Forging an AXE from a Rail Road Spike
Рет қаралды 469,283
Күн бұрынForging a small axe or tomahawk from a railroad spike is a fun project. Although Rail Road spikes aren't particularly high carbon, so they won't have great edge holding ability.
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00:00 - Intro
00:18 - Upsetting
01:58 - Laying out the eye
03:27 - Slitting the eye
05:07 - Drifting
06:44 - Forging the blade
09:03 - Rough Grinding
10:17 - Can you harden a rail road spike?
14:26 - Finishing
16:24 - Putting it to the test
Anvil provided by; Fontanini Anvil and Tool
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Mailing address:
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Beulah, CO 81023
Below you will find useful links that will help you in your journey as a blacksmith.
To find more information in blacksmithing in the US or to search for your local ABANA affiliate group visit.
www.abana.org/
Blacksmithing tools and supplies
Self contained air hammers - www.saymakhammers.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.oleoacresfarriersupply.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.piehtoolco.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.centaurforge.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.blacksmithsdepot.com/
General blacksmithing supplies - www.blacksmithsupply.com/
Square head bolts and lags - www.blacksmithbolt.com/
New anvils - www.oldworldanvils.com/
New anvils - www.nimbaanvils.com/
New anvils -
Industrial supplier - www.mcmaster.com
Tong blanks and tools - kensironstore.com/
Fire brick and refractory - refwest.com
Blacksmithing and related activities can be hazardous. These videos are not a substitute for competent professional instruction. Your safety is your sole responsibility. Always use appropriate safety equipment including eye and ear protection when working in the shop. Follow manufactures safety guidelines for the use of all equipment. In the event something shown in one of these videos seems unsafe, it is up to you to make the appropriate changes to protect yourself.t yourself.
@beshkodiak 2 жыл бұрын
I have been a blacksmith/ fabricator/ machinist for 50 + years and i never tire of watching other craftsmen share their knowledge. And i still learn stuff!
@BigVince80bce 2 жыл бұрын
Hi friend I just figured I'd ask you but im getting into blacksmithing and I've mainly been using a friends forge but I was wondering if you know where I'd go about getting my own.
@beshkodiak 2 жыл бұрын
@@BigVince80bce i just saw this two months later. Try Pie tool company. Its a blacksmiths tool seller online. You’ll also find forges and what not on ebay.
@BigVince80bce 2 жыл бұрын
@@beshkodiak thanks mate, I'll give the websites a look
@bennyhill3642 Жыл бұрын
U know Right!!🖒
@gamertravel6651 3 ай бұрын
What kind of charcoal you used sir?
@oxenforde 2 жыл бұрын
I love the montage at the end; where the throws start good, and quickly go badly. Very funny.
@J1I9M7M4Y 2 жыл бұрын
Yeah same here!! That *woosh* cracked me up!! 😂
@jameskylemorgan88 2 жыл бұрын
This comment had me dying and I had to watch it!!! Anyway I love this fella, as a beginning bladesmith I love this channel. Very informative and love how you show all the work and explain things. Will be an avid watcher of your videos as long as you make content sir.
@bonbonpony 2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, especially that in KZfaq videos, they usually cut the bad ones so that it looks like a perfect hit first time.
@musicismyyydrug 2 жыл бұрын
@@J1I9M7M4Y I died at the pause and then the whoosh as well!
@angercatalyst 2 жыл бұрын
Me and my wife just took a blacksmithing class a few days ago and I also made RR spike tomahawk. The gentleman that instructed us made it a very enjoyable experience, never took over, only pointed out where and why we running into any problems and told us how to correct it. When I expressed my long time interest in the craft he gave me a sizeable piece of railway track to use as a beginner anvil, and I just ordered my propane forge last night. I look forward to being able to use this video as a refresher when I finally get all of the equipment set up.
@elirobertson2324 4 ай бұрын
How's your journey going two years later?:)
@brittinghammerforge9441 Жыл бұрын
I like how you included the misses at the end.
