5:09 When they talked about the price I almost expected Rex to just turn to the camera and "That is a lot of money for a forge..Lets see if we can make one out of wood"
@@borjesvensson8661 that will work. My current forge is made from an old charcoal grill with a clay and sand lining and an old hand crank blower and iron pipe fittings.
@@borjesvensson8661 A pipe and a small patch of dirt would be even cheaper, and is technically still useable. You probably want to avoid using flammable dirt though.
I am a woodworker and blacksmith. It is highly encouraging to see creators emphasize the simple and basics are not to be ignored and can create great products.
Well Rex, I thought you were the king of the most out of your money and space, but now I’d say there’s a challenger to your throne. It’s a good job you’ve not your name on your side. Tim please start your own channel, you are excellent at explaining things and your work is also gorgeous. Rex please can we have more videos of you interviewing other creatives? You are fantastic at it, you ask great questions whilst giving the interviewee time and room to answer. I’d definitely say you’re one of the best I've seen on UA-cam. An out and out fantastic video from you both, very informative. Thank you Rex, thank you Tim.
Rex Krueger You’re better than you think, you asked all the right question and gave Tim the chance to answer them. Most importantly you didn’t keep talking over him when he was trying to answer.
This is great. I'm a beginner blacksmith, and it's nice to hear from a smith that doesn't have $50k of tools in his shop. This makes blacksmithing seem approachable and practical, instead of something trust fund kids do to pass the time.
Holy cow, that is so cool! And may I say, you are a fantastic interviewer. You really knew how to ask questions and make it as simple for us as possible.
Great fun! While earning my MS in Mech Eng I took a shop class, and the old instructor told us to make sure not to miss next Tuesday, a special guest and we were to meet at the old forge on campus. Building was dusty and filthy, and didn't get opened very often. The special guest was the instructor's FATHER, 93 years old! His glasses were so thick you couldn't see his eyes at most angles, yet he fired up the coke-fueled forge, tonged up some 1/2" rod, and using the tongs, anvil, and hammer, started making a logging chain; got about 3 links made during the classtime. One of the most impactful nights of my life, and I doubt you could see that anywhere else nowadays (maybe the Amana colonies). Thanks for the memory jogger, Rex!
My 16 year old Daughter and i took a blacksmithing class together last October. i had learned some basics back in high school metal shop and had always wanted to get into as an ongoing hobby. my daughter is now in the process of getting a proposal together for the Girl Scouts to add a blacksmithing badge, The founder, Juliette Gordon Low learned to blacksmith and created a gate that still hands at her home in Savannah GA so it seemed fitting for the GS to promote this dying art. thanks for the intro Rex and i have now followed Urban forge so hopefully he starts putting out some content soon.
One of my very first projects was to make my own hammer and tongs. My first tongs won't win an academy award but they are quite functional. Then I made a cross pein hammer from a 2lb hammer I got from Harbor Freight. Making any type of blacksmith hammer is WORK! But also quite fun and satisfying. My anvil is a slab of steel I got out of the "discard bin" from a local metal shop, mounted on top of a large tree stump from when we cut down the big tree in the back yard. The handles for all my hammers were made from that same tree. And the forge I use is the very same one as Tim. It was easily "passed" by my wife as safe after we read the specs together. The regulator is very good and the forge seems quite versatile for different kind of work/projects.
I know I'm late to the party on this one, but I only recently discovered and subbed to your channel. I'm a professional farrier. Recognised the anvil right off. The funny bump off the side of the horn is designed for pulling clips on shoes. The "worn out" hardy hole isn't worn out, it is specifically designed that way so the farrier can slip the heels of the shoes up thru the hole for the purpose of shaping and "turning" heels of the shoe. Farriers tend to use a 1.5, a 2 and a 3 pound rounding hammer. The 1.5 is used mostly with hot work, while the 2 pound is a lot of hot and cold work. The 3 pound is pulled out to give a little extra "persuasion" to heavier work. Hope I'm not out of line, just trying to clarify a couple things.
I would have never known a forge could be that affordable! As someone who has wanted to learn how to Smith for years, this is incredible information! Thanks so much!
My forge is made out of a frying pan and some rebar, both of which can be really cheap. I have since switched my personal forge to propane, the one I bought was about $200 but you can find good ones for less than $100 now.
I ran a ground forge for six months of weekends. Hole in the ground (clay soil) about 9" across and 6" deep. Scrap of 22mm copper pipe buried in the earth as a tue, not poking into the hollow so it hardly got melted at all. Inflatable boat pump as as bellows. Quick scrap wood fire and a shovelful of coke and you've got welding temps in a matter of minutes. Canful of water into the ground where the pipe was ever hour or so.
