I'm a 20-year-old traditional blacksmith and woodworker residing in Belgium near Bruges. My work is solely crafted using hand tools and traditional techniques inspired by historical practices from all over history until 1750-1850.
I have physical limitations due to Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), which prevents me from working (even less than halftime job is too much).
I'm mastering traditional blacksmithing techniques from Belgium/France, taught by Filip Ponseele. This includes forgewelding, ornamental forging, ... For the time being, i am looking for a new master blacksmith for an apprenticeship in Traditional blacksmithing.
Recreating Traditional techniques by "Woodsmiths" including woodriving, greenwoodworking, using handtools such as axes, adzes, woodplanes, my very own knives, ... All my wood was split from logs, cut by axe, adze and then planed.
YOU CAN HELP ME !!! Send me old pictures, information, books or tools i can use to expand my knowledge. I thank you in advance ;-)
Power distribution gotta be aware of how each hit will form the metal against the anvil and how the impact will spread (I’m talking nonsense I’ve never blacksmithed but this seems right
That's awesome, keep enjoying the craft i'd say ;-) The noise is already reduced a little by putting big magnets underneath each horn ... but it's logic when forging right on the horn it will still make more noise than on the flat surface ... When blacksmiths forged on the horn the apprentice would sometimes hold the point of the square horn on the other side of the anvil. Which reduces almost all ringing sound ;-)
what kind of wood is that? I don't work with wood enough to be able to tell but I'm rather curious how hard the wood is. from the size and shape of the chips, I guess it's well-seasoned?
Often softer and lighter types are used, this is Birch, historically they would use Willow, Poplar, etc. You actually don't want to season it before the tapering, big pieces of wood were never dried because it is much harder to cut with handtools ;-) Also we will use the shrinkage to tighten the Tuyere without the need of securing it with nails or others ...
Great job!! I tried this recently. Very very labor intensive. I understand completely how you felt when the log slid away and you kept hitting it lol! My results weren't great because even though my log looked straight, so much tension inside. But I learned to appreciate how strong the old master's were that did this all the time :)
That's true, for the people reading this ... "White Quartz sand" or "Silica Sand" is used to lower welding temperature and keep the iron from oxidation to make a clean welding surface. The sand forms a reaction with the iron-oxide (Wüstite) that forms on the surface. When the metal is starting to sweat ... we sprinkle some sand on the 2 pieces that we are about to weld. The silicon in the sand reacts with the wustite to form fayalite, which melts just below the welding temperature. The impurities can be driven out of the weld when done properly ... and it all results in a very strong forgeweld. Note that without the correct deepness of the fire, more oxidation will occur and the iron will burn faster than it will melt. Sand is the oldest flux used in history for performing forgewelds, even though sand works perfectly fine ... sometimes iron filings are added. Anther old flux are wood ashes, but the technique is much more like applying borax ... the iron is heated to a yellow heat and then wood ashes are sprinkled on the pieces (don't be to frugal with it ;-) push the coal away, put the iron in the fire and then bury the pieces with the coal again. (no fresh coal ... i mean the cokes that are already smoked out) Only then the pieces are slowly heated to welding temperature. I hope this is helpfull for anyone 😉
A nice video , but unfortunately one of the worst and most dangerous demonstrations of cleaving I have seen . You wasted far to much energy and time because you allowed your piece of timber to se saw and bounce all over the place. Here are a couple of examples of doing it right ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qfeWg9LynOU.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y12PN8gaQ4Y.html
uiteraard maak je gereedschap als een eindopdracht... tof om te zien dat je je zo toelegt op smeedlassen! je bewaart een hoop vaardigheden voor de nieuwe generatie
Héhé, ja goed advies ... het lukt sava nog, maar alleen het laatste kwart van de video is recent gefilmd😁😅 De andere driekwart is van 6maand geleden toen ik een goeie dag had haha
A break test would be interesting and forthcoming toward the valid strength of such a traditional weld...I'm not sure I can agree on "traditional" being before "industrialization" since the IR (industrial revolution) began in the 1690s, though your premise of "medieval times" is noteworthy and deserves consideration for sure. I think "traditional" has to be validated when used to describe something any presenter is getting into details about. I know when I teach I am clear about what "tradition" I am referencing both in context and culture. I think for wrought-iron work, this type of weld is more than acceptable and probably more authentic than many others. What are your perspectives of this for blad or edged tool work?
