of a reason not to split with a chisel first, in this little axe it would have been better so the eye didn't deform so badly. The only logical reason to do the eye first is just because if the eye is off the whole thing is scrap, so I like to make sure I got it right before doing any additional works.
Point very well taken. It is good practice, if one can think ahead, to plan out what you do first and last and the sequence of forging different parts of a project. Sometimes, you can forge a delicate portion too soon and then find that you will mess it up later. If one part goes off in the ditch, then you haven't wasted a lot of forging time!
Somebody once told me mild steel isn't good for forge welding, is that true? Also, would mild steel and leaf spring most likely work alright? I don't do much forge welding. I only ever did cable Damascus.
Mild steel forge welds just fine. It welds at a slightly lower temp than wrought iron but a higher temp than the tool steels. I have been forge welding mild steel for 30 years and never thought anything about it. I frequently use mild with 5160, which is typical for leaf springs, it makes a good combination.
I noticed this a few times and it could just be camera magic but I saw that you would place your metal in your gas forge while it is not running. My question is does the gas forge retain enough heat that you do not need to constantly run it? Or is it camera magic where you've cut out starting up the forge to heat?
I shut the gas forge off while I am filming because it is so loud. Then I turn the forge back on and reheat while the camera is off. It adds a lot of time but makes for a more pleasant video
How does the mild steel head hold up to pounding in tent stakes? I have one I believe is from mild steel and it appears the eye had changed shape over the years from pounding in tent stakes
@@BlackBearForge mushrooming I can handle, in my case the eye deformed and the handle no longer stays in place well.i may need to straighten it any use until I can make one for myself
i wonder how effective it would be to make the axe out of mild steel and then case harden the bit in the forge by covering in a charcoal paste and sealing in a clay envelope....
I wouldn't expect good results. The area of high carbon that will harden is so thin, a few thousandths of an inch, that it would all be lost the first time you sharpened the axe.
While I don't know for sure, I suspect that due to the different alloys, different steel would have different weights. But I suspect that the difference is negligible when it comes to blacksmithing.
Hi there, I have a question. On a folded axe What would happen if I just forge welded some mild steel up to 3/4" to the edge and just left it split as is, then forge weld in the 5160? I'm just not good at punching and drifting yet. I will be though, I promise.
That is pretty much exactly what you do with a folded axe with a symmetrical eye. There are some styles that the wrap doen't come all of the way around though.
For non air hardening steels you can bury the hot steel in ashes, vermiculite, lime or sand. It is just something to insulate and allow the steel to cool as slowly as possible.
Did you just forge an axe, while making a video in one take, and explaining the nuances of how to do it at the same time? That is impressive. You clearly know what you’re doing and I’m grateful that you’re sharing the knowledge.
Yes, I suppose I did. But it was a small axe
Just realized that the reason I like your videos is cause you just seem so honest, genuine. Nice vid thank you.
And thank you as well.
Best blacksmithing class on UA-cam! Thank you....
"Sometimes you just have to stop messing with it". That's the toughest thing for me :-) Clyde
John is the Bob Ross of black smithing! Chipping away at those "Happy little axes". I would love to come down to your shop and learn all I could. Your teaching style is quite refreshing.
Very informative (you sir , are a natural-born teacher)!
Thank you
thanks again, I love the way you do not hide abything in the build, it makes me see that there way to fix my woops.
I learn a lot from your instruction. Thank you.
I’m really enjoying watching your informative videos with my boys.
They say - you should be a blacksmithing teacher.. they’ll sign up as your first students.
God bless you.
I'm extremely new to this, to the point of still building my forge setup at home. I just wanted to say, I think your videos are fantastic! You're exceptionally good at explaining things clearly and informatively. I think between forging and watching your vids, my gf won't be seeing much of me anymore :D
Great work thank you
I must say, I am really enjoying your content. This is both informative and interesting. A wealth of knowledge that is being passed down the line.
Glad you enjoy it!
Indeed I do sir :)
Thanks For Another Great Video John! I'm Glad That You Took The Time To Explain The Special Tool On Top Of The Anvil, I Love Finding Out About Special Tools. Over The Past 50 Years I Have Made Many Special Tools To Do Any Number Of Given Jobs That i Was Confronted With as A Mechanic, & Now Having Only Been Into Smithing Less Than 2 Years, I'm Absorbing Information Like A Sponge, Thanks Again, !!
