Making a copper ladle with vintage hand tools

This video shows the process of making a copper ladle with traditional methods and vintage tools. This ladle has a forged steel handle. The copper bowl is fixed to the handle using two copper rivets. Tools used include vintage hacksaw, drill press and hand drill plus antique bellows and anvil. There is no talking or music in this video, just the sound of the tools.
John Wills, The Copper Elf, is a brazier-tinman making cookware and other household metal goods for reenactors, museums and TV & film as well as the general public. He also teaches blacksmithing and tinsmithing at Stanwick Lakes in Northamptonshire.
0:00 Marking out the copper
0:21 Cutting out the bowl (the big snips!)
0:37 Filing and smoothing the edges
1:35 Sinking the bowl
2:28 Planishing the bowl
3:30 Cutting the handle
4:15 Lighting the forge and pumping bellows
5:29 Forge up to heat with bellows
5:42 Forging out the handle
8:24 Forging a rat tail
8:45 Forging the handle loop
9:42 Setting down the handle for rivets
10:17 Drilling rivet holes in the handle
10:43 Drilling rivet holes in the bowl
11:06 Riveting the pieces together
12:12 The finished ladle

[@PurpleVision23]

Wow! Your amazing! I love the toe nail clippers at the beginning

[@JointerMark]

Thank you for the reply.

[@Chris-sv7xq]

Nice old anvil

[@poggy205]

man why is your channel so underrated...

[@thecopperelf]

Thank you for the comment. It's a new channel which I hope will grow with at least monthly videos of metalwork and the sounds of the workshop.

[@asherdoubek8740]

very nice

[@thecopperelf]

Thanks, glad you like it

[@JointerMark]

Whilst forming the copper, did you have to anneal the copper during the forming process? I wondered if it would work harden or if it was ductile enough to form well without annealing?

[@thecopperelf]

Pretty much depends on how much you work it and what state it is in when you buy it. My copper is delivered half hard, this means for simple shapes like this ladle bowl it doesn't work harden beyond workable and is hard enough for it's end purpose after planishing. For more complicated work or deeper bowls yes it needs annealing, even soft will work harden quickly. Copper supplied hard will need annealing before you do anything forming.

[@poppascoop]

Enjoyed the vid,one small complaint ,would have liked to seen a bit more of the finished product....liked and subscribed

[@thecopperelf]

The plan is to make some "in use" videos of the cookware and other items over the summer.

[@zkkaik]

Won't the iron handle rust quickly when in contact with copper?

[@keegananneker5406]

Electrolysis happens when water is passed between two dissimilar metals that are in contact. The water picks up ions from one metal and deposits them onto the other metal. So unless it's under a constant stream of water 24/7 it will last for many years without issue.

[@thecopperelf]

The simple answer is no. As with all traditional cookware items this ladle should be dried thoroughly after use/washing. The dissimilar metal contact does not noticeably accelerate oxidization of either the copper or ferrous parts unlike poor care of the item.