how u know Alec is genuine and truly cares about his craft: Alec: Heres my brand new product up for sale for those who want it Also alec: heres how to get started and get the same amount done without my product.

@hjones3056

4 жыл бұрын

Ain't that the truth

@nickbenn51

4 жыл бұрын

Clever way of marketing the new product though don't ya think

@Numbers__

4 жыл бұрын

Also, more blacksmiths = more people to sell a nice anvil to.

@datawrangler81

4 жыл бұрын

@@nickbenn51 yeah, except the one is 1400, that you send to him, the other is 79.99 if you have to buy your grinder, not from Alec. Sounds like his marketing technique is so subtle and sophisticated, I don't get it. I did get a Freedomheit hoodie, though, so there's that.

@nickbenn51

4 жыл бұрын

@@datawrangler81 I'm not disputing that he's genuinely interested in giving good advice to beginners. But you can't deny that this video obviously serves the double purpose of being an ad for his anvil. Also I'm not saying that's a bad thing, the guy has to make money somehow

you should make a series called: how to start blacksmithing

@gavtheviking9496

4 жыл бұрын

Yes he shoud.

@lairdcummings9092

4 жыл бұрын

Yes. This.

@matthiaspruijssen1306

4 жыл бұрын

Yes please

@thatguy843ish

4 жыл бұрын

Yes please

@tytorubio3271

4 жыл бұрын

He probably did that already, in his early videos i think.. When he was still living in England. I could be wrong but i remember something like that. Even in the last Q & A they talk a bit with wich tools they started

I think Will should show us how easy it would be to cut a rail with files. 😆🤙

@mrking7342

4 жыл бұрын

Or just sand the one Alec made to a mirror finish. Plenty of surface area to really show off that shine.

@coreytaylor447

4 жыл бұрын

@@mrking7342 but by hand with sand paper

@rossturner3650

4 жыл бұрын

easy, tape a file to a reciprocating saw and job done

@IAmBeowulf701

4 жыл бұрын

@@rossturner3650 This one physically hurt.

@LEMOONAYS

4 жыл бұрын

@@IAmBeowulf701 tape even lol

I remember watching my grandfather make an anvil out of railroad track. He gave it to me before he passed away. I'm glad to see that you are showing everyone how to make one. 😃 Alec- High-speed Low Drag!!

@jessemarshall7176

4 жыл бұрын

I just rediscovered the one my great grandpa made in 1940. I thought it was lost decades ago.

What I really appreciated in this video is the talk about angle grinder safety, almost everybody I know tend to get rid of the guard and start using the tool :/ . Also nice tip on the left-sided holding approach, will give it a try :D

@bigbasil1908

2 жыл бұрын

I hate angle grinders. Iv'e use them before to grind down welds on cars but I truly hate using them knowing instinctively how dangerous they are lol

I love that you sell this stuff on your website but you still don't mind showing people how to do it themselves on the cheap or free if they can. You are by far one of my favorite KZreadrs

I actually tried forging yesterday, used the face of a log splitting hammer as an anvil

@DH-xw6jp

4 жыл бұрын

If its a power splitter you could rig it up to act a a press if you want to make pattern welded stuff

@Finagin007

4 жыл бұрын

I've been wanting to get into it for a long time. How did it go?

@jeanladoire4141

4 жыл бұрын

When i started blacksmithing, i had a tin can, barbecue charcoal, a large hammerhead as an anvil, a box of pringles with a hole to blow air, and a small shitty hammer Now i make armor and swords, and in a few hours i'll get back to grinding a blade i tempered yesterday

@wildermanoutdoors8485

4 жыл бұрын

Awesome! when I started I used a sledgehammer head as an anvil. Two years later I own a 90 pound London pattern anvil. Keep on learning.

@davidkhrystenko

4 жыл бұрын

@@DH-xw6jp It wasn't a power splitter, it's this axe that has an extremely wide head, basically the entire axe head is a large triangle with flat sides.

Brilliant job highlighting not just the dangers, but also your solution for safety! You teach people right, Alec! Edit - adding this challenge: Please make pattern Damascus fishing hooks, and film going fishing (and catching)!

Dis guy making anvils from railroad tracks while I'm just gluing 2 sticks together to make a boomerang

@kapler_1532

4 жыл бұрын

@Gachacay lne same XD

I really enjoyed the message this video conveys - There's a whole lot of integrity in showing alternatives to the things you yourself is selling.