During a recent balcksmithing class we did for a scout camp, my son said it best, if you have more time than money, you build your tools and forge, if you have more money than time, you buy it. I have made and used 3 seperate forges in my 15 years of blacksmithing and the most I have ever spent was $25 for a cart to bud my most recent (nicest) forge.
I'm having a hard time believing this guy is making a living as a full time blacksmith... good on him if he is..... that wobbling vise would drive me crazy
What Rex said, and yeah the vice stand need to be fixed. I recently rearranged my shop and I'm trying to find where that vice is going to live in the shop.
There was a guy on the forge right his forge was an old bbq and a hairdryer no joke his grinder was a file and he won the 10k Talent isn’t subjective to tools I believe talent like if the one using the things is good he can do it with without all the proper tools Like you would be insanely surprised how much a chisel can be used for lol
@@matthewsnowdon8530 You still find thousands of livelihood production blacksmiths around the world who has very little in terms of power tools - often no more than an angle grinder... And shops as small or smaller than this. But who need all that hitech stuff when you have two strikers, a tea kettle and a hookah in the shop :)
I teach a lot of classes and I sell at craft shows. I don't get a whole lot of internet sales from my Etsy shop. But that's because I haven't put a lot of effort into Etsy.
It took me weeks of binge watching content in the evening to put my finger on why you look familiar, the energy in the intro did it.. You remind me of FPSdoug. Love the content by the way, i'm just getting into wood working and blacksmithing at nearing 30 and your videos are a great help.
@@RexKrueger Thank you, really appreciate the encouragement! I worked up from carving a cup to building a new shed roof over the past 4-6 months and i'm having a lot of fun pushing myself! Next thing is to follow your lathe build, it looks excellent!
Really like this video! It shows the tools to great effect, also the skill of the smith(Tim) which is the most important factor in the craft! Great questions from the Rex, very intelligent.
He kind of touched on an idea a (much better blacksmith than I am) friend of mine told me several years ago when I was building my current forge. "There are lots of people who are really good at building forges and are mediocre smiths." That absolutely applies to tongs, too. Of course I was already north of 40 and had made two crappy forges and a melting furnace and knew what I was doing... But that's advice young people should heed better than I did. If you're going to make it yourself, whether a forge or tongs or even a hammer, at least spend your first effort exactly copying something someone else has already done and proved out.
Copying an existing design is nearly always the best way to start. I cannot count the number of times I've set out to "improve" something, only to realize that I just didn't understand the traditional design.
And no need to "over-egg the pudding" by adding unnecessary clutter and fancy do_das. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Quality shows best through clean lines not over-ornamentation.
Anyone looking to get into black smithing would do well with an ASO (anvil shaped object) to start. It’s much cheaper to buy a 4” block of steel than an anvil, and a machinist shop should be able to add a hardy hole or horn if needed.
Great video, very inspirational. Not that I’m trying to knock your channel or what you are doing but Steve Ramsey has a Woodworking for Mere Mortals channel thing and every time I hear you mention woodworking for mere humans it makes me think of that.
I learn a lot about your set up, I am building up a group of tools for my retirement & will be in the shop full time next summer. I have a small pipe bender & a angle iron bender, both homemade. I got my father’s Pole vise & my father in law pole vise, I bought a real anvil, not a ASO, which limits your work like night & day to a real anvil. I bought my Hammer & got both my tables with one inch thick x 36" X 36" steel table tops for free. I bought my 3 grinder used, & my mini metal lathe with mill attachment, 3 drill press used, 4 metal vise & 2 wood working vise used. Oh two band saws & a stick welder, pipe threaded, air compressor, sheet metal shear (48"), but I have collecting tools for over ten years, for my early retirement.
Just subscribed to Tim’s channel, glad to see you helping other new content creators out. I love your vids! They really help me ground myself when I get too over the top I. My head and think “ I need every lie Nielsen to build this small project”. Sometimes I think I like the tools more than the projects lol
There are times when I ABSOLUTELY like the tools more than the project. I love tools. No shame there. You can be a collector, a woodworker, or both. No problem.
Don’t get carried away with how great an anvil you can make from railroad track. Railroad tracks are a lot softer than a decent anvil. Like most cheap anvils, though, they’re still a lot better than no anvil.
Once i found a brand new forklift fork set on the railroad tracks. Had plastic on it and factory papers. Its wasnt just forks either it had hydrolics and a pincer thing. It was probably 300 pounds.
@@tommywright7196 that's better than a section of rail. I have 2 forks welded back to back (tines cut short) that works well as a post anvil. I also have a section of rail mounted sideways (because that puts more mass under the hammer), a new 100 lb. anvil and a vintage anvil from 1908. Each was useful until I upgraded to the next one.
