Im 27 years old. Just built my own forge, quench tube, bought a cheep grinder and forged my first set of simple flat jaw tongs and used them to forge a knife out if a old file. Alot of me doing this was inspired by you. Your educational content is amazing and has helped me out tremendously. I appreciate it like no other. Once this knife is done (glueing handle right now) then im going to attempt the veggie chopper from a couple videos ago. Anyways thanks for the inspiration and knowledge!!!!!

Still my favorite blacksmith on KZread, and this gentleman is a blacksmith in the truest form. He makes stylish, functional pieces of work that are meant to be used. Plus he is keeping the trade alive by providing us neophytes excellent, FREE, instructional videos.

Anybody who can name a bat'leth right away is my kind of guy. I knew there was a reason I liked watching your videos. :)

Wow amazing video great work brother who enjoy ❤️ this video hit the like 👍

I don’t have a torch so thank you for showing a method without using one!

I've been interested in traditional blacksmithing for a few years, but thought it was about knife making, until I found your videos. You have completely inspired me to begin blacksmithing, bought a decent anvil and have built a coal forge, after Christmas I'm going to purchase a gas forge thank you for your videos

I didn't realize it's that simple to do a forge weld! Great idea. Off to the garage!!

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@genesmith2416

3 жыл бұрын

Iron mountain flux is wizardry (great stuff)

@PracticalPrimate

3 жыл бұрын

Same!

@petepeterson4540

3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackBearForge check out John Jude's comment it is great I should have said it and it goes double for me

@loul7239

3 жыл бұрын

He made it look easier than it really is. Not that the weld he did is hard because you don't really have to prep with a scarf, but his control of heat, awareness of the right colors and accuracy with smooth light strikes takes practice. If he hit that too hard or at the wrong angle it would have slid apart and turned into a pile of mush.

I never stop learning from you, Thanks.

On your fine handle I would elongated the loop and go with a smaller loop for hanging. Great job teaching Sir always love your treatment for us folks that doesn't have great tooling such as a touch ( yes now I know myself good enough that I should have gotten a torch years ago and I would have used it many times. Thanks again Sir

You made that forge weld look like I could do it. Thanks for your videos

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

You can do it!

Nice for the wood stove. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks and greetings from Minnesota.

just poking around banking on finding some great videos of yours.

Really gotta say your videos has been more and more professionally done and I really wanna give it to you that you're doing a great work. I loved your older videos and I love the newer ones. You give me a lot of inspiration! Thank you, John.

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

I appreciate that!

I really like the handle design on this poker, and since i need to work on my forge welding, i may have to try building one, thanks John!

simple and straightforward. No show-off. You awesome. Best Reagrds

Good morning Sir, what a great idea! Thank you very much for the video. It is as you say, a great gift in winter season. Have a wonderful day Sir! Blessings!

Hey John, thank you for taking the time to do these videos. I'm brand new to Smithing and watch your video's daily, so thank you again!!

My favorite blacksmith. So many blacksmithing videos assume that the viewer has a power hammer. Thank you for such educational videos.

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

It isn't so much assuming the viewer has a power hammer, but more showing how that smith actually works.

Just found your KZread channel. I enjoy how you talk . You make it easy to understand. I'll enjoy going back and watching your videos. Thank you so much ric from wnc

Your content is so wholesome. So thank you for it. Please keep on rocking and forging.

I’ve been interested in blacksmithing and after watching your videos I decided to go for it. Today I tried out my setup. Small propane forge, 18” piece of railroad track mounted on a heavy 3 legged stand with a large old vice mounted on one end. I need bigger arms among other things. Trying to make a pair of tongs out of 3/4 round bar. Thanks for the encouragement

Always fun watching your videos!

It looks great & just in time for Christmas.

Great project! Was just thinking about making a fire poker for the family, very timely, thank you!

Hi John thanks for all the big shows happy Thanksgiving God bless you and your family

thank you for teaching this skill

Just something about a good glowing piece of metal

Nice job. This is a good starter peice as it teaches a bit of forge welding, eye making and tail reducing and twisting.

Nice just where I was looking for thank you great job 👍

i just found this channel like 5 minutes ago and im so glad i did

Hi John, Like so many you have inspired me to start blacksmithing. I am 50 years old and I just built my anvil stand for my 66lb anvil. All I need now is a heat source and I am ready to go. Thanks for all you do.

@Whipple1

3 жыл бұрын

Find a local blacksmithing group and get to a couple of meetings or attend a few “hammer-ins”when this COVID crap clears up. Blacksmith’s are a sharing bunch and you’ll learn more first hand than trying to hone your skills from videos on KZread. John Switzer is a great teacher, communicator, craftsman and a great resource for blacksmithing, but I’m sure he would be the first guy to tell you there’s so much more to learn when you can see it in person. Good luck with the pursuit of your new hobby! Cheers! Whipple

Hi John, you opened up poking around in the stove. I did the same thing this afternoon, had a nice bed of coles, added a piece of flat stock 1 1/4" wide 3/8" x 8" long. Needed to make a hook on one end for a gear puller. Couple of minutes up to very hot, couple more heats nice clean hook. This dosen't mean I am going to stop working on my blacksmith shop. 👍

Holy smokes! Color grade video! Production value is going up. Projects are going strong. Well done!!!