I've been using Angle grinders for years. I never had an incident off kick back till recently. I am guilty of removing guards. It hit me in the face.... well face shield. I use the same breather set up as Alec. ( thanks to him) and that face shield can take a hit. It kicked hard enough to knock the mask off my head. No injury just had to buy a face shield lenses. Also @ Alecsteele. Did you know they make tearoff for that face shield. 20 packs are like 20 bucks but it saves the lense 10 fold

@coreytaylor447

4 жыл бұрын

when it comes down to it, a mask lens is a pretty good trade off for a face

@billwoehl3051

4 жыл бұрын

Friend of mine had a disk shatter, missed his eye by inches, left a nasty scar on his forehead however. And this morning, my charcoal popped, sending a spark that nailed me in the eyebrow, few minutes later, nearly got me again, so...yeah, I put my safety glasses on for tending my forge as well.

@custos3249

4 жыл бұрын

Almost as if experience or "I know what I'm doing" isn't a shield against shrapnel

@anviljenga8590

4 жыл бұрын

Hey what breather face mask set up is it that you use? Could use one myself.

@dylanzrim1011

4 жыл бұрын

I had a wheel explode on me with no guard. Just bounced off my leg. I consider myself considerably lucky

Thank you for providing me with the inspiration through the 4 Weeks of Forging to forge my first ever rasp tomahawk. I had never really done much forge welding before, and this project was a great learning experience.

Once had an angle grinder grab my t-shirt and rip it right off my back. Thankfully the cloth stalled the motor out before the disc hit me... A timely lesson, dangerous devices grinders and why Alec wears that welding jacket. Also had a strict rule drummed into me that you unplug the grinder (or any sort of portable abrasive wheel device) and take it to another bench to change the wheel.

@jerichojoe307

2 жыл бұрын

Yes sir. The angle grinder is one of the most dangerous Tools in any Workshop. Claims more dummy related incidents per year than hippos. It's very rare that I ever have the handle off of mine, guard never comes off unless absolutely necessary, and I literally will not even pick it up without glasses. But I definitely need to get a full face shield cuz I've seen plenty of videos and pictures with people that had exploded discs lodged directly in the path of what would have been an eye shot. No long sleeves or loose clothing. And the power is disconnected before ever touching the disc. One of the most dangerous Parts about it is that angle grinders typically are an on-off situation meaning that rather than a Deadman trigger that stops when you release the trigger; they're typically either on full bore or off. So in the event of a jump or kick oh, it's going to continue rotating and destroying whatever is in its path. Be safe y'all

I saw an angle grinder injury in the ER last week! DIY proj at home, used foot to hold pipe, wearing crocs, grinder jumped and shredded through the croc and the big toe.

I’m glad my railroad track is getting some use after sitting in my garage for years. It was great to meet you Alec. Keep those awesome videos coming!

Alec please make a series of video of how to blacksmith on a budget, videos like this is a blessing for me and many others

Well, in order to sell the lovely crisp anvils he needs blacksmiths to buy them. The old dogs might have already few anvils around, but the newbies will sooner later become a customer. He's creating a demand, and that is genius! Hat off Alec, I love your videos, been watching every one since I discovered this channel.

Alec, thank you for considering us folks out here without fancy toolsets! I finally did invest in an actual Anvil, but still have my first track anvil. I think it will continue being useful. Niiiice anvil stand you got there!

This was a well done, well produced, and subtle infomercial. Lots of subtle flexs throughout, (Merch in the injury visit, higher grade tools and accessories sold through the shop), but still informative and enjoyable!

I have about 33 meters of railroad track that a friend gave me. Its also great if you need a striking anvil (although hard) or if you are going to have classes and need more workspaces. Nice vid!

I entered in the last week, the first 3 i was healing from a broken arm/wrist. Glad i was able to compete with so many great smiths, some of which are in their teens such as me! Keep on getting better, the moment you give up, youve lost.

Great overview of how its done. I got an old beat up Fischer 60 lb anvil, then later came across a 3' chunk of RR track, a heavy cross section, probably 130 lb for the piece. I cut and flattened one END of it, and stood it up, and bolted it to a log buried 3' in the dirt. The key with this one was to have a surface for heavy drawing out and fullering. This position gets the most steel directly underneath your work. The web of the track I rounded for fullering and bending.

So nice of you... Teaching... Statt with simple materials..

Sir Steele, I applaud you for this amazing piece of work here.

"Don't do stupid stuff with angle grinders!" ... I feel like you're calling me out here ... stop attacking me Sir! Lol

@garybower1824

4 жыл бұрын

It's only stupid when it doesn't work. What's the point of having a first aid kit if you don't use it?

And the second take away: "Don't take railroad track from a railway line" Fine. Now I need to come up with different plans for this weekend... again.

The work you do just to do a video is commendable ‼️ Those grinders do not apologize either. I know and yes it wasn't my first time using one.