@cody945 Жыл бұрын
Blacksmithing has always fascinated me. Love watching these and glad you talk through what you're doing.
@NengNow 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for showing us that last throw! Gave me a good laugh and shows how genuine you are-no one is going to throw perfectly every time :P
@BlackBearForge 2 жыл бұрын
My pleasure!!
@paulorchard7960 2 жыл бұрын
Agree John, using a rail spike it needs to look like it was once a spike otherwise it was just scrap!
@Grubgotkicked 2 жыл бұрын
great video! that cartoon sounding whoosh at 16:59 had me dying
@1noryb 2 жыл бұрын
Reminds me of a RR spike knife video a few years ago, sliced rope, chopped wood, cut paper, but had debatable acceptance, depending on the intended usage.
@pjamestx 2 жыл бұрын
I'm making this for sure! Plus it's a good excuse to add a new drift to the collection 😉
@JohnSmith-gs4lw 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for doing the hardness test. I’m not the guy who picks a fight over that, but I am the guy who always asks about it! I’ve heard several times that those are mild steel, but I’ve watched plenty of guys make knives out of them. Yes, I understand they are novelty items, but they always imply that they are hardenable.
@sob2229 2 жыл бұрын
I have been watching craftsman like you for several years now. It has been educational of course but also therapeutic in some ways. I cant remember the last time I gave any attention to television. Thankyou.
@Bobsutubes 2 жыл бұрын
Very nice video John. Your instructional videos are always worth watching. This rendition of a tomahawk from RR spike is pretty sweet.
@BlackBearForge 2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
@faroironandcustoms6577 2 жыл бұрын
Great video John! And thank you for the test. I also see lots of people arguing over rr spikes. I think it is an awesome place to learn how to forge a shape into a different shape. Are they great steel? No. But I would not be scared to say that hawk is better than some that are commercially available and will serve it's purpose well.
@simmonscarl1 2 жыл бұрын
you make it look so easy, especially making blade
@MMAYUKON 2 жыл бұрын
I had a good laugh at the montage from the end. Nicely done John.
@charleszimmermann7784 2 жыл бұрын
thank you Sir, I particularly like the miss hits at the end, adds to the realism of the video, and as always thank you for the wonderful lesson. take care and Happy Holidays!
@zanderjeger 2 жыл бұрын
Hello John! My favorite thing is when you make tools! Cool! I wish you a Merry Christmas from Poland.
@billhatcher2984 2 жыл бұрын
Your little t;rowing demo at the end was welcome it got a smile out of me.🙏
@garygraham2974 2 жыл бұрын
You are exactly right how to measure the length of a hawk handle
@MattMadeIt123 2 жыл бұрын
Turned out great. Think I'll give this a shot. Looks like those new spike tongs are working great.
@davidmech2956 2 жыл бұрын
Nicely done. One day I will start forging. Love the channel
@BM205 2 жыл бұрын
I was thinking the same thing! It's been of interest to me for a long time. I'm a flint knapper and make flint knives and I wanna get into steel blades as well. Maybe this is the year we'll both start our journey into forging. Best of luck to ya and some day maybe we'll get to the level we wish to achieve. Y'all stay safe and God bless
@davidmech2956 2 жыл бұрын
@@BM205 God bless
@dragontattooee 2 жыл бұрын
Absolutely fantastic video
@BlackBearForge 2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
@Vikingwerk 2 жыл бұрын
Going to have to make a set of those spike tongs. The moment that convinced me was when you used them like flat jaw tongs to pick up the spike by the upset end. Way more versatile than the other spike tongs.
@davidreimanmusic5477 2 жыл бұрын
I had the same thought process.
@daviddavid5880 7 ай бұрын
A friend of mine whipped up one of these things. It's been surprisingly handy. Think of it as a cutting wedge with a handle. Root cutter, welding hammer, and a fair felling wedge
@OldHuntingGuy 2 жыл бұрын
Great information and instruction as always. I also appreciate the inclusion of the missed throws - we're all human and imperfect.
