Blacksmithing - The Oil Lamp Experiment! 

Honestly, that copper flash made the whole thing even better. Those look amazing!

Starts with an experiment. Ends with perfection

Great video! I can provide a little explanation about the copper coating on the steel. Copper alloys tend to act like water in a sponge (capillarity) if given enough time at high temperatures. The copper can climb up the steel and spread on the surface. If you want to avoid that, you have to get the part out of the oven sooner, just after the copper was melted. It’s a matter of finding the sweet spot!

Those are beautiful! I’m actually surprised at how uniformly the tubing forged down. The process is actually very similar to how small hollow metal beads are made for jewellery applications - a tube is constantly fed into a set of oscillating jaws which progressively squeeze it into bead shapes. As for the copper flowing, it can actually wick to a surprising extent under the right conditions. Bronze is used to impregnate sintered 3D printed steel parts. The parts are porous, and are placed in a vacuum furnace with some chunks of bronze touching them, which melts and flows throughout the part, making it totally solid. Likely the same sort of thing was happening here. Whatever it is, beautiful result! Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

The scale and capillary action may been a surprise, but I love the texture that is the result from them. The oil lamps look unique and beautiful.

Very nice, I never would have thought of the power hammer tooling done that way. It was also a surprise to see how far the copper traveled. God Jul

reminds me of some earthing rods i used to forge some leaf stems once. i had thought the copper coating would just melt away but it got forged into the work, it really set it all off. i love it when these things happen.

Once again, I am blown away by your craftsmanship and your editing skills. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Wow, I like the surface finish and how it contrasts with the turned wick holder. Thank you for having been such an inspiring artist. Waiting with anticipation for all that is still to come. Seasons greetings, Torbjörn.

The bit with the copper appearing under the scale was fascinating. I recently saw a presentation that was talking about a Roman iron ring with a very thin coat of silver on its surface, and they couldn't work out how they'd gotten it so thin, i wonder if they could have done something like that.

Nice craftsmanship, Mr Åhman. Greetings from Australia. Regarding the turned brass wick holders - These should have a small 0.5mm hole drilled from the major outer diameter to the central wick hole. One only is needed. It helps control wicking action when burning and potential for wicking oil out when unlit. I have many art glass oil lamps (>10), fueled ready to use around my home. In this area we get storm tree falls and power outages. Every brass wick holder has the 0.5mm air break holes. The wick should be rather tight in the holder. If too lose you get wicking when unlit and a mess as oil creeps down the lamp bulb when unlit, spoiling any nice timber surface it sits on. Oh, and the wicks should be set low to prevent flame soot and excess wick burning.

Ok, that pretty much makes it official. You are not only a master blacksmith, you’re also a freakin genius. Have always loved what you do and please don’t ever stop.

Anyone unaware, don’t forge pipe and never quench pipe with open ends. It will not end well I promise. That’s why he packed the cold end when forging. Great work as always! 😉

It is amazing that in just 18 minutes you can bring so much joy to so many people around the world. As a collector of old oil lamps I like your creation.

Just wanted to let you know. Your videos are huge for me. I enjoy them alot. The quality of stuff you make is phenomenal, but the most important part to me is just how wholesome and calm your videos are to watch. My kids thoroughly love watching the videos with me, and its helping to inspire them to want to "make metal." I just wanted to extend my thanks for all the videos and learning you've given myself as a novice and my children

That was a twist ending for sure. Jim Gaffigan making Christmas decorations in his metal shop was the last thing i was expecting.

Well they turned out even better than expected. That's a cool finish that's worth exploring more!👍

I knew you wouldn’t disappoint Torbjörn. I look forward to your Christmas video so much. You combine the artistry of your craft with the sentiment of the season. Well done. Merry Christmas to you and your family. And here’s to a happy and prosperous new year.

Absolutely beautiful. Watching this in June 2024 so I'll wish you a very Merry Christmas for later this year. In the meantime I hope you make the most of your wonderful long days and short nights.

That copper was the perfect accident. Gorgeous work as always.

That was amazing. I would never suspect that copper covering the whole piece. Wonderful Christmas lamps!

What a lovely texture they've got, and that copper tinge is the sort of thing you might spend a long time trying to achieve intentionally! Fantastic work as always, Merry Christmas!

How to copper plate without copper plating. Great video, I find the solution interesting and the results amazing.

I want a testicle looking accidentally copper plated hand forged oil lamp. It's not I want, it's I need ! It's amazing a beautiful! Also that first forging shot looks unreal. It looks like it shouldn't work and just crumple everything but the end result is stunning!

the Bob Ross of blacksmithing

My goose sticker made it on the cabinet 🎉 Happy Holidays!