Never mind sir I found your answer in the comments. Thank you for putting these videos on they are INCREDIBLY helpful
This is why I like watching you John you are one heck of a teacher . Thank you I will be doing axes in October this year 2020
I tried this same process on a railroad spike knife and I failed ,but those Barb's you put on their super secret genius stuff thank you sir
Glad it helps.
I really enjoy attending your blacksmith school!
Awesome tutorial!!! I haven't delved into the world of axe making, but I'd love to give it a try! Its a huge coincidence that my blacksmith buddy and I were talked about axe making just yesterday. Imagine my surprise when I saw your upload on making an axe in full tool steel and in mild with a tool steel bit. Thanks John, and keep doing what you do best!
Sometimes my timing works out. 😃
Love your videos. I don't know anything about what goes into what you are doing, but you sure seem to have a good feel for the steel... Thanks a ton for the fun... I appreciate it....
..Entertaining, Informative and overall a Danged Good couple of videos. Thanks John...!!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Love the videos .....I am just starting to research blacksmithing I have been an iron worker welder and fabricator for 20 years and am very interested in learning Smith work your videos have helped immensely.
Dude u are a awesome teacher to me
Thank you for your videos. I'm learning and being entertained.
A Drill press vice sitting on the anvil would hold it well for splitting.
Pretty good idea.
Thanks John, I appreciate your detailed instruction.
The real in depth and step by step explanation of the weld was real helpful. I'm probably going to work on an axe that I've had in the works for a while now tomorrow, and the next step is welding in the bit. Thanks man!
I am glad it was helpful.
I'm about to make an ax to camp and now thanks to your video I have more confidence to doing it, thanks for sharing 👍 👍
Excellent once again, thanks! I'm headed out to the shop for the rest of the morning!
Another Great Video John,Thank You.
John, really wonderful videos on making the two small axes. I certainly appreciate your taking the time to produce and edit lengthy videos to teach folks how to make things they may not otherwise attempt.
I might also caution those making the ax with the tool steel bit. Don't trim your bit edge back too far or you might just trim it away!! I almost did that on an ax I made by folding over mild steel then forge welding the bit in.
Excellent point.
awesome John! cant wait to see the video about the jig.. Thanks..
Great video with fantastic information. Thank You John Switzer @BlackBearForge
Great Work
Awesome information, John!! The anti-skid technology would have been great information a few years ago. LOL 😆
Nice! Thanks John!
Great info keep doing what you do
Also - now I also have a portable band saw as your do and yes it a big helper in steel workings
Another excellent video. The explanation and fine detail around the barbs and how the 5160 will want to slide out of the mild during the forge weld was tremendously helpful. It makes total sense, but being new to this it would be an easy thing to get frustrated with if not prepared for it. After you explained it it made perfect sense. Kudos and keep up the fantastic work!
Glad it helps
Saw this months ago but good to look back.
Thanks John
Love you for giving the how to ways of acheiving an end for most projects as we all never have equal shops,toolings or skills.
John you are a "Master" of respect and teaching
Thanks John......again
I agree with FZR - your teaching is so full of info and ideas, just great stuff. I love your shop too. Many thanks sir.
That wind yesterday was terrible! We have a metal roof, sometimes sounds like parts are flying off when it gets that windy.
I thought it was bad here, then we went into town and it was worse.
West Denver here... I feel bad for the people that decided to buy on houses up on the flats north of us... There is a reason all of those weird windmills are up there still. Let alone the radiation, but whatever. It gets WINDY!
Thank you
Real cool jig.Nice job,well done.
Thanks
Awesome sauce! Thank you so very much! Great to learn from you! Thank you once again! TD
Have you ever done a video that details several of the blacksmithing tools like the different drifts, chisels, & punches? I've seen some of your videos on the specialty tools, but it'd be great to have an explanation of several of the common ones...
I have done quite a few on those subjects. If you use the search bar at the top of the UA-cam page and type Black Bear Forge along with the subject you're looking for, you should be able to find them. I also have playlists setup for many of those topics.
I think I’m going to make one now! lol
Good one John, very informative.
I like your tools 😉
Thanks for the videos John, I'd love to see you forge a fireman's axe.
I have an order for a Polasky which has some similarities.
