Couldn't agree more. We all know you can make a great quality blade without even using a hammer, forge, or anvil...but this guy is the flavor of bladesmithing I sincerely respect - I've just begun developing my homebrew Wootz process a few weeks ago. Need to nail down getting enough heat to get full liquid. Haven't tried bloomery style yet... but I'll get to it.
Update: tried bloomery style using sheet metal coupons I cut up - 715g worth. Got some bloom but ultimately didn't have enough blower to melt everything. Took bloom, broke it up and chucked it in a crucible with glass - after a bit of forging and welding I've got something to work with. Still, my blower isn't adequate for full liquid on a crucible so it took a lot of care to get it forged solid. Picking up a bouncy house blower tonight...that oughta take care of my issues lol
Damn... This was sooo cool to watch. You always impress with your metallurgy skills, man. I really want to try this method one day; it's so fascinating. Would you say the pattern that developed was due to different steel compositions between the two blooms, or does it just happen naturally? The tanto came out looking great too. Huge congrats!
That blade is intense! Its certainly not the biggest out of your competition, but the skill in your metallurgical magic skills makes it my favorite! That pattern is so stunning and organic.
Excellent video of true smithing as usual. Your camerawork etc has just gotten better and better as you’ve gone on. Now we get microscopy as well🤯. Can’t wait to see what you produce going forward.
I have been following this challenge closely. I have seen a lot of disappointing attempts and only a few good ones. but you, sir. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY would expect you to go THAT traditional with a build. You went ALL the way back to blooming when it was completely unnecessary. For that I am absolutely certain that you are the one who gets my vote.. I appreciate your dedication to tradition and respecting their culture. I'd even go so far as to say that some master smiths may even be willing to acknowledge you for this. I'm not saying a Japanese master sword smith ("tōkōshi") would. Japanese masters of any given craft are notorious for being uptight and self important. At the very least. you get my vote. Damascus would have been fine. Fold forging would have been fine. But that clearly wasn't enough for you. Mad respect. I love your blade as well. it is simple yet elegant.
I loved watching you make this blade! I'm sure they are out there but I have not seen anyone carbonizing their own steel. I couldn't listen while watching so I didn't hear any of your comments but I'll be watching this one again to hear your explanations/process. Awesome!!
Thanks Denis! I hope he does or maybe he dissects it. Anyways thanks for inviting me in these challenges. I almost dropped out as work was intense this season and I had very little time to work on it only thing that kept me going was seeing all you’re guy’s progress. I really wanted to make my vid a little more entertaining but I was tapped out! Thank god I’m off for the winter now.
@@HeavyForge I'm really happy you pushed through! It is great to see this kind of work. I love the cinematography with the sparks coming off it so it was cool to watch. 😉
Awesome Spencer!! Most people go to the bar, other people raise the bar, and you my brother just tied a knot in it! I really love and appreciate the science of your builds! Your videos are always fun and cool to watch! Thanks for sharing! Big Bob Gore! 😎👍🏻🔨🔥🔪
Just some reccomendation on wootz steel based on Alfred pendrays process….. the vanadium was good but supposedly the ingot was heated and let to sit at room temperature multiple times like 9x atleast in order to make the growth of the crystals happen in the ingot…. I forgot if it’s liquid to solid phase in the crucible or if it’s after when the ingot is solid but either way it has to be heated then let to sit to get back to room temp as an Ingot or flux back and forth between solid and liquid in the crucible….. but it’s something of the sort in order to fully finish the process….
Not sure why you’re referring to Wootz on this video but I hate to break it to you the process you’re describing was not his real process. What you watched in the documentary was not his real process.
What is wetting the hammer before striking for? Also i see a lot of videos where they use ?Borax? between the folding. Is there a traditional equivalent or is this a modern invention?
@@PrometheusV the water helps clean the steel surface of scale. When the water is hammered it explodes into steam removing the scale. Traditionally rice straw ash and a clay slurry were used as a flux. Thanks for watching!
It was hard for me to vote. But i chose yours because of the difficult route you chose to take and that you didnt stray too far from the tradition these blades have.
Just came across your page because of the samurai challenge and I am grateful i did! I have been wanting to make this kind of steel for a while now and had 2 questions 1) 50z is what weight of iron to charcoal ratio? 2) did you quench in water or oil? Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching! As for the ratios it’s uncertain as it’s not a exact process. For 1 5oz charge added to the furnace 2 handfulls (both hands) of charcoal added on top is sufficient. I quenched in Parks 50.
Have you ever tried to make blister steel or sheer steel? I have carburized mild steel for my work in a fab shop on parts that need to be wear resistance
You said you charged a total of 35oz of metal - was that just plain mild steel or tool steel? Looked like coupons of flat stock. Would you mind sharing process details like how much charcoal did you burn through and how long were you cooking that bloom?
Yes, just plain old mild steel (A36) and as to how much charcoal consumed for one smelt I’m not completely sure but pretty much one bag or close to one bag of royal oak. Takes about 30-45min, pretty quick! Thanks for watching!