@johnjude2685 2 жыл бұрын
Been told by 2 good BlackSmith to quench mild steel in water and still not tool steel but improve the hardness. I'm surprised that RR spike has enough steel Seems you drew it out well. Thanks Mr Switzer for the teaching Sir
@mtn.homeforge351 2 жыл бұрын
That got harder than what I thought it would. Another great video. Thank you!
@kwaichang368 2 жыл бұрын
Good video, those spikes have so many uses, very cool. Thanks, Clinton
@davidtauriainen9116 2 жыл бұрын
Great editing choices on the missed throws!
@BlackBearForge 2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
@scottbennett6200 2 жыл бұрын
GOOD LORD, I love the TRUE outtakes at the end!! HAHAHAHA
@davidreimanmusic5477 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks John! Great video. Definitely fills in the gaps where a couple others left a few details out. Guess what I’m about to go do? Make one of these little guys.
@anddysworkshop466 2 жыл бұрын
I just clicked on the notification but i already know i love it!!!
@michaelmosley254 2 жыл бұрын
Nice job best one I have seen yet
@lostpony4885 7 ай бұрын
Shore looks nice
@jimhayes3225 2 жыл бұрын
Hope you had a Merry Christmas John.
@honthirty_ 2 жыл бұрын
Loved the 'wiff' near the end. Fun. Thanks!
@robertoswalt319 2 жыл бұрын
It looks like you may have made your own Christmas present. Thanks for the explanation about the letters on the back of the spike and what it means. I had heard that they weren't good for much more than paperweights after they had been used.
@gurvinderkau1e5w18 2 жыл бұрын
Tomahawk came out cool.I like spikes and horse shoe projects. Some fun and cool stuff can be made from them. Make something from horse shoe also.👍🔥🔥💥
@Samandcocoa 2 жыл бұрын
Love the miss at the end. Thanks for all your hard work this year. Great vid
@heydenlabelle513 2 жыл бұрын
Great video, again, Switzer. I have a huge bucket of spikes in my shop that I never touch. Maybe its about time I start making things out of them. I particularly like the hook spike ideas, but the Hawk is really cool too.
@midknightforge7446 2 жыл бұрын
LOL when it completely missed the target was hilarious. Great video!
@BlackBearForge 2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@johnjude2685 2 жыл бұрын
Can't watch till later,John but I just got it recently Thanks
@adamparry8897 11 ай бұрын
Loved watching you make this. You do an excellent job teaching the process. The bonus was the final scene with you throwing it along with the failed hits and total misses. That cracked me up.
@glencrandall7051 2 жыл бұрын
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
@moreybandel5560 2 жыл бұрын
Wow! Turned out nice! Looks like it throws good too!
@frankgaletzka8477 2 жыл бұрын
Hello John Niche little tomehawk good for bushcraft and when needed for defence . Thank you for the idea and the sharing of your skills Take care Yours Frank Galetzka
@tobyjo57 2 жыл бұрын
Nice work John, your perception of things to make from railroad spikes is quite amazing.
@Adam-118 2 жыл бұрын
Well, the last two years I've been secretly learning about forging and Smelting. I wish I knew your channel existed. I've recently turned to KZfaq for a few educational purposes. With the right research one can learn quite a bit from people just like you. Thank you. Thank you for being.
@alwaysbearded1 2 жыл бұрын
That does look like a fun project. You could make a bunch for friends then meet up and play with them. That amount of temper seems a good compromise as you would not want them too hard anyway for when they hit the ground or rocks or whatever. If you really wanted I'm assuming one could forge weld in a hard piece for the edge. I hope you had a relaxing Christmas and took a break from all your video production.
@bayareasparky9180 2 жыл бұрын
Great video John. Loved that you used your recent gifts and also the end was quite fun. I also agree with the direction of the spike point/blade. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!