Your Brilliant at tool making John. Seems the Bearded mild steel axe is the better option for a newbie like me to try making as it employs easier forging and also a forge weld lesson. Thanks for all you share
I like the way you think
great video John! quick question...I see alot of smiths normalizing and tempering multiple times, often 3 times seems to be the charm. In my old smithing books, any tool that is hardened and tempered if often done in one heat, and none of this 3 times stuff. Is this just some modern contrivance, or is this good practice (I mean the multiple normalizings, temperings, or hardenings) Thanks a bunch for putting these videos out there!
I have wondered the same thing. No one has ever explained the metallurgical science behind it. There may be some benefit, but without good data to show what the benefit is and why it is, I haven't taken it very seriously.
Im glad to hear that from you. Ive also heard some claim you must anneal or normalize tool steel before forging it, and some say also after forging but before hardening it.
Any validity to that one in your opinion?
Both are probably a good practice. Removing stress that could cause a problem before forging couldn't hurt. I consider it a requirement after forging.
I’ve read a little bit on it but the really technical research articles aren’t about what we do and are tough to get through. Ed Caffrey has done work with heat treatment of 5160 and has used a metallurgist to analyze his outcomes. He found that thermal cycling evens out the grain size in the steel. Others have shown the same thing. Basically, having consistent grain size reduces the chance of cracking or warping. A lot of thought about this is put into low carbon steels for structural use....from what I’ve read anyway. Ed also determined that quenching 5160 three times is optimal. I haven’t tried this and can’t imagine risking warping or other issues two extra times...but there is apparently about a 20% improvement in performance of the steel.
Thanks for asking this. Good question.
Good video. Very helpful
Great series so far. heat treating will be interesting. A question i have is, instead of a bandsaw, could you use a hacksaw instead?
Sure. in a little axe like this it wouldn't be to bad to cut by hand
Great info, thanks!
Please forgive my ignorance on this....i've never forged anything but am learning so that i may start. But would it have been better to create the slit in the working end of the axe before punching the handle hole so that you didn't have to do it twice? Thanks, and I love your channel. It's integral to my new blacksmithing hobby.
I have really been enjoying your videos! I am still in the process of building my gas forge, and my anvil is being shipped, so I hope to be putting your videos into practice soon! Thank you so much! Keep them coming!
How did your blacksmithing journey go? Did you stick with it? I'm looking at getting into something like this.
Thankyou!
That block wedge was starting to p1$$ me off. You're a patient man.
If I used that tool more often I would figure out a better way to wedge things into it. But since I typically saw the slot, I almost never use it for that. Plus it works better on larger axes.
Good morning John, the step down in front of the handle drift, is that a design feature or a way to strengthen the axe in general?
Thank you for your time and effort.
It mostly helps provide a transition point from the eye to the blade
That big drift with the handle looks like it's made from old Pry bars
Not this one, but they would probably make a good drift.
No quench ?. Very nice little tool
it still requires hardening and tempering, that just wasn't covered in this video
Loved the video. Do you make your own drifts or do you buy them. Maybe you could do a video on drifts and how to make them. Particularly for axes and hammers. Thanks.
I have done one on hammer drifts and will plan do one on axe drifts. I have an assortment of purchased, shop made and secondhand drifts. Probably an assortment of 20 - 30 for hammers, axes and adzes.
Black Bear Forge I sure appreciated you sharing your knowledge. It is helping me tremendously. God bless you John.
I often wondered why many men would say were making ourselves an axe, or whatever it may be, and it is only one man that is doing the work and recording the video. We that are watching are not the ones doing the work, so the words simply are out of place here. Do you get me?
when chiseling you should probably may a pair of vice jaw plats that have a small lip at the bottom so the vice both hold the piece and also bottoms out the piece so it dose fall when your cutting the slot?
Something of that sort would be helpful
Great.
What did blacksmiths use before flux for forge welding? Sand?
Why a hot chisel it when you could use a hacksaw? Is there a reason you like the chisel? Great video, answers a lot of questions I had.
As I explained in the video, I typically use a band saw. While a hack saw would be fine, the point was to illustrate the forged method,
I had trouble trying to get my 5160 to forge weld for some reason.
Why not use a hardy cutoff for forging the split in the axe body? Too hard to hold onto with tongs?
Nice void,I like the the tool steel axe better because you can use the poll as a hammer,people disagree an say u don't use an axe for a hammer but in real life u use what u have.a all tool steel axe can be stress relieved to be a good hardness for a axe bit an a hammer,or u differential quench the ax for different hardness. Anyway very good void like normal .r the axes in video for sale an what is
Price. Thank you
Good points. These axes will be for sale when they are complete. Probably $100 each, but I will be sure once I see the finished product.
