Forging an AXE from a Rail Road Spike
Forging 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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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.
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!
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.
@@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.
@@beshkodiak thanks mate, I'll give the websites a look
U know Right!!🖒
What kind of charcoal you used sir?
I love the montage at the end; where the throws start good, and quickly go badly. Very funny.
Yeah same here!! That *woosh* cracked me up!! 😂
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.
Yeah, especially that in KZhead videos, they usually cut the bad ones so that it looks like a perfect hit first time.
@@J1I9M7M4Y I died at the pause and then the whoosh as well!
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.
How's your journey going two years later?:)
I like how you included the misses at the end.
Blacksmithing has always fascinated me. Love watching these and glad you talk through what you're doing.
Very nice video John. Your instructional videos are always worth watching. This rendition of a tomahawk from RR spike is pretty sweet.
Glad you enjoyed it
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
My pleasure!!
Liked the keeping real with showing the miss throws. Made me lol.
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.
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.
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.
Absolutely fantastic video
Glad you enjoyed it
Agree John, using a rail spike it needs to look like it was once a spike otherwise it was just scrap!
You are exactly right how to measure the length of a hawk handle
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!
Your little t;rowing demo at the end was welcome it got a smile out of me.🙏
Nicely done. One day I will start forging. Love the channel
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
@@BM205 God bless
I had a good laugh at the montage from the end. Nicely done John.
LOL when it completely missed the target was hilarious. Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great editing choices on the missed throws!
Glad you enjoyed it
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.
I had the same thought process.
Great information and instruction as always. I also appreciate the inclusion of the missed throws - we're all human and imperfect.
Turned out great. Think I'll give this a shot. Looks like those new spike tongs are working great.
Loved the 'wiff' near the end. Fun. Thanks!
Good video, those spikes have so many uses, very cool. Thanks, Clinton
you make it look so easy, especially making blade
I'm making this for sure! Plus it's a good excuse to add a new drift to the collection 😉
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.
great video! that cartoon sounding whoosh at 16:59 had me dying
That got harder than what I thought it would. Another great video. Thank you!
I just clicked on the notification but i already know i love it!!!
Nice job best one I have seen yet
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!
Nice work John, your perception of things to make from railroad spikes is quite amazing.
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.
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!
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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 KZhead 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.
love loggin onto youtube and seeing that you uploaded, great videos. always helps me relax
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
Really nice hawk. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting, thank you for sharing.
Looks great, I like how you spread the cutting edge out, thanks for posting 👍
Love the miss at the end. Thanks for all your hard work this year. Great vid
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.
Fascinating to watch you work, truly art.
GOOD LORD, I love the TRUE outtakes at the end!! HAHAHAHA
Shore looks nice
Nice closing shot there! a sense of humor is a good thing!
Hello John! My favorite thing is when you make tools! Cool! I wish you a Merry Christmas from Poland.
thanks for sharing always learning something new this is a better way blessings to you and your family 🙏
Love this man’s shop and his work!
Laughed out loud when that one throw completely missed
Great vid! My next project. Thank you!!
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 🌻
Woweewow! Super project. I definitly want one of these. Thanks for sharing.
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.
Wow! Turned out nice! Looks like it throws good too!
This was a joy to watch. Beautiful work
I love your great work and fun projects! I hope to do this myself soon!
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
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.
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.
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. 😁👍
I'm a wood guy but I have always admired black smithing 😊
Very well done! 👍
Merry Christmas! Love the video
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.
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.
Splendid work 👍
I don't know how KZhead 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!
Welcome aboard!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Turned out great John...i do at some point need to make more of these.
very nice , lots of great pointers !!!
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
Glad it was helpful!
A nice and simple hawk. Pretty useful I'm sure. 👍
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
I always love your videos. You've got such a practical approach to all of your projects. Nice work 👍
Thank you very much!
I really appreciate this video. It contains valuable information and knowledge. Thank you kindly black bear forge.
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
Great work John, that's a nice tomahawk!
Bit of gold right at the end.... finish on a good laugh.
This is actually a great idea, thank you for the inspiration
Can't watch till later,John but I just got it recently Thanks
Very good and informative video. Thank you!
A very well done video. Your ending was perfect.
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.
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
I'm trying this tomorrow. Amazing work btw
Great work. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎
Awesome! Thank you! That may be one reason its performing so well
Hope you had a Merry Christmas John.
I've always wanted to try black smithing. Used to do copper foundry work previously
I definitely want one of those axes. Super cool.
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. 🙂
amazing gifts!! i love to forge them, you're the grandfather/father i always wish i had.
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!
Watched the whole way through great watching the process and funny ending! Great job and thanks for making this video
Glad you enjoyed it!
That looks like a fun project. Last year I was tanning goat hides, this year I'm making my own soap (from goat fat). Maybe I'll try forging next. May wife tolerates my hobbies as long as they stay in the garage.
Great job John, turned out to be a great throwing hawk. Stay safe, fred 🙏🏻🙏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻✋🏻✋🏻
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.👍🔥🔥💥
After watching this video I had to subscribe. This was a great tutorial!
This is the first video of yours that I've watched and you get an automatic sub! Fantastic work on the axe, AND the video work! Your presentation is perfect for educating someone like me who's just thinking about getting into smithing. Thank you! You've sold me on it.
Welcome to the family
@@BlackBearForge thanks for having me. Ummm. When do we eat? :D