I'd recommend a beginner should try and find a anvil stake to start with mine was under £50 and bang it in a banded log/stump and boom you've essentially got a portable anvil
I miss my anvil. I used to have a lovely 300lbs job mounted on a huge portion of hardwood tree trunk bagged from some tree fellers doing the trees at the school where I worked. I lost the anvil in my divorce and I still miss it. I lost my forge too. Some things are just too big when you move out into a flat. Age has taken its toll, I can no longer contemplate driving hundreds of miles to collect an anvil and man handling it into the back of my car. But I still want an anvil.
I'm sorry to hear you lost your anvil and forge. But I'll echo what Rex said perhaps get a smaller one like my 70 pounder. At least it's something ya know.
You would not believe how close your shop is to mine!! We have a lot of the same tools! I have that very same forge but I can not get it to reach welding heat. Can you forge weld with yours?
Just like woodworking: The toys are nice, but you can do almost everything with a really basic toolkit. (I'm not knocking the toys, by the way... I love my bandsaw and hollow-chisel mortiser, but they don't really let me do anything I can't do without them, just make it much easier.)
IF you actually know what you're doing, the fancy gear is about convenience. If not, then the fancy gear is a crutch and excuse for pounding out garbage... or barely functional "craft" (crap). ...and it's just SOOOooo easy to get a fortune tied up in equipment. ;o)
I would have liked to see him actually park two cars in that garage. I have a two car garage that has never see a car in thirty years. Seeing is believing.
I bought a new Emerson 100 lb. traditional a few years ago for ~$550. Railroad track is OK to start with (although it's better to turn it on end so there's more mass under your hammer), and used forklift tines are surprisingly affordable too. Vintage anvils on ebay have gotten ridiculous in recent years.
I wish I could have garage for 2 cars… But I'm living in multi-store multi-apartment (Hmmm... ~500 apartments?) building in 5-million city :-( Price of forge & anvil is not a problem, but renting even single-car garage where owner allows to make workshop (instead of car storage) is insanely expensive for me, I could not afford it :-(
@@RexKrueger Unfortunately, no. Access to roof (and basement) is forbidden "to prevent danger of terrorist actions" (I'm not joking too). It is hard enough to get access to roof to install A/C - I've spent 3 days to get approval to have access for one hour for professional rigger, who install external Aircon block :-(
For roughly 350-450$ you can buy an NC anvil, the reason these old anvils are so expensive is cause the myth that new anvils aren’t as good… Buy a new anvil and let that guy trying to sell his beat up garbage for way more keep his garbage.
That kinda money for a anvil is just insane,in my opinion, I get it tools are not cheep but really it's an anvil a big church of hardened. Steel,,,people have made anvil so expensive they are not aquirerable for the average hobbiest,and that is just a shame for those wanting to learn a new trade or hobby,especially for a young kid or teen starting out,just my thoughts ,I'm sure you have yours ,I'm not being negative just honest
@@douggriffis8646 Hay-Buddens a lot longer than Peter-Wright anvils, the heel is a bit thinner and longer. I actually have a book all about anvils that put together by a Richard A. Postman. Another reason, besides the obvious, I could tell that it is not a Fisher-Norris is the fact the American Fisher-Norris anvils were made of a high-grade cast iron with a crucible steel face. and horn. The American company, Hay-Budden , made their anvils from two pieces of wrought iron (the face being made of sheer steel forge welded on) the base and the top part. The forge welded seam at the waist of the anvil had potential to crack over years of the anvils use.
@@douggriffis8646 "Anvils in America by Richard A. Postman" it's uh. 80 bucks on amazon and around the same on Ebay. It's a pretty thick and heavy book with a lot of accumulated information. It's quite worth the price if you're really into anvils.
Why would you buy tongs instead of making them...It was the 3rd thing I learned blacksmithing. Making tongs to the material you are going to work... Punching holes makes the material, especially thinner material, stronger instead of drilling. Just as a side note
I've always found it interesting that British smiths who didn't start as farriers tend to forge with ball-pein hammers. 90% of the time a 2lb-er, though 3lb-ers are fairly easily available and I've come across a few over 4lb before. Almost all drawing is done over the far edge of the anvil, or over the horn for heavy drawing. General smiths who started as farriers tend to use rounding hammers. Not very many cross-peins in evidence. I'd love to know why we don't use cross-peins so much.
I'm an English Smith, around fifteen years time served and I've always used either a ball pein or a cross pein hammer, and still do. Most of the American Blacksmiths I met when I was on my Journeymanship used cross peins, not many (if any) used ball peins though. I've watched the popularity of the Farrier's Turning hammer, what Americans call a Rounding hammer, increase markedly among the younger crowd over the last decade and I think it's largely down to the influence of Brian Brazeal (and more recently via his well known UA-camr student young Mr Steele). I made a Turning hammer for myself (heavier than a standard farrier's) years back, before I'd even met Brian and I own one a farrier gave me that's about 2lbs. They're nice enough hammers to use but they're nothing overly special, just a style of hammer that's been popularised. You can see a similar thing happening with Bladesmiths and the Japanese style of hammer (what I know as a Dog's Head hammer) nowadays too. They're all just basically solid heat proof lumps on the end of a stick :D
Are there bots that automatically downvote these videos? I'm not crazy on the blacksmithing, but it was a solid video with decent Q&A and you're helping a local. Where's the down vote???