I don't have a forge yet but I have a torch. So I'm going to make me a poker and as you suggested I'll add the additional turns down the handle. Thanks for the inspiration.

I really enjoyed this project and the tips you gave thank you and keep up the good work

When I started on the blacksmithing course at Hereford in England 25 years ago this was the first thing the students made as it taught several important factors in one item. We used square stock, the rats tail at the handle end was to teach not burning the metal and where to place it in the forge as well as hammer work, descaling etc. The other end we 'upset' to make a bodkin point, like armour piercing arrowheads! all the time maintaining the square edge, the shaft we did barley twists in two places. No gas torches, no pincers, just hammer anvil and forge. There's a lot of learning to be had from making something as simple as a poker.

That's beautiful. Good job.

Wow that looks great

One of the things I love about your videos is how often you say, "...but not everyone has [insert tool here] so I'm going to show you how to do it without one."

I love watching your videos. But identifying stuff from star trek, that was amazing. Thanks for making my day.

Really enjoyed this video. Thank you for posting.

Good morning and, thank you John for sharing another great instructional video. I was literally impressed with the ease in which you accomplished that Forge Weld. The Poker turned out great. I think you're right, more length of the round rod is needed so the wrap would be longer to accommodate larger hands. Overall all, I grade this video at 110% 👍. Thanks again for sharing your talent with us. Stan

Thanks for sharing with us John, that’s a great fire poker you made. Take care and have a good Thanksgiving. Fred. 👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Very nice poker. I enjoy seeing the bending and other non anvil work.

just started forging here in Ireland. First instruction in forging was at school over fifty years ago and always longed to have another go at it. Recent retirement has offered me that opportunity. Bought an anvil and a gas forge and this looks like something I could give a try. Have learned a lot from watching your video's. Hoping to try my hand at forge welding and think this will be the place to start. Thanks again for the inspiration.

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

Enjoy the journey

@joeblankenship2360

3 жыл бұрын

Good on ya, you come to the right place, John has made some amazing things on his channel.

Hi John its 3am in Australia I'm just looking for something to ease the mind mate . So thanks John your projects all ways help , I will make a dozen of the pokers for friends and family so thanks again mate . cheers. (:

This is what I look for to become when I'm older

your great sir...your one of my favorite americans 😁 your ideas are pure art...everthing has its meaning and isnt useless...every detail of your work is skill and know-how...great videos ✌

I love your videos. Keep up the good work. I'm going to build my own forge because of your great videos :). Greetings from Europe (Slovenia).

That's a nice one little project

Great job!!!! Love watching your videos. Keep doing what you doing please!!! Thanks

@thomasarussellsr

3 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see a wrapped handle on square stock with a pineapple twist a third of the way down the bar from the handle to the poker end.

Thanks John. I've made a couple of these, but I shape the ring into an long oval so it becomes the handle and fits the hand well.

Table looks great!👍

Another fine lesson.

Ya with more spirals it will look more beautiful but it already look awesome. Nice video. 👍👍👍👍🔥🔥🔥

Keep them coming, sometime simple are great. Happy Thanksgiving

Great straightforward design and a fun forge weld. Would make nice Christmas presents. I am curious how it would look using square stock. Thanks as always for what you do.

I think that bat'leth would look cool with a mini stand to hang it from..... double hook style so it can hang as if it was hanging on a wall 🙂 Your poker cam out looking nice and having the really long rap for the handle sounds quite cool 👍👍👍

Well, John, you taught me a good tip in this video. When making pokers like this (usually out of 3/8" square rod), I have trouble keeping the weld from splitting when making the curved "hook" part. I never thought to clamp it in the vise to keep the weld from splitting. Thanks for the tip!! I guess you *can* teach old dogs new tricks, LOL.

@thomasarussellsr

3 жыл бұрын

If the "weld" is splitting, then it isn't welded. Try taking the heat just a little higher/hotter or longer in the heat soak for the welding.

@shortfuse43

3 жыл бұрын

@@thomasarussellsr Good point.

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

The problem with multiple welding heats on this style tip is that they get too thin so one heat with a slightly less that perfect weld is better than the thin spindly point.

@shortfuse43

3 жыл бұрын

@@BlackBearForge That's precisely the problem I was having. Too thin of a point might tend to bend if one isn't careful and leaves it in the stove or campfire too long. Thin tip-hot fire, not good!

Awesome video Really appreciate the content

Great tutorial, thank you very much!

Love the Bat'leth bottle opener! And the poker is awesome too! So... In the words of the Klingons... Qapla'! (Success)

Good morning!