I see that the Q&A really helping for video ideas. Great job you guys

As soon as I saw the notification I hit the play button. Love all of your videos Alec. Keep them coming

Just recently, I made myself an anvil from a railroad track, and I have an idea that I saw on another KZread channel, where they soldered a piece of leaf spring on the anvil and that is the surface to hit :D

@vandewt800xl

4 жыл бұрын

I've got a rail anvil and I have to dress the surface up every so often because it's pretty soft. A chunk of harder steel on top would help keep it from getting beat up so much.

Back in my smithing days, I used to wear all leather and Gortex while smithing. I'm glad I did too. There were several instances where doing so saved me from serious injury. Doing so can be incredibly hot and uncomfortable, but it's worth it trust me. I dropped a piece of red hot steel on my Gortex boots once, and it melted about halfway through the top of my boot before I could even react. Had I been wearing different boots, I would have had serious burns. Safety first folks!

A good heavy hunk of tree trunk works great to lag bolt you chunk of railway rail too. If you decide to drill hole to put the lag screws through be sure to use low speed and lots of lube.

Great work alec. I love what you have done in the last few years. Keep on making some fenomenale stuff❤

there is a tech youtuber called "linus tech tips" that did a video a while back called something like "what its really like to work for linus" (the founder of the company and head of the channel), the main hitch was that linus was not allowed to watch the video at all and it was a essentially a free integrity check on linus to see if the people working for him actually enjoyed working for him. i really enjoyed that video and think it would be cool to see that sort of video about you alec

3:30 I was at work on a ladder using an angle grinder, it bound up on what I was cutting and it jumped. Those things bite pretty good, I cut open my neck from my Adam's apple to my chin. It didn't bleed too much after a little while because it burned when it cut so I patched myself up and went back to work. 👍🏻 Ironworkers 💪🏻

I live in NW Montana and you Sir have inspired me to start learning to blacksmith

Yes! I was waiting for this! I have a 14” piece of track from 1910 I use as an anvil already but I’m looking to add a horn to it!

Omg. I have a bit of railroad and I wanted to do just this!!!! Thanks!! I will definitely be doing this!

Can't wait to see how this comes out

Alec, I would suggest putting that railroad anvil upside down in the vice and putting a "slugger drill" on it and drill four mounting holes. Of course you could put it on the mill.

wonderful video Alec, thanks for sharing your experience 😀

I am not sure if you know how to run a company Alec... But please never change, even if it is bad for business, you being nice and honest is far more important then money.

Am I the only one who thought the third place axe was by far the best and highest level of craftmanship?

Awsome awsome video, thats why i love alec so much, one day he is teaching the very very basics, another he is doing a damascus sword with gems and gold

Even more uncommon and inordinate than plasma torches & bandsaws are the young, handsome, rugged men he has scattered around his shop!

Loved seeing the 4 weeks of forging projects! That was a great idea!

Wow thank you just amazing. Greetings all the way from Austria

Alec made me want to spend my time forging, really enjoying these videos

Can you do a video on how to set up an anvil and make a stand? Setting the proper height and design? Thanks! Love the videos Alec!

I have a railroad tracks anvil and I wanted to put a hardy hole in it but didn't know how. Purgatory Ironworks said that I should get someone to weld on a but of square stock and it works great

I was taught from a young age of about 3 to always respect you tools, not fear them cause then you will never use them, but if you respect them and use them safely you will be perfectley fine and safe.

That’s awesome showing people cheap get arounds to get a start at the forge .With small starts big things grow .✌️✌🏻✌🏾❤️✌🏻✌️

I just picked up a piece of rail yesterday to do exactly this, perfect timing!

Looks like a mature anvil! Thanks for showing this to us Alec! 👍😁

Alec inspired me to be a blacksmith I'm only 14 but I still do it

@troop22airsoft7

4 жыл бұрын

Same

@aljazkrivograd5816

4 жыл бұрын

Dude literaly same

@couldbejokim4557

4 жыл бұрын

Same but 13 ;)

@abdulelkhatib2674

4 жыл бұрын

Same thing with me

@javanbybee4822

4 жыл бұрын

same but im 16

Thank you very much for your positive attitude!

Thanks Alec you’ve inspired me to start blacksmithing when I was 11 Thanks I would love to meet you

You read minds Alec, this is a video i wanted to see for years!!!!

Very cool. Nice project. We made some back in the mid 80's. Fun project. We torched them, then ground them, it was faster.

The safety message was really well done. :D

you have no idea how good this vid was and how helpful thank you for sharing

Might I suggest (for those who have access to a lathe and a decent welder) turning the horn of the anvil on the lathe and welding it on.

I admire your passion and health and safety awareness Mr Steele. Keep rockin'.... safely :)

I'm so glad you have made this video I have a 16 inch chunk of track I use as an anvil now I can make it better

My friend did this, it really does work beautifully. I think they just used a piece of discarded railroad tie without even shaping it into an anvil. If you live near active tracks, and if you're careful to watch for trains, sometimes you can find an old tie that they replaced and just left the old piece by the trackside.