Yes there are such bots. They are used to upvote the mass produced "spam" channels, and to avoid bot checking algorithms so they look like real users they also downvote random videos. Which doesn't mean there aren't real people who will down vote good content, but the bots exist.
Rex the quality of your content and the effort you put into editing your videos is something I will never be able to accomplish, they are great. I started farrier school in 1989, was a professional for 22 years and have been blacksmithing and shoeing horses since. I guess there was something about this guy that just doesn't pass the sniff test with me.
It wouldn't surprise me if people are downvoting because of Rex's use of the Premier feature. It clogs up people's suggestions with stuff they can't watch yet.
5:09 When they talked about the price I almost expected Rex to just turn to the camera and "That is a lot of money for a forge..Lets see if we can make one out of wood"
Clay. Clay, two buckets, some plastic bags and little pipe (or a old reversible vacum cleaner) is the answer for the cheapest forge.
@@borjesvensson8661 that will work. My current forge is made from an old charcoal grill with a clay and sand lining and an old hand crank blower and iron pipe fittings.
@Riley Easton Definitely, I've been watching on InstaFlixxer for months myself :)
@@borjesvensson8661 A pipe and a small patch of dirt would be even cheaper, and is technically still useable. You probably want to avoid using flammable dirt though.
My forge is made of wood. It’s called a dirt box forge. Look them up. I’ve used it hundreds of times
I am a woodworker and blacksmith. It is highly encouraging to see creators emphasize the simple and basics are not to be ignored and can create great products.
I'm 65 and learned to use a piece of railroad track in Boy Scouts, when I was 12, from an article in Boy's Life magazine. It works great.
I hope you mean use as an anvil and not as a bicycle seat, marital aid or common cold cure ;)
Well Rex, I thought you were the king of the most out of your money and space, but now I’d say there’s a challenger to your throne. It’s a good job you’ve not your name on your side.
Tim please start your own channel, you are excellent at explaining things and your work is also gorgeous. Rex please can we have more videos of you interviewing other creatives? You are fantastic at it, you ask great questions whilst giving the interviewee time and room to answer. I’d definitely say you’re one of the best I've seen on UA-cam.
An out and out fantastic video from you both, very informative. Thank you Rex, thank you Tim.
You're very welcome! Interviewing is tough. I need to improve at it.
Rex Krueger You’re better than you think, you asked all the right question and gave Tim the chance to answer them. Most importantly you didn’t keep talking over him when he was trying to answer.
Making a living doing what you love, life doesn't get any better than that!
This is great. I'm a beginner blacksmith, and it's nice to hear from a smith that doesn't have $50k of tools in his shop. This makes blacksmithing seem approachable and practical, instead of something trust fund kids do to pass the time.
Tim gets it done with just the basics!
Holy cow, that is so cool! And may I say, you are a fantastic interviewer. You really knew how to ask questions and make it as simple for us as possible.
Great fun! While earning my MS in Mech Eng I took a shop class, and the old instructor told us to make sure not to miss next Tuesday, a special guest and we were to meet at the old forge on campus. Building was dusty and filthy, and didn't get opened very often. The special guest was the instructor's FATHER, 93 years old! His glasses were so thick you couldn't see his eyes at most angles, yet he fired up the coke-fueled forge, tonged up some 1/2" rod, and using the tongs, anvil, and hammer, started making a logging chain; got about 3 links made during the classtime. One of the most impactful nights of my life, and I doubt you could see that anywhere else nowadays (maybe the Amana colonies).
Thanks for the memory jogger, Rex!
Tim really needs to get into making content.
My 16 year old Daughter and i took a blacksmithing class together last October. i had learned some basics back in high school metal shop and had always wanted to get into as an ongoing hobby. my daughter is now in the process of getting a proposal together for the Girl Scouts to add a blacksmithing badge, The founder, Juliette Gordon Low learned to blacksmith and created a gate that still hands at her home in Savannah GA so it seemed fitting for the GS to promote this dying art. thanks for the intro Rex and i have now followed Urban forge so hopefully he starts putting out some content soon.
One of my very first projects was to make my own hammer and tongs. My first tongs won't win an academy award but they are quite functional. Then I made a cross pein hammer from a 2lb hammer I got from Harbor Freight. Making any type of blacksmith hammer is WORK! But also quite fun and satisfying. My anvil is a slab of steel I got out of the "discard bin" from a local metal shop, mounted on top of a large tree stump from when we cut down the big tree in the back yard. The handles for all my hammers were made from that same tree. And the forge I use is the very same one as Tim. It was easily "passed" by my wife as safe after we read the specs together. The regulator is very good and the forge seems quite versatile for different kind of work/projects.