On a project like this with an added tool steel edge would there be any benefit to keying the slot for the tool steel? Maybe by drilling a hole at the base of the slot, then upsetting the tool steel at the edge. Not a large amount but enough that it would act as a retainer for the edge as you welded it.
While it would certainly keep the steel in place for welding. That is really all it would do. Once the weld starts to stick it would no longer serve any purpose. So it seems like a lot of extra work in the long run. A tack weld where it will later be ground out works very well
Would an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel be an acceptable replacement for a band saw for cutting the slot for the carbon steel bit?
I think that would be a fine way to go.
Black Bear Forge thank you so much.
Quick question would it not be simpler to split the front initially before forging the eye to avoid deformation
Very nicely done and very informative video as always really enjoy your videos. Just curious what are the dimensions of your drift, I want to make one but I just don’t know dimensions to make them. Any help would be appreciated thank you sir and god bless
The best place to get dimensions are from a store bought axe handle. That gives you a standard size and shape to use as a patterns. But I will try to do a video on making a drift and include the dimensions.
Black Bear Forge ok sir thank you very much a lot of people have videos on how to make them but no dimensions
Richard Bryant I will measure a few of mine tomorrow.
Black Bear Forge thank you sir very much
Have you ever heated up your drifts to punch so it doesn't cool the steel you're working on and, if so, does it make any difference with the ability to forge? Someone said that it would be good to warm the anvil, but I think the cost of doing so wouldn't outweigh any benefits you might gain. What do you think?
In very cold weather I do preheat the anvil by putting some hot pieces of plate on it. There are stories of anvils breaking due to sub zero temperatures. Drifts heat up so quickly in use that I have never worried about preheating.
@@BlackBearForge Thank you for the advice my friend. It is difficult to find blacksmiths who will teach in my area.
Did you do Axes without drifting, by folding mild steel and forge-weld edge between folded sides?
Yes I do. I will do a newer video on the subject soon. But in the mean time there is a 4 part demo from the rocky Mountain Blacksmithing conference ua-cam.com/video/2LPPfT8-HzQ/v-deo.html
Thank you! I like your videos very much, they are very informative for me, as beginning blacksmith!
John, thanks so much for this video, really educational! I've not had great success with forge weld attempts so far - I have flux and I'm using mild and high carbon steel. It seems my hammering may be too aggressive - I'm giving it "everything" with a really heavy hammer, whereas you're showing us we should just take very light hammering to set the weld in, and repeat several times. I am forging outside (gas forge) and do find it somewhat difficult to judge temperatures a lot of the time, but I'm giving it a good soak at full whack, so feel like I must be reaching weldering temperature. What sort of colour do you look for?
Know for sure that your forge will reach welding heat is the first thing. Then I make sure the material is the same color as the interior of the forge. If you move it and there is a darker spot on the forge floor where it was sitting you aren't hot enough. However, not all gas forges will reach welding heat. Working outside does make it extremely hard to judge heat by eye.
Thanks John. It was made by a company in Germany and rated at 1200 C - is that high enough? I haven't actually taken any direct measurements myself - maybe I should get one of those IR guns so I have something to go by. That's a useful tip about color temperature of the forge vs the workpiece. It is a bit of a pain outdoors at the moment but it's currently the only option... I have to take it inside to do any heat treatment, but that's only for a short period.
It should be, but probably just barely. There may be some fiddling with fine tuning the gas and air mixture to get the highest heat.
Ah that's useful to know! (Although obviously a bit disappointing as well!). I must do some more testing and investigating with this. Thanks again!
Oh I almost forgot, I have once successfully welded 3 pieces of O1 together, so it must be possible in my forge, just my technique isn't anywhere near good enough yet - there was a lot of incomplete welding and I had to grind off quite a lot to get to the solid metal.
Hi John ,Did you buy the rule like that or did you cut a rafter square .Regards Roger Tasmania Australia
It is a modified square, but smaller than a rafter square. I show it in this video ua-cam.com/video/3_ZqaJ93dpc/v-deo.html
Thanks John , I might say that I have been watching your videos for some time now & find them very interesting , cheers Roger
Would it have been easier to do the chisel split before starting the eye ? Is there a reason for not doing that ?
If I band saw the split, I always do that first. I can't think of a reason not to split with a chisel first, in this little axe it would have been better so the eye didn't deform so badly. The only logical reason to do the eye first is just because if the eye is off the whole thing is scrap, so I like to make sure I got it right before doing any additional works.
