Blacksmithing Championship UK - Royal Three Counties Show 2017 

Thanks Tim! I find going to the competitions and taking part really helps improve my skills, especially watching how others forge and look at problems. you get to see things from a range of different perspectives and you can ask direct questions right there as they are making that you cant get on youtube.. maybe if its live you can kind of but its still not the same to me. I made an Axe from wrought once, you have to forge it at a welding temperature every time or the silica delaminates, because it has a higher critical temperature compared to high carbon and so the high carbon incert was at risk of burning while welding it to the wrought, what i did is split the wrought enough to fully encapsulate the high carbon incert and therefore it acted as a barrier keeping the oxygen from burning it away, this meant I could weld it without any flux and all I needed to do was to grind the layer of wrought back after to expose the hardend steel edge.... was great fun. The waterless side blast sounds good, do you find it hard to clean the clinker off? All the best. J

I have worked at a country fair demonstrating in the shop, and stayed around to watch and learn from the others. I agree, there is nothing like it. RU-vid is a good place to get ideas and learn how something is done. It is in person that you can really learn the technique. ~It sounds like the silica in the wrought was the flux.~The tueyre on that forge is cast from high temp ceramic. Clinker sometimes fuses to it. It doesn't form into a solid piece that you can dig from under the tueyre the next day. That may be the coal I am using. It is sold as smithing coal, but I'm not sure what it is. The clinker forms on the individual coals, and just looks like whitened coal. I would love to find some metallurgical coke...I built the forge to be able to fire weld, and it can. My everyday propane forge can't do it. The new one I am building should. That forge will be combined with a heat treating chamber for tool steel. I may sell the coal forge b/c coal is so dirty and harder to use than propane. Building forges is become a thing for me, and since I have started doing it, I have become a licensed propane technician~I watched you hammering rapidly when you copied that piece in the timed competition. When I forge like that, I can hardly pick up a butter knife the next morning with my right hand. How do you avoid injury? Do you know of any info on safety and ergonomics for smiths? All the best! Tim

I thought that might be the case with a waterless tuyre. I think its the lack of carbon in the wrought that stops it from burning. I'm gonna build a gas forge soon and an waste oil burner. the technique that I was taught and make more scientic sense it to use a lighter forging hammer 2- 2.5lbs with a shaft as long as the fore arm, not griped tight but maininly held by the index finger and thumb, the speed weight ratio delivers enough force to compare to a 4lbs hammer if used right and enables longer forging stamina. I've done 10 hours days with 6 hours forging without any problems. once I ruined the tendons in my hand because I was forging all day with a 3-4lbs hammer and not using a propper technique. in the comps i'll use a large hammer to forge weld or draw out a heavy section but it wont be for very long, i'll use a 1.5 rounding hammer to give a hammer finish because I can plannish the surface quickly with it especially when rounding tappers.

Thanks buddy! it was a bird sculpture to start with but it went wrong. I was playing with the wings in the mirror and thought.. that'll work!

Thanks Stephan!

Thanks Gabriel! yep no pointy things on this channel, I try and focus on the business side and how a professional actually makes money. I've gained it all, lost it all and now making my way back up there again and sharing my journey. I look forward to hearing what you think of my future video's. Thanks for commenting its much appreciated! J

I quit the one job and now I just work for an engineer and doing some of my own commissions on the side. welding and fabrication mainly but sometimes I'll do a small job at a friends workshop.

It was a student at national school of blacksmithing in Hereford UK. Not sure who it was exactly. Cheers J

Hey James! I look forward to seeing you there, Will you be bringing your guitar?

You probably did, whichwas it?

The shell bursting through the armour plate.

lol. I built one from pallets and hay bales and was testing the bubles...

Joshua De Lisle I.. don't know what I expected. Congratulations on your win with the helmet by the way, it looks amazing

+Benjamin Meijer Thank you! I'll post a video on the hot tub build once I've had a chance to edit.

Thanks... too late now :(