I know I'm late to the party on this one, but I only recently discovered and subbed to your channel.
I'm a professional farrier. Recognised the anvil right off. The funny bump off the side of the horn is designed for pulling clips on shoes.
The "worn out" hardy hole isn't worn out, it is specifically designed that way so the farrier can slip the heels of the shoes up thru the hole for the purpose of shaping and "turning" heels of the shoe.
Farriers tend to use a 1.5, a 2 and a 3 pound rounding hammer. The 1.5 is used mostly with hot work, while the 2 pound is a lot of hot and cold work. The 3 pound is pulled out to give a little extra "persuasion" to heavier work.
Hope I'm not out of line, just trying to clarify a couple things.
Also a pritchel hole not a pritcher hole. Coming from another pro farrier
That's pretty cool. I like his selection of tools fitting the projects he does. Many seem to buy everything but aren't sure how to use anything!
Great vid. Relevant questions and answers. I like the no nonsense way. Also, the fact that you do not have annoying music is great. Keep it up.
I am a beginner, good interview , pertinent questions, and elaborated and clear answers. I learn more. When there is a will, there is a way. Thanks
I would have never known a forge could be that affordable! As someone who has wanted to learn how to Smith for years, this is incredible information! Thanks so much!
My forge is made out of a frying pan and some rebar, both of which can be really cheap. I have since switched my personal forge to propane, the one I bought was about $200 but you can find good ones for less than $100 now.
I ran a ground forge for six months of weekends. Hole in the ground (clay soil) about 9" across and 6" deep. Scrap of 22mm copper pipe buried in the earth as a tue, not poking into the hollow so it hardly got melted at all. Inflatable boat pump as as bellows. Quick scrap wood fire and a shovelful of coke and you've got welding temps in a matter of minutes. Canful of water into the ground where the pipe was ever hour or so.
During a recent balcksmithing class we did for a scout camp, my son said it best, if you have more time than money, you build your tools and forge, if you have more money than time, you buy it. I have made and used 3 seperate forges in my 15 years of blacksmithing and the most I have ever spent was $25 for a cart to bud my most recent (nicest) forge.
I literally knew nothing about blacksmithing. Every single thing in the video was both new and interesting!
I'm having a hard time believing this guy is making a living as a full time blacksmith... good on him if he is..... that wobbling vise would drive me crazy
Tim teaches a lot of classes, so that helps. He's not making a full living off just his products. Also, the vise is new and needs a proper stand.
What Rex said, and yeah the vice stand need to be fixed. I recently rearranged my shop and I'm trying to find where that vice is going to live in the shop.
There was a guy on the forge right his forge was an old bbq and a hairdryer no joke his grinder was a file and he won the 10k
Talent isn’t subjective to tools I believe talent like if the one using the things is good he can do it with without all the proper tools
Like you would be insanely surprised how much a chisel can be used for lol
@@matthewsnowdon8530 You still find thousands of livelihood production blacksmiths around the world who has very little in terms of power tools - often no more than an angle grinder... And shops as small or smaller than this. But who need all that hitech stuff when you have two strikers, a tea kettle and a hookah in the shop :)
He makes stuff to sell at craft fairs or on the internet. He's hammer shaping hot metal and making a living at it. Can't get any more legit than that.
I teach a lot of classes and I sell at craft shows. I don't get a whole lot of internet sales from my Etsy shop. But that's because I haven't put a lot of effort into Etsy.
It took me weeks of binge watching content in the evening to put my finger on why you look familiar, the energy in the intro did it.. You remind me of FPSdoug. Love the content by the way, i'm just getting into wood working and blacksmithing at nearing 30 and your videos are a great help.
That's a great time to get started! at 30, you're not a kid anymore, so you might actually stick with it, but you have time to get good.
@@RexKrueger Thank you, really appreciate the encouragement! I worked up from carving a cup to building a new shed roof over the past 4-6 months and i'm having a lot of fun pushing myself! Next thing is to follow your lathe build, it looks excellent!
Great Interview Rex
Really like this video! It shows the tools to great effect, also the skill of the smith(Tim) which is the most important factor in the craft! Great questions from the Rex, very intelligent.
He kind of touched on an idea a (much better blacksmith than I am) friend of mine told me several years ago when I was building my current forge. "There are lots of people who are really good at building forges and are mediocre smiths." That absolutely applies to tongs, too.
Of course I was already north of 40 and had made two crappy forges and a melting furnace and knew what I was doing...
But that's advice young people should heed better than I did. If you're going to make it yourself, whether a forge or tongs or even a hammer, at least spend your first effort exactly copying something someone else has already done and proved out.