Point very well taken. It is good practice, if one can think ahead, to plan out what you do first and last and the sequence of forging different parts of a project. Sometimes, you can forge a delicate portion too soon and then find that you will mess it up later. If one part goes off in the ditch, then you haven't wasted a lot of forging time!
Curious what you do with the items you make on video....do you sell them?....give them away?........... throw them in a bin?
Most of the things I make are either for existing orders or they are eventually sold on my Etsy shop.
Somebody once told me mild steel isn't good for forge welding, is that true? Also, would mild steel and leaf spring most likely work alright? I don't do much forge welding. I only ever did cable Damascus.
Mild steel forge welds just fine. It welds at a slightly lower temp than wrought iron but a higher temp than the tool steels. I have been forge welding mild steel for 30 years and never thought anything about it. I frequently use mild with 5160, which is typical for leaf springs, it makes a good combination.
You need some tongs that you can hold with your knees.😂
I noticed this a few times and it could just be camera magic but I saw that you would place your metal in your gas forge while it is not running. My question is does the gas forge retain enough heat that you do not need to constantly run it? Or is it camera magic where you've cut out starting up the forge to heat?
I shut the gas forge off while I am filming because it is so loud. Then I turn the forge back on and reheat while the camera is off. It adds a lot of time but makes for a more pleasant video
Good to know, thank you very much!
How does the mild steel head hold up to pounding in tent stakes? I have one I believe is from mild steel and it appears the eye had changed shape over the years from pounding in tent stakes
they do eventually mushroom, but I have never thrown one away because it got to bad.
@@BlackBearForge mushrooming I can handle, in my case the eye deformed and the handle no longer stays in place well.i may need to straighten it any use until I can make one for myself
Did you end up doing a video on how to heat treat these axes?
I don't think I ever did. I may need to re do the whole series just so it makes since.
@@BlackBearForge I would be really interested in that. Something to look forward to
i wonder how effective it would be to make the axe out of mild steel and then case harden the bit in the forge by covering in a charcoal paste and sealing in a clay envelope....
I wouldn't expect good results. The area of high carbon that will harden is so thin, a few thousandths of an inch, that it would all be lost the first time you sharpened the axe.
thanks for the reply. i assumed you could get a much deeper carbon penetration with a long exposure in the forge but then imve never tried it myself
Again....forgive my ignorance, but what are the "ears" for? Is that an aesthetic choice or does it serve a purpose?
I might have missed you saying it but I have a question. Do all steels weight the same, as in mild to the 5160, per mass?
While I don't know for sure, I suspect that due to the different alloys, different steel would have different weights. But I suspect that the difference is negligible when it comes to blacksmithing.
Place your thumbs in the upright position.
Hi there, I have a question.
On a folded axe What would happen if I just forge welded some mild steel up to 3/4" to the edge and just left it split as is, then forge weld in the 5160? I'm just not good at punching and drifting yet. I will be though, I promise.
That is pretty much exactly what you do with a folded axe with a symmetrical eye. There are some styles that the wrap doen't come all of the way around though.
what size blank do you use? I saw 4" long and 1/2" is the last dimension 3/4 or 1"? thanks
I don't remember for sure. But generally for something like this it would be 3/4 x 1 - 1 1/2 x about 4
Hey John, I heard awhile back that you can aneal your steel in ashes from your fire place. Is this true?
For non air hardening steels you can bury the hot steel in ashes, vermiculite, lime or sand. It is just something to insulate and allow the steel to cool as slowly as possible.
Black Bear Forge ok thank you
Is your etsy account under black bear forge?
Yes it is. There is a link in the video description www.blackbearforge.etsy.com There isn't a lot listed right now.
Is there a source to buy the drifts and punches?
There tend to be people on Etsy or Ebay selling them from time to time. You might also check the suppliers listed in the video description
Do you make your drifts out of tool steel, or mild?
I use tool steel for any drift that I plan to use on a regular basis.
How could I buy an ax head i would like to compare to my work to see if the quality of my work is ok I am new at this thanks for the doing what you do
Yes, I would be happy to sell you an axe head. n What are you looking for?
what are you using for punch lube?
I'm not sure in this video, but lately I have been using Quick and Dirty Tool Works punch lube. Or I just use coal dust in deeper holes
What size hammer do you use?
Typically about 3 pounds
What are you near an f16 base?