Lovely pattern and very clean design (shame, that the pin is off center). Nice work Spencer! After watching the video, I'm little confused. What is the difference between tamahagane and Oroshigane? I've never heard of Oroshigane.
Thanks for watching! Definitely not perfect. Oroshigane was a process used by Japanese smiths to carburize or oxidize low/high carbon material. The main difference is the base material that’s smelted. For example Ore vs nails. Or if the smith had a bunch of low carbon tamahagane he would run it through his charcoal forge in the way I did to carburize the material.
A true bladesmith! Glad to see someone took a traditional approach. You are definitely underrated and should have more of the spotlight.
Thank you!!
Couldn't agree more. We all know you can make a great quality blade without even using a hammer, forge, or anvil...but this guy is the flavor of bladesmithing I sincerely respect - I've just begun developing my homebrew Wootz process a few weeks ago. Need to nail down getting enough heat to get full liquid. Haven't tried bloomery style yet... but I'll get to it.
Update: tried bloomery style using sheet metal coupons I cut up - 715g worth. Got some bloom but ultimately didn't have enough blower to melt everything. Took bloom, broke it up and chucked it in a crucible with glass - after a bit of forging and welding I've got something to work with. Still, my blower isn't adequate for full liquid on a crucible so it took a lot of care to get it forged solid. Picking up a bouncy house blower tonight...that oughta take care of my issues lol
Beautiful blade 😍 I respect the skill it takes to make your own steel. You even busted out a microscope. Great work
Thanks man!
Damn... This was sooo cool to watch. You always impress with your metallurgy skills, man. I really want to try this method one day; it's so fascinating.
Would you say the pattern that developed was due to different steel compositions between the two blooms, or does it just happen naturally?
The tanto came out looking great too. Huge congrats!
Thanks Black Beard!! Appreciate you watching!The pattern occurs naturally.
That blade is intense! Its certainly not the biggest out of your competition, but the skill in your metallurgical magic skills makes it my favorite! That pattern is so stunning and organic.
Thank you! And thanks for watching!!
Amazing job from start to finish. Top score for doing it all old school as well. A few of the others are taking the easy route.
Thank you! And thanks for watching!!
Nicely done Spencer! It came out great!!!
Thanks man!! Appreciate ya watching!!
Great video. The grain pattern looks amazing!
Really beautiful blade. I like the making of bloomery steel, folding and view under microscope. You definitely have my vote Sir!
Thank you!! Appreciate it!
This is an amazing knife and the technique was super cool to see.
Awesome build! Great work!
Excellent video of true smithing as usual. Your camerawork etc has just gotten better and better as you’ve gone on. Now we get microscopy as well🤯. Can’t wait to see what you produce going forward.
Thank you! And thanks for watching appreciate it!!
I just got home from work and this was a nice treat. Hope all is well and your not working too much. Take care.
Been working on this since may but I’m done for the season! Thanks for watching!!
bad ass steel there, knife looks great!
Thank you! And thanks for watching!!
I love how you used old ways for this build! Beautiful work!
Thanks you and thanks for watching!
Sir... this is authentic as heck! So complex... so cool! Love the pattern it produced! Cheers man 🙌
Thanks man! 🙏🏻
I have been following this challenge closely. I have seen a lot of disappointing attempts and only a few good ones. but you, sir. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY would expect you to go THAT traditional with a build. You went ALL the way back to blooming when it was completely unnecessary. For that I am absolutely certain that you are the one who gets my vote.. I appreciate your dedication to tradition and respecting their culture. I'd even go so far as to say that some master smiths may even be willing to acknowledge you for this. I'm not saying a Japanese master sword smith ("tōkōshi") would. Japanese masters of any given craft are notorious for being uptight and self important.
At the very least. you get my vote. Damascus would have been fine. Fold forging would have been fine. But that clearly wasn't enough for you. Mad respect. I love your blade as well. it is simple yet elegant.
Thank you! I appreciate the vote and thanks for watching!!
Incredible as always
Thanks man!
Excellent craftsmanship, very nice
Absolutely beautiful work
Thank you! And thanks for watching!!
Man this was really fun to watch. Great work brother.
Thanks man!!
I looked up "Excellent Craftsmanship" in my dictionary, and your picture was there! Beautiful.
Thanks you! And Thanks for watching!
Wow! Another truly epic build! The pattern in the blade is awesome as usual. Thanks again!
Thank you!! And thanks for watching!
Dude! What a really cool process! Awesome video and awesome knife really, enjoyed watching!
stunning work, beautiful knife
I loved watching you make this blade! I'm sure they are out there but I have not seen anyone carbonizing their own steel. I couldn't listen while watching so I didn't hear any of your comments but I'll be watching this one again to hear your explanations/process. Awesome!!
I was silent on this vid but thank you for the kind worlds and thanks for watching!!
Amazing build, Spencer! I had to lookup the difference between oroshigana and tamahagane, but I get it now. Great build, I learned a ton! 👍🏻
PS - I think Walter will really geek out on this one! 😜
Thanks Denis! I hope he does or maybe he dissects it. Anyways thanks for inviting me in these challenges. I almost dropped out as work was intense this season and I had very little time to work on it only thing that kept me going was seeing all you’re guy’s progress. I really wanted to make my vid a little more entertaining but I was tapped out! Thank god I’m off for the winter now.