Copying an existing design is nearly always the best way to start. I cannot count the number of times I've set out to "improve" something, only to realize that I just didn't understand the traditional design.
And no need to "over-egg the pudding" by adding unnecessary clutter and fancy do_das. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).
Quality shows best through clean lines not over-ornamentation.
Depending on how you make your tongs increasing your collection of tongs can be a great way to improve your skill as a smith.
I would like for you to do a follow-up video on how to make handles. You know handles for hammers, or maybe even knives.
Good idea!
Very interesting video. Thank Rex.
I’d like to see a homemade forge video from you. I know there are a lot out there but I like ur explanations
I may just do that!
Anyone looking to get into black smithing would do well with an ASO (anvil shaped object) to start. It’s much cheaper to buy a 4” block of steel than an anvil, and a machinist shop should be able to add a hardy hole or horn if needed.
That leg vice is a great tool, But much better if mount solid for best results.
Thanks for showing
Great video! Thanks Rex and Tim! I'll go check him out.
Great video, very inspirational. Not that I’m trying to knock your channel or what you are doing but Steve Ramsey has a Woodworking for Mere Mortals channel thing and every time I hear you mention woodworking for mere humans it makes me think of that.
Well, I've never once used the word "mere", so I think that helps. Steve and I are doing a pretty different thing, so I think it's okay.
Maybe you could do a video about making Tim a more stable support for his vise.
I don't blacksmith but I do find it interesting.
That was totally the idea!
Competence, skill and good planning can make up for a lack of tools and space
Tim has all three!
I really enjoyed this - - again.
I'm really glad!
the brain is the most important tool, you can do many things using few things (tools) what you need is a good plan
Awesome Idea!
I learn a lot about your set up, I am building up a group of tools for my retirement & will be in the shop full time next summer. I have a small pipe bender & a angle iron bender, both homemade. I got my father’s Pole vise & my father in law pole vise, I bought a real anvil, not a ASO, which limits your work like night & day to a real anvil. I bought my Hammer & got both my tables with one inch thick x 36" X 36" steel table tops for free. I bought my 3 grinder used, & my mini metal lathe with mill attachment, 3 drill press used, 4 metal vise & 2 wood working vise used. Oh two band saws & a stick welder, pipe threaded, air compressor, sheet metal shear (48"), but I have collecting tools for over ten years, for my early retirement.
I love how they both unflinchingly stare into each other's eyes and Rex just sometimes nods.
Excellent interview and very interesting. Great video. Thanks
Always have one barely only otherwise it'll active as a chimney I'm talking about the burners
Just subscribed to Tim’s channel, glad to see you helping other new content creators out. I love your vids! They really help me ground myself when I get too over the top I. My head and think “ I need every lie Nielsen to build this small project”. Sometimes I think I like the tools more than the projects lol
There are times when I ABSOLUTELY like the tools more than the project. I love tools. No shame there. You can be a collector, a woodworker, or both. No problem.
He needs more subs
Don’t get carried away with how great an anvil you can make from railroad track. Railroad tracks are a lot softer than a decent anvil. Like most cheap anvils, though, they’re still a lot better than no anvil.
A 12 pound sledge head mounted in a stump works in a pinch
I use a fork lift fork I hope to be able to get a proper anvil one day but it works for now
Once i found a brand new forklift fork set on the railroad tracks. Had plastic on it and factory papers. Its wasnt just forks either it had hydrolics and a pincer thing. It was probably 300 pounds.
@@tommywright7196 that's better than a section of rail. I have 2 forks welded back to back (tines cut short) that works well as a post anvil. I also have a section of rail mounted sideways (because that puts more mass under the hammer), a new 100 lb. anvil and a vintage anvil from 1908. Each was useful until I upgraded to the next one.
the wibble on that vice probably lowers efficency by 50% for all tasks that use it.
NC tools North Carolina tools makes a very good anvil
Woudn't you know it, Tim just got one of those!
It's an excellent little anvil and I didn't have to drive to go pick it up. It was shipped straight to my house. It was awesome
Great video Rex.
Rex Tim this is a great video. Really learned a lot.
Thanks you❤
I'll have to catch the replay Rex, but I did go over and sub his channel...
i use a old rail beam as an anvil and a framer hammer
Yeah the drill press is cool but what about the radial arm saw that it’s sitting on
I'd recommend a beginner should try and find a anvil stake to start with mine was under £50 and bang it in a banded log/stump and boom you've essentially got a portable anvil
A great video !! Thanks.
Good stuff; thanks.
you guys should combine workshop
I miss my anvil. I used to have a lovely 300lbs job mounted on a huge portion of hardwood tree trunk bagged from some tree fellers doing the trees at the school where I worked. I lost the anvil in my divorce and I still miss it. I lost my forge too. Some things are just too big when you move out into a flat.
