Lol. It happens to us all. I was just telling my neighbor who was humorously shocked when I dropped a hot leaf I was showing him how to make. Just imagine how many times a tool or project was dropped, and they just cut it out the video?
I’ve watched your channel for awhile. In response to your question regarding the commentary or not, I personally feel you really reach out and speak to beginners. I love the way you explain things. It’s because of you I started getting interested in blacksmithing. You made it not so intimidating. Thanks, it’s now one of my favorite things to do.
I concur! Whenever I see or think of a new project at the forge, I always look to see if John has posted a video on it! I appreciate everyone who takes the time and money to make these videos, but in my view, no one presents the information as clearly as you do John. I have 3 favourite You Tube blacksmithing posters, John, Torbjorn and Roy. Between the three of you and your wonderful videos, I think I have enough inspiration to keep me going for years.
Yes, indeed. My shop teacher was an abusive d××k and I never had confidence until later when I learned by the people doing it for a living. Teaching someone to Smith is a gift for both people. Anyone that can't enjoy teaching smithing to younger people should grump off. Passing your knowledge, pain, and tips along is what makes things better. And, back to the original comment, Black Bear Forge is by far the best...especially for those with elbow tendinitis...listen to this guy. I'm smithing again because of him.
My shop teacher was equally good, Mr. Delzell. He shaped many boys into well adapted working men. I still have a couple of the projects I made in his classes around the house.
I have seen this before but only today realized that I really need one. 20 minutes later, I am now the proud owner of my own "holdfast". many thanks from Sweden.
I just started blacksmithing a few months ago and your videos are my main source of learning. You are incredibly knowledgeable, thorough and articulate. Your willingness to share your expertise just so people can learn is awesome. I came here this morning to learn how to forge a hold down and I got a lot more than just that. Thank you!! Happy 4th of July!!!
I love these funny beginnings of the videos. You Sir must be a great person, with so much knowledge, skills and experience in this craft, and also with good sense of humor. God bless you for doing these videos and sharing them with others. What a great time to live in, to be able to watch you from other side of the world. Thank you!
“Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith’s door, And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime; Then looking in, I saw upon the floor, Old hammers, worn with beating years of time. “‘How many anvils have you had,’ said I, ‘To wear and batter all these hammers so?’ ‘Just one,’ said he, and then with twinkling eye, ‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’ “And so, I thought, the Anvil of God’s Word For ages skeptic blows have beat upon; Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard, The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone.” -Attributed to John Clifford But the word of the Lord endureth for ever... 1 Peter 1:25
I’ve always loved this poem, I never tire from hearing it. I started as my Uncle’s Apprentice when I was 12yrs old. Got my ticket as a Blacksmith/Horseshoer before I turned 16. He taught me to be more than just a Farrier, I learned how to also be a good Horseman. Even though I didn’t pursue a career, there was a work ethic I developed and carried it on thru out the course of the last 50yrs. I still have a small shop out back, and when I hear the ring of my anvil. It’s impossible to not go back to those days. Even though my Uncle has passed on, every time I light my forge and no matter what I m trying to turn out. I’m brought back to my time my with him. Both good and some bad times we spent together, I’m reminded of all the horses that passed thru the shop. I hope that someday when it’s my turn, my Son will recall our time together when he hears the ring of the anvil. He will remember like I have, and feel the bond that we forged, and remember the anvil of God’s word....
i know im asking randomly but does anybody know of a way to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb forgot my login password. I love any tricks you can offer me!
@Wesley Branson i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im in the hacking process atm. Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
As a woodworker I love holdfasts for their **speed** as well as the ease of putting pressure anywhere on the work. It seems to me that for forging they also have the advantage of saving time (and therefore heat) compared to messiing about with clamps & threads.
I liked the way you made the flat end of the hold fast conform to the anvil face by simply tapping it while hot. When I made mine, I heated, bent, tried the fit, heated, bent, tried the fit again, until I got it right...too much work...duh! I would also caution folks to not texture the bottom of the holdfast where it contacts the workpiece to try to obtain a "tighter" fit. If the work is hot where the holdfast makes contact, one could imprint the work.
I made my hold down from an old crow bar. For long pieces I have a loop of dog chain hanging from the rafters. It has the hook on it so I can adjust the length. The chain holds the far end of the work piece and allows me to swing the hot end back and forth between the fire and anvil. The fire table and the anvil need to be compatible heights. You can have different hooks in the rafters to hang the chain in different places. I used to use an adjustable stand, but you still have to lift the work piece, place it accurately. You can't change the angle while your working it, and they fall over. Everyone's shop is arranged differently. Try and see if the dog chain works for you.