The industrial revolution began in western europe in the 1350s after the great plague. Workshops became more widely mechanized. Forge welding is very strong when it's cleanly made, and it's still done by nasa and other highbtech companies, because it will weld together most metals, for exemple titanium and steel, copper and aluminum... Tho because these metals are finnicky with oxygen and impurities, the weld is done in a vacuum. The technical term is diffusion bonding. Iron oxides are very forgiving and will melt at a somewhat low temperature, especially with a flux. That's why primitive methods will work for welding iron together.
@@jeanladoire4141 There were no significant signs of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1350s. I’m sorry but that is incorrect information. It did not reach the Nihon Rettō and Ryniku Archipelago region and its cultures till the late 1860s. I agree that scholarly debate over the beginning of the IR exists, however, the accepted historical consensus for the Industrial Revolution is 1760 to 1840…Feel free to check that and if you disagree please explain your findings, cited literature, and why you think so... Your date suggests you are confusing the IR with the Renaissance period of European history. Though less debated, the Renaissance has a scholarly consensus spanning 1300-1600 for its beginning and end encompassing many wonderful developments within the arts and technologies of the time… To be clear and validate to some degree, I work professionally within the…folk styles…of historic restoration arts from stone carving and ceramics to timber frame architecture, woodworking, and even textiles. This also includs what I would call basic blacksmithing vernacular metallurgy skills as well. I come to places like this because I do not possess the tools anymore and I'm very pleased with the skills I'm seeing develope amount the next generation of artisan trades people like Simon...
@@JayCWhiteCloud no, there was a proto industrial revolution in western europe in the mid 14yh century, and there are PLENTY of proofs of that, just visit any old water-mill, or old forge, water-powered mechanical hammers start being a thing in that period, where production of steel, paper and all kinds of materials increases SIGNIFICANTLY. Look at any medieval manuscript, there is a BIG différence between early and late 14th century in equipment. Before that, steel was much less accessible and expensive. After the 1350s whole armies start being equipped with whole suits of armors. It's during that period that the workshops of Milan (northern italy) started increasing drastically their production, exporting their équipments across europe. Italian-made armors were used trough France during the late 100 years war. Also it's during this period that crossbows with steel prods were introduced. I focus on improvements in metallurgy because i'm a blacksmith, but it's évident that there was a surge of mechanization and production in the 1350s and i have always heared that it was a proto-industrial revolution. I've never heared of 1600s IR tho.
@@jeanladoire4141 Your “proto-industrial revolution” in “western Europe” is called the Renaissance in all known, and accepted academic circles of value to good information... f you wish to…” make up things”...you have that prerogative. Since I work in this field professionally and have not only designed, and restored but built period-specific “water wheels” I am going to trust my 40 years of pragmatic and practical "real world" experience and doing this work over someone’s…” I think”...reinvention and interpretation of history... There was production of steel in this period and that has nothing to do with it being part of the Industrial Revolution (I.R..) Water-powered “hammer mills” (of several I’ve seen and/or have designs for) again are millennia old and pre-IR and Renaissance both, and found in several cultures pre 1300s… As to looking at…” any medieval manuscripts”...I have corresponded with academics who study them and have examined them for myself. The difference you reference has no bearing on this being any type of I.R. but is part of the Renaissance period in all of Europe with very significant and variant discoveries made in steel manufacture. If (?) all you do is read, may I suggest actually “doing” more in the tangible before you draw erroneous conclusions based only on speculation of what “you think” you know and understand from “looking at” some texts? What is evident in this period in Europe is a mass exchange of information and growth, yet much of this was already known in parts of Asia and the Middle East before this period and being “rediscovered” during the Renaissance period by those in Europe, with much of it coming in with new ocean trade routes and the expansion of the “silk road.”
