That’s a great example of craftsmanship, John. Always a pleasure.

Make a tool to make a tool to do a project, the eternal blacksmithing state!

Hello John, I came up with almost the same tool, only in reverse. In the centre of 1/2 or 3/4 flat bar make your tenon hole to whatever shape/size required. Bend both sides up 90 deg then squeeze the ends together and weld to form the striking end and you end up with an open sided monkey tool that looks very much like yours…😊

thats a clever use of the press. Its a handy hydraulic vise

I am 60 years old from Greece.And i like your job.Straight and high quality.

Thanks for sharing with us John, that was a good build of that Monkey tool. It was quite interesting to watch. Stay safe and keep up the good videos. Fred.

I understand using materials that’s on hand. With that said my approach would have been with a piece of 1.5”sch 80 or 160 pipe. Forged to rectangular shape, then drifted it to final dimension. If any concern with it being made from mild steel then a little hard facing weld around the shoulder would help with that. I am a fabricator welder by trade so maybe I’m more intuitive to fabricate before forging. 🤷🏼‍♂️. Great tool and video John.

Hi John thanks for the interesting Demo!

Always glad to watch your videos.

I have never seen a rectangular monkey tool, either..looks nice !.. thanks.. ..Black Art Forge..

Very cool. I think it's faster than milling and broaching or milling a square/rectangular hole. Very cool project and DIY. :)

Loved the video as always. Making the tool to make a tool to make a whatever, is the fun of blacksmithing. Mine are way cruder than yours but they get the job done. Most times anyway.

Really enjoyed this video, great to see a tool that’s in someone’s head become a reality 👍🏻 well edited and well put together 👌🏻

Very nice design. Like you, I've never seen a rectangular monkey tool. Even square is a hard shape to find! I did make a rectangular monkey tool years ago for a project, but it was nowhere nearly as nice as what you've come up with. I fabricated mine 100%, and from mild steel. It held up well enough, but I think I made a mistake in grinding the welds down completely to give it a nice look. After the hammering was done, I noticed every weld had a hairline crack through it, basically making the tool useless. I could have welded them back up and left the full bead there, but that never happened and now the tool is lost in a pile of stuff somewhere, if I still even have it. Never got around to making a better version, but I might just have to give it a go.

Ive been thinking about this for a while, Ive never seen one but that just means Ive not seen all the tools in any one blacksmiths shop, I did consider punching the long slot then punching the end slot while supporting the tool in a vice but honestly with warping etc I think you came up with the best way to do it accurately Cool tool John Thanks for sharing, I'll be looking out for the next video and seeing how it performs

Once again I've gotten my sunday start to the week off on a good note, got to watch another great and informative black bear forge video, thanks John! There are times I wonder why is he doing that? But then it becomes obvious. Thank you for another great video, I'm looking forward to getting to see the new tools in action.

Outstanding work

Nice unique job! Thanks!

Good video John. Like to see you using the tool you just made. 😊

Great project, end result was very satisfying, thanks for sharing!!

again a great video can you please make a video showing what this tool is used for

That's a beauty John. Top job

Great video John. Lots of different skills there to make that. I suppose a big mill yes would do the same but wheres the fun in that?! 🤪

I wish I saw this video last month when I had do make a smaller rectangular monkey tool as well. The way I came out with was drilling a round bar on my lathe to the appropriate size, then heating it up and pressing it under my press. Then I refined the hole with a drift. I bet you can use the same technique without a lathe, under the drill press but the tenon you need to make is a lot bigger than the one I needed so… pretty sure your approach is more appropriate. Thank you for sharing

I love your videos and channel. Because you bring the passed to the present.

thanks nice tool cant wait to see it used

How did I miss you getting a new gas forge!!! That is beautiful.

Very interesting teaching video thank you.

Great job. Thank you 😊

Learning a lot from your vids. Like the straightforward presentation. thanks for sharing

Really loving ur improvement with your video editing skills. Cant wait to see what u show us this year! * secretly hoping you might redo an old video of making some tongs. Always rewatching as im slowly building up my collection can never go wrong with a refresher. But will say the difference from than to now is certainly Night and Day. - Cheers and thanks for all you do

That will get the job done, Awesome

Love seeing your process John keep up the great work

I’m very interested in seeing how this tool performs. I can’t think of a more straightforward way to make it than the approach that you took. Another excellent video sir.

Hey, John really good video I like the new layout that you did maybe for the future to make it easier on you. Do you more videos like this with less talking? So it's quick and easy for you to get out and then at a later date. Maybe do a sit down, chat the finer details of the project.

using the hydraulic press as a clamp is a great idea! Just wish I had a hydraulic press :)

Enjoyed the video. Love the monkey tool

Morning John, curious as to what vise that blue on you used in the video was haven't seen one like that

Great video sir

I think i would have built the working end by welding four pieces of flat bar around an appropriately sized mandrel, then welded that to a shank if desired. Using aluminum for the mandrel or steel with paper shims would keep the tool from sticking to it during welding, and open corners provide plenty of weld and therefore strength. You probably could have saved some time by drilling a hole at the end of the slot you sawed in the shank and cutting to the hole rather than opening it up super far to get in there with a die grinder. Both of these suggestions come from my background as a weldor and machinist, not a blacksmith, and I'm sure your way made perfect sense to you.

Very interesting build - I am surprised my blacksmithing journey has turned more into making tools than doing anything with them beyond an initial test. That's a nice looking table for your portaband - I watched the original one from years ago with your DIY frame - do you have a video about this upgraded one?

Would it work with pipe welded to the bottom instead? Or would it not hold up over time?

Spurs commercials goes on KZfaq if your a die hard pay the extra money if you can for add free through youtube! im gald i did i got tired of some channels going over an hour just for the video alone and adding a ton of adds inbetween. thanks john for another good video!

Just trying to think how you could do that without welding. Could you punch a slot in the side, drill the end and work both holes to the shape you want?

Did you have to make the big punch you used with the Saymak just for this project? And how long did it take the monkey to cool in the vermiculite?

Im just 15 and i am trying to start forging, i have a axel and a peice of pto shaft im going to try to make a small specialized anvil do you have any suggestions or advice?

Stacked flat bar from a cheap grinder and stick welder. done.

Can anyone tell me what the hammer is called (not treadle, hand swung, or power), that John used by means of an overhead wheel? Don’t recall seeing one, but I’m not a blacksmith just a fan

Where did the name come from or is it just one of those accepted things

Something I have always been curious about is why/how it became known as a "monkey tool". Mr. Switzer/anyone else have any idea?

Great video, John. Unfortunately I don't know what "Monkey Tool" do. Can you show how to use it ?

Came out ok....cool beans

Good morning