The four weeks of forging series was so cool. I really like to see hand forging and the details of how things are made. That's what interested me in the channel at first. Plus we get a smaller project in between the the larger projects so more forging more Alec more Will more wack wack.

Looking forward to this. just got a chunk of track to do this!

Very Cool Railroad Track Anvil, Alec !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mate good work on talking about grinder safety. I see too many youtubers who've never used one holding the grinder wrong or not useing it without a guard or even no safety glasses.

For a new project idea you guys could potentially make a tri-bladed Jagdkommando Knife? Could be a difficult challenge to forge the shape and do those weird grinds, might be fun to watch

Very Nice. I was waiting to see Alec forging a leaf on the railroad track anvil

Outstanding video. Love your design

Hey Alec, you can find on EBay (or make) something called a track chisel that's basically a big 5lbs cold cut chisel with a handle, looks like a splitting maul. From what I've read, the railroad workers would score the track across the top with a striker, pick up the track, and just drop it straight down on top of another piece of track and it would shear the track off cleanly. I don't know how well it actually works in practice, but it could potentially be a huge time saver over the angle grinder.

Respect from South Africa... Good stuff

This is really cool video to see. Ive got one i made, and recently got a larger anvil. The railroad track anvils are great pieces for beginners

thanks Alec for highlighting the safety aspect of using angle grinders.. im about to cut down my rotted pool slide for the safety of my young children and am going to put your tips to good use! as always another great video!

One crucial piece of info to note, the rail track does not have a hardened face plate and will not respond nearly as well as an actual anvil. Even your local engineering works can give you a hardened face plate and weld it to a mild steel block for next to nothing, this will not only last longer but be much better than a rail track - I know since I used one for the first 2 years of my bladesmithing and the change when getting a proper anvil was huge!

This is awesome I'm literally about to do this so i can get started blacksmithing

Me and my dad literally tried to do this 2 weeks ago without knowing how to do it! This was very helpful!

The axe was by far the coolest prize!

Literally been staring at a chunk of track imagining an anvil coming out of it. Then I see this. Creepy good timing

I am actually in the process of making one right now, and was looking for more info, thx

Just finished my forge and I have a railroad track anvil. Wish me luck! First project is rebar nails to stop my dog from digging under my fence. Figure it’s simple~ish, upset a head, draw and taper a point. And a long piece of rebar shouldn’t need tongs as I haven’t a set yet.

I've seen images of exploded cutting wheels and kickback injuries and it's terrifying. Always be safe with those things for sure. I'll never use one without a guard

@greg9403

3 жыл бұрын

And wear face protective shield.

Great video. You could probably even rent the angle grinder to do this, but they are so useful that it's worth having one.

Thank you again for touching on Angle Grinder Safety.

I'm 15 and getting into blacksmithing, I was out of cut of wheels, so I just used a hack saw, and a grinding disc

Once again beautiful work man. I watch every one of your videos

Don’t ya like how in the Q&A Alec said that he wouldn’t do daily videos anymore😂 and this is the fourth video in a row!! Hey I’m not complaining keep em coming!!👍

Woah! Let's Go Tech!!! Not to often you see a Clarkson University Alumni!

I was working as a fitter & grinder for around a year and I often used those 9 inch grinders. The only injury I've gotten from it was a pretty bad cut on my little finger because I wasn't waring gloves and my hand started to cramp XD

So I’m a recent finger amputee. I lost 3 fingers on my dominant hand.I lost my fingers working in an unsafe environment at work. I have a whole new outlook on safety in the workshop. It makes me really happy to see so much safety in your videos. Keep up the safety in your vids!

Meu nome é David, cara... Eu adoro Vocês kkkk Parabéns por tudo e Obrigado!! Por todo conteúdo!! Curto muito o "Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to the workshop"

I live in jersey so there's not really many blacksmith shops near me so I could never get into it, I could never find an anvil, but there's plenty of railroad tracks and other thick metal around me, I always thought about doing this but I just never got the chance to

I enjoy the work you guys do a lot but always ask myself how did these guys get the knowledge at such a young age? Great work i really enjoyed the chefs knife that was a work of art for sure

Great video and the axis ok. Keep it up

Oh Yeah!! Thanks Alec!!!

Thank you for a very fond memory. I wish I still had my dad's old anvil...

haha, nice to see this... I made one last year from a 6' piece of track I "found" near my house (had to wheel it for 20 minutes on an adapted wheelbarrow through the woods) :) one mans trash is another mans treasure.

Yeah Zach!! LET'S GO TECH!!!