@@JayCWhiteCloud Very interesting to hear both of you lads, we often refer to the "HEAVY" Industrial Revolution as in 1760 untill 1840. I'd like to use methods before this period or just in the beginning, I don't use machines and so it is not heavy industrial... quite the opposite. In 1300, 1400 and 1500 was still the Late GOTHIC period in Flanders in Belgium ... Renaissance had it's peak in Italy at 1400 i think? Only afterwords the Renaissance became more common in Flanders. In 1300 there was already a very very early "industrial" period but we don't call it industrial cause there were no machines involved and everything was still relying on handwork and it's knowledge around it. This remained as the most important way of producing wrought iron untill the heavy industrialisation ... Only water powered or wind powered mechanical structures such as the old trip hammers, windmill saws, etc. were starting to be used and built. NOTE that every mechanical structure like this was made without the machines and thus (to me not considered as Industrial) even though it was starting to be commonly used to smelt and forge wrought iron in square bars and in a more efficient way with less effort. In this early period there were lots of villages in and around Liege that smelted and forged wrought iron in a better quality then before, because they could use the trip hammers to forgeweld smoother and faster. The smiths would forge day in day out on making meters and meters of iron.
Yes it is commonly used together in later periods ... great grandpa would be 1900s i guess? That is already industrial i think... in my point of view it's not really traditional, traditional would be before industrialisation. BUT in medieval times they did use a mix with iron filings and sand😉
solid explanations on the knife techniques, still safe and a lot more useful than "never cut towards yourself"! looks like this is best done with fairly soft and knot-free wood. what kind of wood did you use?
Appreciate it Mark! Indeed "never cut towards yourself" is far from right ;-) I used a branch from a Birchtree, this is a fairly soft kind of wood. And native to the nordic landscape, but note this ... birch grows slower in the north so it is denser and harder when you harvest your wood there.
Thanks for your honesty ! I had a little dilemma when it came to the music ;-) Because my video was so long i intended to make sure there was something else than my long breaths caught on the recorder haha So if i am correct you don't mind watching a silent carving video with just normal sound on point?
Hi @@TraditionalArtisanCraftsman Yes, I enjoy watching things like woodworking without additional soundtracks. The sound the tools make let you know how the process is working. The chattering when cutting too tight a curve, the sound of tearout happening, they let you know when things are going right or wrong.
Couldn’t you find a steady surface to put that log on? A teeter totter, perhaps? That was painful to watch. After watching the log bob back and forth I realized you spent more time on your hairdo than on creating a useful video.
Sadly, yet another constructive reaction ... i think i'll start giving away prices for "Can you go lower than this?" luckily for me i focus on teaching people things with positive and constructive feedback.
Thanks a lot ! I couldn't appreciate it more, you are damn right ... so luckely for me i don't have to do this every day (even if i would like to do so ;-) ) Above, in the reaction i wrote to @jsoulz2008 i explain more about how the quality of your log plays a role in how easily it splits. I used to make everything with handtools since my 6 , ... Thus i'm getting used to it now. Chears !
@@TraditionalArtisanCraftsman I've split a log by hand before and it is WAY more difficult than most RU-vidrs make it look. I was using a 20 pound sledge hammer and metal spikes and my log was twisted.. it was an exhausting mess LOL and my ears were ringing. I do most things by hand in traditional ways, but my chainsaw helps me process the logs so that I can move on to more important things 😀
I like your positivity !! The plan is exactly being able to build my own wooden house in the future with traditional techniques. Half timbered medieval style would be cool ... or maybe a loghouse? Yet to deside ;-)
thank you for taking the time and energy to make this video. Im a modern day logger and sawyer and that work is hard even with heavy machinary and power tools so i couldnt even begin to imagine how hard these guys had it and how long it took just to make one piece of lumber. Keep up these historically accuarate videos i love watching stuff like this, it makes me appreicate all the tools and equipment i have lol.