That accidental copper finish is incredibly subtle and beautiful, you should look more into that

the end result almost looks like a fig! the slight wrinkling from the shaping and tinge from the copper, on top of the fact that they're intentionally tear-shaped, really came together in an unexpected but incredibly charming way

Don’t be fooled these are grenades pretending to be lamps.

What a great project. I’ve been a blacksmith and machinist for years now, and I’ve never seen this technique. Thanks for sharing.

а главное,без лишних разговоров!!!БРАВО.

Спасибо! Наблюдать за вашей работой это удовольствие. Вы большой мастер своего дела. Thanks! It is a pleasure to watch your work. You are a great master of your craft.

Love these, the copper plating was very interesting! What a great result 😮

Absolutely beautiful! And perfect can't express how they turned out. Merry Christmas Torbjörn and everyone else that appreciates his masterful skills.

I'm guessing you make your own billets? Metalworking is so cool. I'm glad we're finally far enough on the other end of the industrial revolution that handcrafting specialists are making a comeback. Modern tech makes so much possible it's kind of insane more people weren't already doing this in like the 1950s, really.

Blacksmithing? No, this is Art and Craft! Long may the skill smiths endure. Brilliant.

Well done sir!! I have been waiting for another video from your and you didn't disappoint. Those look great. The unexpected change from the copper only added to the look.

You never cease to amaze me sir! What another fun project to try! Thank you sir and MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your family!

What a great pleasure to watch. I would imagine you’ve solved the patina/rust proofing problem all in one fortuitous accident.

Spectacular

That was AWESOME!! First off, I appreciate your dedication because I’m guessing that took a lot of heats due to how thin the wall of that tube is. Secondly, I know you’re a busy man with a beautiful family but I’d like to see more videos from you 😁 lastly, I’m really glad that worked! Gives me a few ideas 😁

This brings me joy. Your mastery of so many disciplines is spectacular. I wondered if a genie would emerge when you were polishing the lamps. In actual fact, no genie is necessary when you are in the shop. Well done. Merry Christmas to you, too.

I wasn't expecting this. Excellent work!

I have the feeling every person you know might like one of these as a gift!

Very unique finish and beautiful work as always. God Jul Torbjörn!

Beautiful

I do commercial furnace brazing work and I expected you to find a puddle on the brick. I don't think I would ever have expected the coating result to happen! I think you're exactly right about the capillary action under the scale because the copper would never climb a clean steel surface.

Zen and the art of, of, well art of something. The art of saying Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas Torbjörn! As always, your creations are not only functional but beautiful as well! Thank you for 18 minutes of viewing delight and anticipation of the results!!!!

Well done Torbjorn, as always, your artistic side shines through and you end up with something that any person would willingly display in their home! Merry Christmas!

Часто самый лучший эффект достигается из-за какого нибудь случайного фактора🙂 получилось действительно здорово! Счастливого Рождества, с приветом из 🇷🇺!

Truly beautiful... And the copper coating on the outside under the scale is a "happy accident"... Perfection! Thanx 4 sharing your artistic process! ✌😎👍

Merry Christmas to you and your Family. Thank you for the video. Very interesting form and how the copper wicked its way up.

As Bob Ross would say, happy accident. Beautiful and creative work as always!

I was a little confused what you we’re doing with the copper until you put it in the oven then it hit me. Genius!

I really appreciate you posting your experiences with hollow form forging. It’s not something I’ve ever tried but your success opens it up as a possibility for me.

They look absolutely fantastic. I wish you, and the Family a Merry Christmas.

Another great work that smoothed my soul while watching. Thank you for sharing and Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Oh the texture of the steel and the accidental copper plate were absolute perfection!

Awesome video. When you turned on the smooth jazz I had a laugh and was like "Alright, settle down there"

Um trabalho maravilhoso, desde o cuidado do artista com a precisão do gabarito até a execução das peças! Ficou lindo!

Do you think the copper vapourised Torbjörn? It looked a quite even coating and very attractive too! Thanks for this pre-Christmas gem and all best wishes for the festive season and beyond to you adn your family :D

Good stuff man! I may have accidentally learned something here. I always learn techniques I never thought of from these videos. I didn't see any kind of threads or O-ring to keep the tops on in case they get knocked over, something I always insure on any of my lamps ever sense I caught my bed (and me) on fire with an alcohol lamp as a young "lamp enthusiast", it was maybe 1oz and I quickly put it out but that taught me the importance of expecting and preparing for the worse case scenario. Funny thing, mom didn't say anything about the cloud of smoke that followed me out of my room as i went to get a glass of water for the embers still smoldering on my bed, I know she saw it.