Age has taken its toll, I can no longer contemplate driving hundreds of miles to collect an anvil and man handling it into the back of my car. But I still want an anvil.
Maybe you just need something smaller. Tim has a second anvil that's only 70lbs. It does fine work. I've seen it. It's nice.
I'm sorry to hear you lost your anvil and forge. But I'll echo what Rex said perhaps get a smaller one like my 70 pounder. At least it's something ya know.
I, too, have a 76 lbs anvil that does everything I need it too.
Donald: in my divorce, I lost my 135 lb wife and I don't miss her. Sorry about your loss .
He does very nice work on limited funds.
I forgot your username and spent 20 minutes trying to find your channel! UA-cam really hates you!! Anyway glad I found it again!
See that little "subscribe" button? That might solve your problem ; )
@@RexKrueger it's not that simple.
Psst! You don't have to spend $800+ on an old anvil! NC Tool makes fantastic farrier's anvils, and sells a 112-lb model new for about $500.
Hilariously, Tim now owns one of those!
You can buy anvils brand new for like 300 for 100lbs made by quality companies.
No issues with the banging noise and his neighbors?
Good stuff Rex. Subscribed to Tim's channel. I really hope he digs into it and shares some of the magic.
can you convert an old metal cooking pot in to an anvil?
You would not believe how close your shop is to mine!! We have a lot of the same tools! I have that very same forge but I can not get it to reach welding heat. Can you forge weld with yours?
Clate Childers I have no idea! You should go over to Tim's channel and ask him.
Ok I will. Thanks!
Have you got a link to his channel? :)
ua-cam.com/video/5dgjkURQasY/v-deo.html
Just like woodworking: The toys are nice, but you can do almost everything with a really basic toolkit. (I'm not knocking the toys, by the way... I love my bandsaw and hollow-chisel mortiser, but they don't really let me do anything I can't do without them, just make it much easier.)
IF you actually know what you're doing, the fancy gear is about convenience.
If not, then the fancy gear is a crutch and excuse for pounding out garbage... or barely functional "craft" (crap).
...and it's just SOOOooo easy to get a fortune tied up in equipment. ;o)
That forge actually costs LESS THAN my rent! ... I should look into that once I have a home with a garage!
Shops used to be that small 100 years ago 😂
True!
some where even smaller like japanese style blacksmith shops
You guys should have made some draw knives out of dollar yardsale files.
I enjoy your videos man, great concept and sound levels. One thing: are you Lex Luthor?
I am.
Surprised at the price of anvils
You're not the only one.
The joys of the "maker movement". Give it 5 years for the hipsters to get bored of it, prices will go back down. (I hope...)
oh dang i tought you grew a beard.
I would have liked to see him actually park two cars in that garage. I have a two car garage that has never see a car in thirty years. Seeing is believing.
You'll have to take my word for it. He does it.
Just buy new anvils. Lots a great US and European companies making anvils today.
Chris Waters there are some great forged farrier anvils out there for the same price or even cheaper than antique ones
I bought a new Emerson 100 lb. traditional a few years ago for ~$550. Railroad track is OK to start with (although it's better to turn it on end so there's more mass under your hammer), and used forklift tines are surprisingly affordable too. Vintage anvils on ebay have gotten ridiculous in recent years.
Tim looks like he's been filmed in front of a green screen and added in post... How does he do that lol
I use a 2.5lb cross peen hammer
poor rex my man looks tired
Jesus, before Tim blinked, I thought he was a cut-out. Scared the devil outta me.
I wish I could have garage for 2 cars… But I'm living in multi-store multi-apartment (Hmmm... ~500 apartments?) building in 5-million city :-( Price of forge & anvil is not a problem, but renting even single-car garage where owner allows to make workshop (instead of car storage) is insanely expensive for me, I could not afford it :-(
Do you have access to the roof? This is not a joke. I'm really asking.
@@RexKrueger Unfortunately, no. Access to roof (and basement) is forbidden "to prevent danger of terrorist actions" (I'm not joking too). It is hard enough to get access to roof to install A/C - I've spent 3 days to get approval to have access for one hour for professional rigger, who install external Aircon block :-(
For roughly 350-450$ you can buy an NC anvil, the reason these old anvils are so expensive is cause the myth that new anvils aren’t as good… Buy a new anvil and let that guy trying to sell his beat up garbage for way more keep his garbage.
step is called the face...fair at best.
Mic Well The step is called “the step” or “cutting table”. The face is “the face”. I am not sure what point you are trying to make.
Love this vid.... Will follow Tim! Thanks R!!!! Been looking into this with limited space.
Metal working for humans
Next time I give someone my hand outside the Corona time i am going to hug him becouse of that fact.