Thank you so much @jsoulz2008 it makes my day ;-) ! It is indeed intensive labour, but very fulfilling. Allthough it really depents on the quality of wood available. In this video i am working with a tree that has spiral growth, therefore it's not actually a decent representation. Normally the tree was specifically chosen for this job, it had to be 1st class wood. In the future i'd like to put a video on RU-vid where i work with 1st class logs, it makes the job so much easier. For example, one time, i had a piece of oak (Quercus Robur) log of about 1m long... after riving in 4 quarters ... you won't believe it but when splitting the quarter in half ... it split all the way through with only 1 hammerblow on the wedge. For the moment i'm editing a video about the thing i made with this lumber ... A medieval inspired firewood drying kiln.
I know for some people it's hard to give constructive reactions ... I did mention it myself in the video, a log that heavy is backbreaking to move around without the right equipment. Thanks for watching my video so detailed, cheers !!
Hey Simon, Good docu and interesting. Don't forget about the handle lenght when talking about position of the hands. This is clearly shown in some of the historical drawings you show. Also the striking arch / movement plays an important role as it relates to the force applied to the work piece. You might draw a comparision with martial arts, for instance boxing, where the moment of impact ie. momentum, is very important. With striking this relates to both the accelaration mainly at the start the arch movement (which does necessarily has to go way above the head!), the hammer weight, cf. potential energy, hand movement such as squeezing just upon impact,... Hence, applying force all along the strike, cf. increasing kinetic energy, is both more tiresome and causes a loss of control during the strike. Also, improving the impact also realtes to a significant extent to the force from the upper legs. As you mentioned, legs slightly apart and knees 'out of the lock', only strenghtening muscles from the legs and abs upon impact. I believe our friend blacksmith friend Remy demonstrates this when striking hard. This movement and control relates to martial arts and other traditional crafts (mowing with the scythe, felling trees with the axe,...) in my opinion and own experience. Which hand you put were might also differ, both depending on the method used as your dexterity. This should be mentioned for clarity. Using a sledge hammer in this respect differs from swinging an axe. Keep up the good work my friend !
The following comments are from the first upload ... the ones that were deleted while uploading the new video. @PRINTHESHOP "Nicely done on showing the many different ways to throw a hammer. Enjoyed. Thanks for sharing !" @SchysCraftCo "Awesome video"
very interesting video! I liked you showing the short excerpts from the manual (the author clearly dislikes European blacksmiths lol) and the demonstration videos of the methods in practical use. overall I'd say the video is quite good and a good starting point to try things out for yourself, but there are a few things I think could be improved. the difference between method 1 and 2 is not very clear to me. with method 3 and 4 I think it is with which hand you exert the force, right? (either pull on the lower hand or drop/push with the upper hand). with method 1 you demonstrated the technique clearly and paused the video to point out important things, it would have been nice if you did this for every technique. general pointers (like how to stand) would be useful to repeat too, I think. also, listing advantages and disadvantages of each methoud would be a nice addition to the video. the suitable hammer head weight is already very good to know, but things like ergonomics, how easy it is to be precise etc can be useful information as well. then again, if you really want to know you could always just try it out yourself I guess :P final bit of feedback: you mentioned the hammer handle should be horizontal when striking. I think something useful to mention is that if your apprentice is a bit tall for the anvil they can stand with their legs wider apart to lower their body so they can have a correct back position and don't need to slouch to compensate. ergonomics are very important with manual labour!
Merci, kmoe wel nog veel leren over editen enzo haha En vooral ook het "Verhaal" per video is nog moeilijk om schoone weer te geven......but doing my best hé
