Farmers used to make nails. During winter they would sit by the fireplace with a bundle of rods from the general store, and make nails. In spring they take the nails back to the store to trade for crop seeds. Just an FYI :)
aaron west when you think about it, nails hold a lot of structures together, so for people to take one object (such as a metal rod) and turn it into nails, which would be needed more so back then so you'd get a good chunk of change
I'm a newbe like you and have watched several vids about forging a nail header. One thing they did was to drift the bottom face of the hole to make is slightly wider, thereby minimizing the possibility of getting your nail stuck. Thanks for these videos. As much as we are both still learning, I've learned some useful skills from you! Great!
Chandler,I have really grown to like your videos,I've been doing blacksmith stuff just a short while now,it is very addicting!! Thanks for being just a regular guy,doin'shit that he loves,and sharing with us.Keep 'em comin' brother,and GOD bless you,oh-and yer mom!!
When using a drift, wet the drift (or dip into oil or grease) and coat it in coal dust. The hot iron into which it is driven will turn the coal dust into gas and 'lubricate' the drift, preventing sticking and helping to not overheat the drift.... :-)
Chandler I would like to thank you for all the advice you give on these videos. I have been wanting to start my own knife making company for awhile now, and have picked up a lot of much needed information from you. Thank you sir. From the bottom of my heart Thank You.
I just built my first forge. Then today, my first project was a pair of tongs. They actually didn't come out too bad for my first forging ever. I posted a video of it. Next I am going to try a rail road spike knife. Loved the video, this will be on my "to do list".
I feel like I learn a ton from you. I want to start smithing for myself I love knives and metal and fire and working with my hands it seems so awesome.
Chandler, I like the nail headers. Great to use a railroad spike for this. I'll check some here I Maine for hardenability. If you drift in reverse or from the bottom up, just a bit larger than the nail stock the nail will fall right out. Make sure when drifting you don't enlarge the top hole. I have also seen a cheat done with a drill bit to enlarge it. Not a criticism by any means. Just thinking.
Great job sir!! Even after just two nails it looked great and it really helps me cause someone just gave me a bucket of spikes. Thanks for the education!
Nobody's said it and I was a little surprised you didn't... 'Nailed it'!!! Those are a lot harder to make then most people might think. On the special on BBC there is a blacksmith school and making a nail is one of their first projects to begin learning the craft ;) Hope you've seen that special on BBC, if you haven't try to find it online but I would guess you saw it years ago ;)
Awesome video. I really appreciate you showing off all the cool stuff to do with spikes as they are one of the main pieces i have to work with. I am going to finish up my attempt at this tomorrow.
I'd have to say when it come to Blacksmithing Chandler Dickinson is my favorite Blacksmith to watch. I've learned so much from him I just can't wait to make a forge and start Blacksmithing myself.
Very good job! I love the way you formed the heads on the header! I'm going to make a few of these of different sizes and sell th nails at Rendezvous! Thanks, Chandler! As I alays I learned something!
Great job! I enjoy watching other smiths who don't refine things so much that they look like they came off a hardware store shelf. Blacksmith work should LOOK handmade. Most blacksmiths make everything faster than I do- but you know what... nobody ever asked me how long it took me to make something :)
Chandler I know you are very busy and do not get a lot of time to read all the posts but I just wanted to take the time to thank you for the videos you put on here you have inspired me to keep working on my blacksmithing I had a car wreck a year ago and have spent a lot of time at home and was trying to find something to keep my mind busy and office thinking of what had happened to me and I've watched a lot of your videos and I just want to take the time to thank you for what you do
+Chandler Dickinson love your stuff, if something ever happens you will be ready, so does it matter if the nails head is flat? and can you use copper or bronze?
In whiskey making the whiskey lost due to evaporation is called the angel's share. Is the steel that slags off in blacksmithing called the anvil's share?
I have a very old book that shows how to make a shotgun natural. It starts with these handmade nails that have been in a house or barn that burned down. One of the earliest places to get Steel, as the iron and could slowly soak up a bit of carbon while being protected by the wood beams themselves. I have looked for an old burned barn since to try it out.
There is something hypnotic about watching you do this, this video actually came up after another unrelated video i watched and I just didn't click off it!
Nice work mate, love watching the trouble-shooting with those three domed head nails. I'll be pinching your idea of the railroad spike as beginning stock for it too!
Chandler, If you punch/drift a slightly larger hole from the back your nails shouldn't stick. I've made a lot of nails at Ft. Vancouver and at personal demos. Nice video. I made a header out of a RR spike a couple of years ago and it's still holding up well.
Awesome stuff. Might not be as sexy as a sword or an axe, but making ordinary things like nails and gate-hinges was a smithy's bread and butter back in the day, and there are a lot of traditional carpentry guys out there who are looking for the old square-sided nails.
You're doing more than I have! But I saw a trick where you bend the cut at 90 degrees and put it back in the fire with the tip pointing out the top of the coals. Your steel doesn't burn and you don't need to quench the tip!