From Toledo Spain, i thank you for all the information on how to work the art of blacksmithing, I really like the educational way of working with iron, Congratulations and I will continue watching your videos
The main reason I found you and kept watching is because you work alone. Was your hammer making alone that caught me, everyone uses a striker?! I have no one else crazy enough to come help me :) so your techniques are invaluable because of that. So thanks.
Newer to blacksmithing and I’ve been learning so much from your videos. I love that you even show when things don’t go exactly as planed and how to deal with them. In the process of making necessary tools. My question is, my anvil only has a 1/2” hole so I’m not sure that a 1/2” hold fast would be strong enough. So is there something special that needs to be done to make them for the 1” hardy hole? Would 3/4” round be fine or should it be square?
One my old blacksmithing teacher used to use regularly is a chain with a weight on it, similar to what you have, but it was hooked to the butcher block or around the anvil at one end, and to hold things down we'd just throw the chain over the working metal and the anvil and it'd stay put.
From memory most whitworth and unc threads are the same except for the 55 / 60 degree thread angle and sloppy old threads you can usually force on easily. That is except for 1/2”, UNC and Whitworth are 1 tpi different. Which looks like what you had in your hand and you can’t force that one 😎 I was hoping you would make a video explaining your hold fast and you have although I can’t see any dates. I finally found myself an anvil so now I can get out to my workshop put my safety glasses on and make a hold fast ;)
Another excellent video. I don't know why I have not yet made a holdfast for my anvil. I must remedy that soon. This continues to be like a first rate correspondence course. i don't have to do each lesson exactly when you do them, but I have the information readily available and can do it at my pace. I am enjoying your videos --- and enjoying them because I'm learning a lot. Thanks again.
thanks for the options, i also like your other hold fast videos. And in case you didn't see it Gary Huston's last gave you a shout out for your Milwaukee Portable Band saw Stand. He copied your concept.
Hey John, have you heard of "Forging It Forward" group? Its a facebook sight. Only about two months old and we give information and some make tools for those who can't afford or make them. If you want, check the group out, would love to have you on board with all your information. Roughly around 1700 members from all around the world already
hello. I love your videos because your explanations are simple and easy to understand. Your techniques are also very well filmed and it allows us to see how to proceed. it is certain that I will make this tool. have a nice day.
Gonna have to watch this video here soon. Not that I will get to any blacksmithing this year most likely. (Moving to Alaska, have to build my own house when I get there) What size / maker is your anvil? Top in the first few seconds of your video looks close to mine. I have a 360 pound peter wright.
Thank you for your help. I'm starting with a simple cast iron anvil and work holding has been a nightmare. Thank you for an expert peek into the amazing world of forging and smithing! A
Thank you SO MUCH for making this video. I just made one of these today per your instructions, must've taken me only about ten minutes to forge. I'm really looking forward to using it. Wish I could shake your hand.
For those screw mounted items I've used a piece of pipe underneath with a hole drilled through the walls for the screw to run through and it rides up underneath the pritchel or hardie holes.
I tried the drill press vice type of hold down. Doesn’t work. Shaft doesn’t grab and it just rises up when I clamp down. Glad I didn’t alter the original threaded rod. I’ll make a regular ol’ hold down today.
@02:58 😳🤯 This makes me think of all the ancient artifacts we’ve found and how we are completely baffled with their purpose; Simply because it’s one of those “you had to be there” moments to truly understand. I had no idea this was the purpose of an anvil. But now that I’ve seen it, it becomes obvious why it has those features. We don’t have this epiphany with the ancients, Their technology is truly lost knowledge. Anvils man…
I like your videos! One other option to prevent something from flying through the workshop, not really holding it down with a lot of force, is also a chain with a big wheight, that is fixed on the stump under your anvil and just reaches over the anvil. You put wour work piece on the anvil and just throw the chain with wheight over the anvil.
As an old Farrier I/we (my Uncle Johnny) used to cutoff about 1-1/2” - 2” piece of a rasp. Round off the corners and turn the rasp teeth pointing towards the pritchel hole and weld it in place. When you give it a tap it’ll bite down and hold your work solid. Also I use those pain in the arse mounting bars that GM loves to add to your trans shroud. No one puts them back on anyway. Lol but they’re made out of tool steel and plenty harder that just hot roll. There’s my 2 bits. On sundays when either of us would go over to the shop to get started for the week but make odd n end tools. On the Harness track and trainers are out jogging their horses n throws a shoe. They’d hear the ring of the anvil and cha ching there’s a quick $20-$30 bucks nobody would miss. After 40yrs later I think it ok to tell an Apprentice how to make a couple bucks
Nice video once again Black Bear. Just on the drill press vice grip, you should find that the thread is metric M12. Most seem to be that. Normally it shows it on the eye nut. You could extend the thread with a M12 coupling nut.