@jimforgrave6365 2 жыл бұрын
Laughed out loud when that one throw completely missed
@travisbrulotte4138 Жыл бұрын
I love watching your videos, I find you very easy to listen to and I always enjoy seeing what you come up with. The axe throwing montage was very funny, I thank you for all your effort, skill and time you take to make these.
@derekmelton 2 жыл бұрын
It's been a while since I've made one of these. I think I'll try another. I'm going to try using a short, wide handled chisel under the inline treadle hammer to open the eye this time. Last ones I made, I used too narrow and small of a chisel and ended up stretching the sides of the eye a bit too much. Nice video, Merry Christmas John, thanks for all the content!
@kennyhagan5781 2 жыл бұрын
A nice and simple hawk. Pretty useful I'm sure. 👍
@JoeBlow__1 2 жыл бұрын
I've always wanted to try black smithing. Used to do copper foundry work previously
@MrTim3990 2 жыл бұрын
Liked the keeping real with showing the miss throws. Made me lol.
@AnonYmous-ii4tc 2 жыл бұрын
One of the best videos I’ve seen in a while, John. Thanks for the gut rolling laugh you caused at the end. Love it!
@jermeyrichards4675 Жыл бұрын
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@charl3ssh33n4 2 жыл бұрын
love loggin onto youtube and seeing that you uploaded, great videos. always helps me relax
@michaelhayes1678 2 жыл бұрын
I love your great work and fun projects! I hope to do this myself soon!
@totherarf 2 жыл бұрын
Nice closing shot there! a sense of humor is a good thing!
@marcerivest6204 2 жыл бұрын
I would have never thought that there was enough material on a spike to make a tomahawk. It looks awesome. And Merry Christmas and a great new year. 😁👍
@johnferdon6525 2 жыл бұрын
Fascinating to watch you work, truly art.
@ThomasShue Жыл бұрын
Love this man’s shop and his work!
@SchysCraftCo. 2 жыл бұрын
John Merry Christmas here's to a Happy New year's ahead of you. I can't wait to see what you Forge up in the year to come. Very nice job turned out very cool. Big fan of the design of it. Hopefully you get great use out of it for many years. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work John. Forge On. Keep Making. God Bless.
@EightWheelsRollin 8 ай бұрын
Great vid! My next project. Thank you!!
@philippejoyal8065 2 жыл бұрын
Woweewow! Super project. I definitly want one of these. Thanks for sharing.
@christopherenz4237 Жыл бұрын
I'm trying this tomorrow. Amazing work btw
@xxdamphirxx 2 жыл бұрын
Great learning videos! I like what you teach us in your videos. I am a beginner in forging and I watch with a lot of interest to what you present in your videos.
@amazingrestorations9190 2 жыл бұрын
Splendid work 👍
@Vic1943_ 2 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing always learning something new this is a better way blessings to you and your family 🙏
@pepejuan2924 Жыл бұрын
Looks great, I like how you spread the cutting edge out, thanks for posting 👍
@CarlJohnson-ry3gc 2 жыл бұрын
Very interesting, thank you for sharing.
@hobbyhermit66 8 ай бұрын
Really nice hawk. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
@Aco747lyte Жыл бұрын
Nice slim axe and svelte handle, John. I've made a list of your tutorials and this one is a dead cert to make next! Many thanks, lovely video. ~Wendi UK 🌻
@lightsnsiren79 2 жыл бұрын
Merry Christmas! Love the video
@randytravis3998 2 жыл бұрын
I was splitting some kindling wood other night with a hatchet .. the handle is too smooth ,,, plus I had gloves on ,, well 5 stiches in my leg above me knee .. watching you split that board I was getting flash backs ,, works nice , only problem if you were splitting with it all the time would be the spike head catching on the firewood ,, thumbs up on the video
@stirfrywok2927 Жыл бұрын
This was a joy to watch. Beautiful work
@timothypowell5687 2 жыл бұрын
Awesome piece of work sir...I enjoy hawk throwing but enjoy watching them being made more. If u make another one I'd be interested in buying one.