Nice job on the nails and the tool too Chandler. I'm getting ready to get into some forging myself and I think this would be the perfect starter project. Not the tool mind you but the nails. I just ordered up a square nail header and it should be in around the middle of the month. By then I should have my anvil all set up and my forge up and going.
Chandler Dickinson have you tried a high quality welding glove? my friend has a pair of welding gloves that he uses when he's blacksmithing and they've lasted him a long time
Awesome job. I have seen other nail header video's but they did not do one that had multiple and was one piece. Definitely going to make me one once I am up and running. You should make a DVD chandler with all your video's.
Hi Chandler I've been your sub. don't know how long your first video I watched was the ram's head dugger and that was a good 3-4 year ago, I've been hooked on your videos ever since. your work as making me wanting to give blacksmith a try. keep up the good work well done Chandler
I make nails at a local museum for demonstration and I must say you done good. I wanted to get other ideas for making better quality nail header than what I have and I will give it another go at making a better one. You nails by the way are good but if you wanted to make them about 3-5mm thick, create a thick diamond tipped point at the end (about 1cm long) then score round the base of it and use the horn to spread it out. Keep an eye on the tip to about the thickness you need then just flatten it out so its about 1 - 2 inchs long. Cut the amount of 'meat' you want off for your head and thats it. I like to rose head the nail so it give it an old look and your finger glides off it
I have an idea for making a knife out of a horseshoe, or make it look like it was a horseshoe so i can usea better steel, and I was thinking of using some brass "nails" in the nail holes and basically rivet them into place. this is a great idea that i'll have to experiment with
New subscriber here, just wanted to say I really like this kind of stuff. Great content, would love to learn how to do some of that before it's all over.
Hope you don't mind me saying: When you are quenching, it's best to keep the piece moving underwater (or in the oil) by waving it side to side or swirling it around in a circular pattern. The reason for this is that if it's kept still, a steam pocket can be created around the hot piece and this can slow the cooling - which is not what you want for hardening or tempering. You need a rapid quench. Obviously that's just another detail and not always essential. Your quench worked for you. But it's just another tip. Great job there though.
hello chandler cool vid. i like the cut nail style header, the dbl header was even cooler idea. have you ever tried a round faced hammer instead of the cross pean ? and the horn ?i do not want to sound like a know it all, that is not my thing, but when i changed hammers i was able to move metal alot more affectively .bryan branzel has a great vid on why he uses a round hammer.it changed the way i work. good to see you finally had some sun . cheers from south Texas ...... chris
I watched a bunch of forging nails videos in preparation for forging my first nail (and first blacksmithing project ever!). I love how everyone does it just a little differently and there's no "right" way to do it. I learned from my dad who learned at Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum in Massachusetts, almost 50 years ago. I'm documenting my journey learning blacksmithing on my channel.
Railroad spikes sadly aren't used on train lines in the UK, they use a different method of attachment. Thats why they are so damn hard to find. I tend to just use old cold chisels, its a resonable compromise, you can do with them most of the things you can do with spikes.
JacksonNomad Anti-roll bars off vehicles are a good source. There's no demand for them 2nd-hand so the scrapyards should let you have them cheap - or even free if you have a mate there. You only need one of two for several feet of good carbon-steel round. Old coil springs are the same.
Great video Chandler! Where are you "finding" railroad spikes? I know there are those who always says it is illegal to walk the tracks and others say only if you get caught. Then there are the people who sell the spikes they walked the tracks to find.
What type of wood is used to make the handles on your hammers? Like, ash or some kind of fir? I got a few bits of yew laying about, will try making some handles out of it.
Hey I just found you channel tonight and the first video I watched made me a subscriber. I was wondering what fuel you burn. It looks like old fashioned charcoal to me, and I was wondering if I was right. I have three forges myself. One for charcoal, one for hardwood, and one for propane. Thanks for the awesome vids.
When working the head of the spike back into itself, how do you keep the sides from folding over? Ive tried to make this project a few times now and i can never seem to get the head looking as neat and square as you do.
cant wait till your next video. Love watching,Watched all your videos and made my own forge. What kind of coal do you use again i seen it in one of your videos i just forgot wich one?
What if made it so you put the stick in the header before adding the point then you might get a cleaner head and you wont have to tap the point to get it out. You could have to add a little with to the top of the bar stock but thats not hard. Not sure if that would work, just a thought.
heres a little data for you: Tungsten carbide Chemical Compound Tungsten carbide is a chemical compound containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. In its most basic form, tungsten carbide is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed into shapes ... Wikipedia Melting point: 5,198°F (2,870°C) Density: 15.63 g/cm³ Formula: WC Molar mass: 195.86 g/mol Boiling point: 10,830°F (6,000°C)
Where are you finding your spikes? Or are you buying them? It is hard to find spikes on the tracks because of the machinery they use to redo track in Indiana. Any suggestions?