JÄTTEBRA!!!! It reminds me very much of the silver chalice I made for my wedding so many years ago. What looked like a mistake turned out to be better than what I had intended.

Is your blacksmithing talent self taught or did your father or grandfather get you started? Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Seems very dangerous to me. Hopefully you don't knock them over because the base is so narrow and you burn your house down.

I think the copper on the outside looks amazing. It's always a pleasure to watch you work. Great job.

Every time I watch one of your videos I am blown away by your skill level, and creative use of ordinary tools. Like the way you used the square to grind the top of the lamps. Simple, yet ingenious. I look forward to your next video.

WOW, good work. You should do a metal plate with special cutout to fit the lamp on, it is safer that way.

Очень красиво. Счастливого Рождества!

Привет из Карелии! Очень хорошая работа! Браво!

Beautiful work.

I don't know the first thing about blacksmithing, metal working, lathes, or any of that stuff but i would absolutely love to be this mans apprentice and learn everything i could from him.

I love this dude. Pretends that he didn't mean to get the result. Nice fitting gift.

Fantastic! You could also immerse the polished (wire brushed) lamp into Hydrochloric acid with pieces of copper: Iron is electronegative to copper so ion transfer occur, the acid "drops" the copper to get to the iron. Loss of shine corrected by buffing. But your method is spectacular and more appropriate to a blacksmith (I am only a chemist!)

Хорошая идея - металлический подсвешник !

Lovely oil lamps. Perhaps you should consider making a matching pair of caps, both to help extinguish the flames, but also to stop evaporation of the fuel. (Although if you are using kerosene, I guess evaporation isn't really a factor.)

Those are beautiful!! Now you get to make the piece that "snuffs" out the flame.

Very pretty and "minimalist", I would love to have those!

Super👍magnifique ✨seul les nordiques savent faire d’aussi beaux objets . Bravo😉🇫🇷🇸🇪

i have a short attention span, so i say this in no small way. i love watching your vids.

بغض النظر عن جمال الإنتاج.. مجرد متابعة أعمالك جمال آخر 🙏

Very nice! The unexpected copper leached onto the exterior is a nice feature.

Capillary in brazing is amazing. You only need a tiny little pip of solder anywhere near the joint, and capillary fills the whole gap. The surface came out beautiful.

Wow! Your name Torbjorn is so cool! The real viking one!

And as an added bonus, you get a cute metal funnel. Or with a bit more work, it could be turned into a snuffer to safely extinguish the lamps after you're done burning them.

Absolutely fabulous… I had to watch it a second time with my Wife! You are incredibly creative and talented. Your home is Beautiful!

Love it brother! When you melted the cooper in the metal and the metal was already extremely heated up it didn't take much work for them to combine together. Lots of different metal can combine together. Look at lead. Lead is heated to the point where it becomes steel. Not to many people know that stuff. In Japan they was able to combine different metals together to make their samurai sword.

Thank you. My 2 and a half years old daughter loves your videos, she calls them boom boom. This was a very nice early christmas gift for her :) Merry Christmas. And a happy new year.

That’s what Bob Ross would call a Happy Accident! They came out beautifully! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

I’ve been a welder and enjoy working with metal. Just love this!

Amazing little metal figs.

beatiful.

Brother Torbjörn! Your Christmas videos will bring tears to a glass eye. You send smiles via video. Once again you illustrate that tooling is more important than the finished item. I always copy your Christmas ideas. You will remember my battalion of gnomes and their candle trays? But this year, I just can’t. I am trying to finish another race car and must stay focused. I will give it a go in a month or so however. Personally? I hate abrasive cutting. I often have to use it but only when nothing else will do the job. Take a look at Swagg Off-road. You will find a table for mounting a portaband. If you can get one or something similar, add a foot pedal and it will change your life. I have two other metal bandsaws but the portaband station gets used most often. Now the copper! You have a great point of capillary action. Copper can become gaseous. But I don’t think it was possible in this case. Nonetheless, what a fortunate outcome!! Beautiful! I would like to wish you and your family a Wonderful Christmas! You bring joy to so many. May God Bless you all! How has another year gone by??

Also deine AUSRÜSTUNG IST JA ….TOP .GUTER HANDWERKER 👍

Amazing texture and tone. I really appreciate both your technical content and your video style - thanks for sharing your work.

Wow, that was awesome!

12:06 This is an easy problem to solve. Just make sure you make a model that is not to scale. Anyway, the end result is both wicked and brilliant.

Pure artistry

Great work! 👏😁