@jeffgrier8488 2 жыл бұрын
Great work John, that's a nice tomahawk!
@Andrew-yy2ok 2 жыл бұрын
After watching this video I had to subscribe. This was a great tutorial!
@andrewsmith1520 2 жыл бұрын
I don't know how KZfaq has never suggested one of your videos to me before, but Facebook did some time ago, and I finally made my way here. Great stuff! Subbed!
@BlackBearForge 2 жыл бұрын
Welcome aboard!
@davidwhiren817 2 жыл бұрын
very nice , lots of great pointers !!!
@legenisgaming 2 жыл бұрын
That miss sound at the end 😅, Keep up the great work!
@davidjackson7051 7 ай бұрын
I'm a wood guy but I have always admired black smithing 😊
@theguywitheyebrows 2 жыл бұрын
amazing gifts!! i love to forge them, you're the grandfather/father i always wish i had.
@fredford7642 2 жыл бұрын
Very good and informative video. Thank you!
@IveysFamilyFactotum 2 жыл бұрын
Turned out great John...i do at some point need to make more of these.
@TacticalRacer 2 жыл бұрын
I really appreciate this video. It contains valuable information and knowledge. Thank you kindly black bear forge.
@lj8248 2 жыл бұрын
Love your vidoes,videos, haven't ever forged anything, I have watched you for a few a few yrs now,I love what you do
@austinkuiack6886 Жыл бұрын
I think your videos are great I've learned some much about blacksmithing I'm almost 16 now and I watch your videos because I want to have some what of a side business as a blacksmith when I hit my goal to be a farmer I've always wanted to have a farm and make my own tools and sell some to the community I hope you have a good day and thank you for making these videos
@comfortablynumb9342 6 ай бұрын
I definitely want one of those axes. Super cool.
@mattthomas1369 Жыл бұрын
Newbie here, I really appreciate you explaining the steps is basic terms ! Bless you for sharing your knowledge! Can’t wait to make my own someday
@BlackBearForge Жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@nicholassmith7359 2 жыл бұрын
A very well done video. Your ending was perfect.
@fredschmidt6802 2 жыл бұрын
Very good job 👌👍 on the video ! In the black smithing books they talk about steel you can find , and about what hardness they are . I think at one time railroad spikes my have been harder than what they are now . A lot of the older books mentioned that spikes are harder . Now they know they don't need to be that hard so it's cheap & good enough so that's what they are . I think there neat + if you know people that like trains then you really want to leave that nail head on it . Again good job
@aequitas1976 2 жыл бұрын
Best throw it completely misses and fly’s by lol 😂 good video.
@brianlombardi8390 2 жыл бұрын
I think you are hands down the best teaching Blacksmith on KZfaq. Thank you for all of the effort you put into helping others. I love this project and am going to try it. My question is on the drift. I am cheap, so have bought very few items, and prefer to try and make them. But is making a drift feasible? How do you know what size? Or do you just make it the size you want and make the handle to match?
@BlackBearForge 2 жыл бұрын
Making a drift is certainly feasible. If you are buying ready made handle, make the drift to match the handle. Otherwise make the drift what you want and then fit the handle as needed. Eventually you'll end up with a fairly good assortment of drifts.
@DavidMoonForge Жыл бұрын
I always love your videos. You've got such a practical approach to all of your projects. Nice work 👍
@BlackBearForge Жыл бұрын
Thank you very much!
@adambetz9838 2 жыл бұрын
Looks nice John, and I appreciate the highlight real at the end! I was concerned for a minute that you were a professional tomahawk thrower as well. 🙂
@mostgrossdanger04 Жыл бұрын
Bit of gold right at the end.... finish on a good laugh.
@FredKustomGarage 2 жыл бұрын
Here in France there is no rail spike, there are lag bolts ( translate???). A few weeks ago I made a video where I forged a tomahawk in an SNCF lag screw (SNCF, French train network). Which is not very easy
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