I took the screw half of a large c-clamp and welded a shank on that. I replaced the screw lever with a welded ring for ease and accessibility. Works well for heavy work
I typically have my 9 year old stepson hold whatever needs to be held. He enjoys being at the anvil with me. Otherwise, I typically make do with whatever suits the need. I love how blacksmiths creatively use whatever is at hand, or modifies another tool to suit the purpose.
Really good video! Thanks for all of your help! My little setup is starting to take shape thanks to your videos! One thing I'd add to your video is for those who only have a budget gas forge, the work piece doesn't fit very well in the forge once you've put the bend in, so it's worth thinking about that before you put that bend in. Get it as close to the desired end-state first, and then put that bend in. Thanks again for your help!
Those are some good tips, BB. The term or product you were trying to think of related to the pipe clamp, is "hillside washer". But without being epoxied under the anvil, it'd be something else to hassel with. Thanx for the tips.
Don’t make one out of 3/4 rebar, I did and used it a couple of times then after one good hit the thing broke and went flying!! I still haven’t found the other piece, maybe it was because I quenched it after bending and crystallized the steel?
Thank you for this video John. I'm going to put one of these hold fast tools onto my to do list of tools to make. I was making my first leaf a couple days ago and I still had a good sized section of steel attached to my leaf. Well, as I was doing some cutting on that leaf, that darn thing jumped off my anvil 3 different times so that hold fast would have worked perfect for my project. As always sir, many thanks for a very informative and educational video. I sure learned some things tonight.
I suspect that the thread on that pipe is BSP (British Standard Pipe), it became a de facto worldwide standard in its various sizes back in the mists of time and I have seen it everywhere from Italy to Indonesia and the Sahara. In the US you may have some other name for it. Also used on traditional bath tap fittings and even on brass compression fittings for copper pipe.
Very impressive the simple way you made that fasthold tool and specially the tip about using a cold roll rod and not having to forge it ,Thanks for the film very informative and simple .
I already had a good idea of how the hold fast worked but to hear it in plain English is much appreciated. I’m sure there’s some things out there with simple explanations that I’ll have a hard time grasping the first time around so if this is a persistent habit of yours on this channel then I’m sure I’ve made a wise investment of my time by subscribing to you.
A quick and simple idea for the "financially challenged". I have a smaller pritchel hole. I used an old tire iron from the dump. Flatten the socket end and tweak the curve. Works awesome, material cost was zero, and took about 10 minutes work.
Im just getting started in forging. Was so happy to buy the 1st few things that I forgot the most important one, the pliers. Been looking for ways to hold the steel so I can get started while I wait for them to b delivered. Thanks for the help
You know how he said right at the beginning he wouldn’t use a hand held tool with a striker? I learned that the hard way a week and a half ago when having my dad strike while trying to vertically hot cut the tines for a marshmallow roasting fork and his mis-hit drove my thumb onto on of the fairly sharp tines which was barely under a red heat and went straight through my welding glove and just above the joint of my thumb and about bone deep. Not too much blood since it was so hot, and thankfully missed any veins or nerves but it hurt like the dickens for a few days and didn’t fully close up till about this morning and is still tender.
I am a newbie to blacksmithing, and my journey began a few months ago when I inherited my grandfather's old Vulcan anvil from his farm. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your way of teaching. For someone who has been smithing for many years, you still have an open mind and really get me thinking about the myriad of ways to work steel. I have been a steamfitter for 30 years and cannot believe that I just discovered this amazing trade. Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to teach your skills on here. It is a real pleasure to watch and learn from you!
what about the chain with a plank attached on the end? effectively putting your foot on the plank holding it down tight. basically attach the chain with a nail or something else to your stump and bring the chain over the anvil, then attach a plank to the end so that when you step on the plank it will clamp down your workpiece.
Right after tongs that fit what you are doing so you can work well with 1 hand, comes the frustration of trying to keep something still when you need 2 hands!
QUERIA AGRADECERLE MUCHO POR MOSTRAR SU ARTE Y COMPARTIRLO HOY AGREGUE UNA HERRAMIENTA MAS A MI YUNQUE GRACIAS A USTED UN GRAN SALUDO DESDE ARGENTINA CUIDAD DE TRENQUE LAUQUEN PROVINCIA DE BUENOS AIRES
Every time I do a search for a particular smithing topic I end up back on your channel. I've been subscribed for a long while and always recommend the channel to the kids that I do basic instruction for.
Thank you so much for sending me the link . For the hold fast, I now know why the one I made doesn't work. The round stock is to small I used 1in. I have the Vevor 135lbs anvil and the Prichel hole in the front to me is in the wrong place and way too big. And pretty much unusable. Thanks again