That kinda money for a anvil is just insane,in my opinion, I get it tools are not cheep but really it's an anvil a big church of hardened. Steel,,,people have made anvil so expensive they are not aquirerable for the average hobbiest,and that is just a shame for those wanting to learn a new trade or hobby,especially for a young kid or teen starting out,just my thoughts ,I'm sure you have yours ,I'm not being negative just honest
am I the only one that is bothered by how wobbly his vise is?
He just got it. It needs a base.
Yeah I recently moved somethings around the shop, the vice being one of them. I need to fix it replace the stand that vice is on. Thanks
Love your shop brother. It just tweeked my ocd
Rex sounds like David Dobrik
Bruh !
You called that Hay-Budden a Fisher. It's not.
I have an anvil exactly like that. Curious what makes it a hay budden? No id marked on mine
@@douggriffis8646 Hay-Buddens a lot longer than Peter-Wright anvils, the heel is a bit thinner and longer. I actually have a book all about anvils that put together by a Richard A. Postman.
Another reason, besides the obvious, I could tell that it is not a Fisher-Norris is the fact the American Fisher-Norris anvils were made of a high-grade cast iron with a crucible steel face. and horn. The American company, Hay-Budden , made their anvils from two pieces of wrought iron (the face being made of sheer steel forge welded on) the base and the top part. The forge welded seam at the waist of the anvil had potential to crack over years of the anvils use.
@@demastust.2277 thank you for the reply I will have to look for that book!
@@douggriffis8646 "Anvils in America by Richard A. Postman" it's uh. 80 bucks on amazon and around the same on Ebay. It's a pretty thick and heavy book with a lot of accumulated information. It's quite worth the price if you're really into anvils.
Why would you buy tongs instead of making them...It was the 3rd thing I learned blacksmithing. Making tongs to the material you are going to work...
Punching holes makes the material, especially thinner material, stronger instead of drilling. Just as a side note
I've always found it interesting that British smiths who didn't start as farriers tend to forge with ball-pein hammers. 90% of the time a 2lb-er, though 3lb-ers are fairly easily available and I've come across a few over 4lb before. Almost all drawing is done over the far edge of the anvil, or over the horn for heavy drawing. General smiths who started as farriers tend to use rounding hammers. Not very many cross-peins in evidence. I'd love to know why we don't use cross-peins so much.
You can find 42 ounce ball peens all over the place and I find them nice to forge with with a little modification of the handles
I'm an old farrier so my go to hammer is a diamond 2 1/2 pound turning hammer . At the local farm supply store they run about 55 bucks
I'm an English Smith, around fifteen years time served and I've always used either a ball pein or a cross pein hammer, and still do. Most of the American Blacksmiths I met when I was on my Journeymanship used cross peins, not many (if any) used ball peins though. I've watched the popularity of the Farrier's Turning hammer, what Americans call a Rounding hammer, increase markedly among the younger crowd over the last decade and I think it's largely down to the influence of Brian Brazeal (and more recently via his well known UA-camr student young Mr Steele). I made a Turning hammer for myself (heavier than a standard farrier's) years back, before I'd even met Brian and I own one a farrier gave me that's about 2lbs. They're nice enough hammers to use but they're nothing overly special, just a style of hammer that's been popularised. You can see a similar thing happening with Bladesmiths and the Japanese style of hammer (what I know as a Dog's Head hammer) nowadays too.
They're all just basically solid heat proof lumps on the end of a stick :D
I think he has room for a wire brush LOL, look at all that scale
Get it tim!
6:46 LMAO
Pritchel,not pritcher
Really enjoyed the content. Was very distracted by the superfluous use of the trendy word “so” starting every thought...
So is trendy? It just seems a way to start a conversation. Better then um. Not that it bothers me anyway.
Usually it is right after I say "I am not a big Grindr guy" that my Grindr goes off...
If only my G'father had been younger or not crippled by a draft horse he was shoeing or I had been a little older.....
My granddad was a master machinist. He died before I could learn from him. Such a loss.
Are there bots that automatically downvote these videos? I'm not crazy on the blacksmithing, but it was a solid video with decent Q&A and you're helping a local. Where's the down vote???
I often wonder that myself. Trolls are trolls, I guess.
Yes there are such bots. They are used to upvote the mass produced "spam" channels, and to avoid bot checking algorithms so they look like real users they also downvote random videos.
Which doesn't mean there aren't real people who will down vote good content, but the bots exist.
I think some of the down votes are just people who accidentally tapped the wrong spot on the screen.
Rex the quality of your content and the effort you put into editing your videos is something I will never be able to accomplish, they are great. I started farrier school in 1989, was a professional for 22 years and have been blacksmithing and shoeing horses since. I guess there was something about this guy that just doesn't pass the sniff test with me.
It wouldn't surprise me if people are downvoting because of Rex's use of the Premier feature. It clogs up people's suggestions with stuff they can't watch yet.