I'm going to buy some real anvil soon (and replace my old cast iron block) and I think that something like this would be one of my first show of skill for friends. Also need to learn forge welding and that looks not so hard. Thanks for video!

Awesome poker, my brother has a wood burner in his living room and that would've made a great Christmas present, had I seen this sooner. Anyway, great video, I learn more every video I watch. I'm not sure if I'm going to try forging myself yet, but I really enjoy watching it done.

Happy Thanksgiving John!🦃

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks 👍

Great simple little fire poker john :-) also great video presentation! Hope you and your family are doing well

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks 👍

This is the first video of yours I received notification of in a long time. Battery is dying .

Nice job all ways interesting to watch.like your videos.

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

I have a video idea for you. I noticed when you took the round bar and put it into the fire, you flipped up a little metal holder. Could you do a video on how to make one of those holders to support your extra metal?

very nice

this looks great extra wraps not needed

You should make a worf action figure with fasteners and other metal odds and ends all welded up :) that would be pretty cool

A lovely poker any fire would enjoy to be poked by! Thanks Kindly! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania

très beau travail: bravo ;))

Happy Thanksgiving John. I'll be asking my folks if they want a fireplace set. They will never use the fireplace but the hearth does need something...

Hello John Thank you for this toutorial Video This firepoker is a good piece to learn And by the way i think you are a little Trecky as i do too All the best for the next week and stay healthy Yours Frank

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

You are right!

Super profesore

Maestro, ¿ qué le añadió para que fusionara ese extremo ?....excelente trabajo......siempre hay algo por aprender y comprender., abundancia, prosperidad, amor, salud, alegría, armonía...para ud y su familia...hare krishna

I really hate to suggest something to a pro like yourself, but I used to build wire fences that we wrapped wire over wire much like you are doing on loop end, to do this we used a tube a little larger ID of the wire OD and could slip the tube over the wire and get very tight wraps because the fulcrum was right next to what I was wrapping around. a 2 foot piece of 1/2 ID pipe would do the job here. Again I hate to throw in my two cents but I believe it would speed your wrapping and give give you a very tight wrap. Have a wonderful thanks giving and I hope this is taken in the spirit of thanks I have for your great You Tube channel

I would love to learn under you I want to be a blacksmith but I'm only 19 and it's hard for me to get a proper forge I watch alot of videos like this just learning basic stuff but the way you explained things is so easy for me to understand

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

Keep the interest alive and before you know it you'll be able to start acquiring the tools and equipment you need. A good start is getting involved with a local group.

John- If perhaps you could mark the round bars w/ soap stone in such a way that folks can better see the rotations- maybe just a line running with the length of the bar, just for a visual reference. Thanks for all your efforts! JBR

@thomasarussellsr

3 жыл бұрын

Great idea. It is hard to see how he is manuvering the material. Maybe a stripe marked down one side so we can see if he is spinning it or going back and forth, even in square-bar it is sometimes hard to see if the camera us not zoomed in.

I like the idea of the longer wrapped handle. In the Battleth, just a small adjustment/offset on one end, and a sharpen, and it could likely be a can opener too. Something to think about anyway. A hand operated can opener so you can open those pork-n-beans during a power outage. There's a project idea.

By the time I got doen with this project, my wife would ask, "Is it supposed be all wavy and off to one side?" "It's for poking fires that are around the corner." I'd reply.

riverside Iowa is my neck of the woods lol

At 7:05 when you are grabbing the steel I mistook the rusty red color for heat and thought you were superhuman. Well, we know you are, but it would have been proof haha

Cool

nice

I Trek, I approve. If you're at all interested I recommend watching the DS9 episode where Quark (bar tender) gets married to a Klingon. Seems appropriate.

I need some 3/8 round stock... maybe draw out some of my 1/2 would do thanks for the video John!

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

I might just make the poker a little heavier and use the 1/2" as is

Looks great. Wondering what the overall length the fire poker is?

@TheMoosejer

3 жыл бұрын

I would like to share a picture.

You can also hot cut the poker in

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

You can but you need a much greater mass of material to start with or you end up with a point and hook that bend easily kzread.info/dash/bejne/qZZrk9Oimra2grA.html

Wow an instant notification for once

Great idea for a poker John. May I ask what is your hammer size in pounds that your using in this video? Thanks in advance.

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

About 3 pounds

Mind over Metal forge would like to ask When you talk about waxing projects you've completed is there anything special or specific about the wax you use?

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

I use Johnsons paste wax, but bees wax is also good

Long time, no see.

Is that mild steel? Love your work.

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, unlkess I specify otherwise, I use mild for most things

Lovely fire poker John. Question. You say you started with 38” of round stock, and would need maybe 30” to get the amount of wrap you want. Could you get that length just by drawing it out, or would you have to start with more stock to begin with? I’m thinking the latter?

@BlackBearForge

3 жыл бұрын

I would start with maybe a 60" piece and draw just the end out,

Thumbs up.