@@HeavyForge I'm really happy you pushed through! It is great to see this kind of work. I love the cinematography with the sparks coming off it so it was cool to watch. 😉
Looks fricken awesome.
Veramente una bella lama. Complimenti!
Grazie! e grazie per la visione!
Awesome Spencer!! Most people go to the bar, other people raise the bar, and you my brother just tied a knot in it! I really love and appreciate the science of your builds! Your videos are always fun and cool to watch! Thanks for sharing! Big Bob Gore! 😎👍🏻🔨🔥🔪
Thanks Bob! I appreciate it and thanks for watching!🙏🏻
Nicely done. You should get bonus points for the work you put into that.
Yeah, it’s a lot of work to get usable steel. Thanks for watching!!
awesome tanto
Wow!
Dang that looks sharp! And the way everything fits up together is so nice! 😃👌
Thanks man!!
Awesome job man! Love it!
Thanks Tony!
Good job!
i love your metallurgical approach to oroshigane, well done mate, love your work
Thanks Sam! And thanks for watching, means a lot!
Beautiful knife 👏👏
nice kitchen Knife
Hell yeah man...badass!!
Thank you! and thanks for watching
awesome work my bro!
Thanks man appreciate it!! And thanks for watching!
Phenomenal job. 🎉
Thank you!
Greetings from all of Armenia 🇦🇲
Hello! From Alaska.
Love it, subbed. Great bloom steel work.
Just some reccomendation on wootz steel based on Alfred pendrays process….. the vanadium was good but supposedly the ingot was heated and let to sit at room temperature multiple times like 9x atleast in order to make the growth of the crystals happen in the ingot…. I forgot if it’s liquid to solid phase in the crucible or if it’s after when the ingot is solid but either way it has to be heated then let to sit to get back to room temp as an Ingot or flux back and forth between solid and liquid in the crucible….. but it’s something of the sort in order to fully finish the process….
Not sure why you’re referring to Wootz on this video but I hate to break it to you the process you’re describing was not his real process. What you watched in the documentary was not his real process.
What is wetting the hammer before striking for? Also i see a lot of videos where they use ?Borax? between the folding. Is there a traditional equivalent or is this a modern invention?
@@PrometheusV the water helps clean the steel surface of scale. When the water is hammered it explodes into steam removing the scale. Traditionally rice straw ash and a clay slurry were used as a flux. Thanks for watching!
That’s awesome. How long did the smelting process take on 1 bloom?
Takes about 30-45 minutes.
Oh wow that’s a lot faster than I expected
It was hard for me to vote. But i chose yours because of the difficult route you chose to take and that you didnt stray too far from the tradition these blades have.
Thank you!! Much appreciated and thanks for watching!
Just came across your page because of the samurai challenge and I am grateful i did! I have been wanting to make this kind of steel for a while now and had 2 questions 1) 50z is what weight of iron to charcoal ratio? 2) did you quench in water or oil? Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching! As for the ratios it’s uncertain as it’s not a exact process. For 1 5oz charge added to the furnace 2 handfulls (both hands) of charcoal added on top is sufficient. I quenched in Parks 50.
Have you ever tried to make blister steel or sheer steel? I have carburized mild steel for my work in a fab shop on parts that need to be wear resistance
@@aleckohl6585 I have not. It is a interesting process.
You said you charged a total of 35oz of metal - was that just plain mild steel or tool steel? Looked like coupons of flat stock. Would you mind sharing process details like how much charcoal did you burn through and how long were you cooking that bloom?
Yes, just plain old mild steel (A36) and as to how much charcoal consumed for one smelt I’m not completely sure but pretty much one bag or close to one bag of royal oak. Takes about 30-45min, pretty quick! Thanks for watching!
@@HeavyForge very much appreciated!!! Incredible work sir!
What are you using for the "charges"? Is that in another video?
No. I forgot to mention it in the video but I used mild steel A36 flat bar. I have a bunch of scrap flat bar. Thanks for watching!
Lovely pattern and very clean design (shame, that the pin is off center). Nice work Spencer!
After watching the video, I'm little confused. What is the difference between tamahagane and Oroshigane? I've never heard of Oroshigane.
Thanks for watching! Definitely not perfect. Oroshigane was a process used by Japanese smiths to carburize or oxidize low/high carbon material. The main difference is the base material that’s smelted. For example Ore vs nails. Or if the smith had a bunch of low carbon tamahagane he would run it through his charcoal forge in the way I did to carburize the material.
@@HeavyForge ! I was wondering if the base material make the difference in the name of the process - thanks a lot for explanation!
@@DBCraftWorld tamahagane is a material. Oroshigane is a process.
3 minutes in: don't attempt if ya have a wooden floor 😛
😂😂 I soaked the floor with the garden hose before I started hammer on that bloom. Thanks for watching!
nope
Thanks for watching!