islandblacksmith

Making a classical tanto style habaki forged from reclaimed copper, silver soldering in the charcoal forge, hand filing. (4x) Finished tanto here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2019/08/furusato-tanto/ Serious students of the forge can watch the full process here: https://rumble.com/v2fcq4d-tldw-21-making-a-tanto-habaki-with-simple-tools.html Material is scrap copper from an electrical bus bar, shape is forged and bent, soldering done with hard silver solder in the charcoal forge with fuigo, finish work done with files and rasps. More about the process here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/process/ Machigane info: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2014/10/classical-tanto-construction-habaki-%E3%81%AE-machigane/

Hand forging, upsetting, bending, and filing recycled synthetic decking board to create a diy snowskate in projectskates style. Quick test run at the end (13:36). Tips for diy'ers: test the material for suitability first keep the heat low and even use good ventilation and appropriate safety precautions bottom should be smooth and flat top can have some concave bottom edges should be fairly sharp, square, and slanted as a snowboard to bend the tail, heat and bend a narrow section (like a skateboard) to bend the nose, heat and bend a wider section (like a snowboard) detune the tip and tail edges to just past the corners as with a snowboard top sheet for grip is eva foam (as is used for shoe insoles) wax like a snowboard ride like a skimboard weight is just right, flexibility and strength are not quite like wood and the pop is slightly slower, but at lower temperatures the stiffness can be enough to even boardslide... ...thanks to fi for help with the session camera work!

**WARNING: This is the longer process version intended for serious students of knifemaking. Futokorogatana (懐刀) is translated as “clothing fold sword” and describes a type of tanto mounting meant to be carried in the kimono sleeve or fold. Also known as kaiken, this humble style of hidden mounting is usually unadorned with a smooth profile and lacquer finish. This knife would historically be carried for last chance survival situations. The steel comes from a reclaimed horse-drawn carriage spring, the wood is hounoki (Japanese Magnolia), and the finish is natural urushi lacquer with ground crimson lake stone pigment. more photos and info: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/08/process-making-a-futokorogatana/

The immersive experience of being in the darkened workshop during a traditional clay and water quench using a charcoal forge. A hamon is created on a tanto using a 1mm thick layer of roughly 1:1:1 natural clay, charcoal powder, and polishing stone powder. The blade is about 29cm long (nagasa), 2.3cm wide (motohaba) and 6mm thick (motokasane). The final shot shows the rough kajitogi polish to check the hamon placement using a very coarse waterstone (torajirushi 80#, lobstercarbon 120#). first heat slowly and carefully, then the quench, check edge hardness with a file, remove the clay with a mild steel scraper, then temper lightly over the flames, and test polish to check the hamon. watch this type of blade being forged: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7fROs7i8-U see where the raw materials come from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss8mUmvfWfA learn more about the process: http://islandblacksmith.ca/process/

**WARNING: This is the longer process version intended for serious students of knifemaking. The sunobe stage is at 4x speed as the hammering was fairly inaccurate due to a blister on my palm from the seam of the yellow gloves...starting material was a harrow tooth, finished blade is hirazukuri, iori mune, 140mm / 5.5" nagasa, 6.5mm motokasane...more info below... 0:20 1. the harrow tooth is first forged into a sunobe, a blade preform, that has a rectangular cross section with the proper thickness and distal tapers for the spine and tang as well as a small notch where the mune machi will be...(dead battery zone) 2. then the iori mune, the peaked spine, is forged... 3:00 3. then the bevels are forged in, working from the machi towards the tip and then back down again, followed by the forging of the tang in this case...during the beveling stage the spine tends to curve upwards so a stump between the anvil and forge is used to make downwards adjustments in advance from time to time, the wood will not mar the peak of the spine...also during this stage water on the anvil keeps the scale from building up and being forged into the surface of the steel... 7:19 4. the nakago (tang) is also shaped and beveled using the same techniques as the blade... 9:11 5. some final planishing, adjustments, and straightening along with a hot stamp "signature" on the tang bring the hizukuri stage to a close...the finish will be tsuchime (hammer texture) so there was no filing/polishing before yaki-ire... 10:16 6. yaki-ire (quenching/hardening) was done at my own forge for the dim and consistent light conditions, allowing the colour to be seen more accurately... 11:10 7. yaki-modoshi (tempering) is a slight reheating to remove some of the stress and increase toughness after hardening... http://islandblacksmith.ca/process/

**WARNING: This is the longer process version intended for serious students of historical knifemaking. The wood is hounoki,The fuchi and koiguchi are from a reclaimed buffalo horn souvenir, the kurikata is from a reclaimed horn button, the wrapping is rawhide samegawa, the mekugi is copper and silver...All of the parts are first shaped and fit, then the samegawa is wet formed to the handle contours, dried, and then attached with sokui (rice paste glue)...after the scabbard and handle are lacquered, the horn parts will be polished and attached with sokui as well...the mekugi cap is soldered on with hard silver solder in the charcoal forge... The previous stage is carving the outside of the handle and scabbard: https://youtu.be/4U9_vp-EpuQ And before that, carving the inside of the handle and scabbard: https://youtu.be/ZMLh7ocI9b4 finished work is here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/08/aikuchi-tanto-koshirae/ http://islandblacksmith.ca/process/

**WARNING: This is the longer process version intended for serious students of historical knifemaking. The wood is hounoki, carve carefully and check often! Order of operations below... In this video the tsuka is carved first, starting with the fuchi end and then the kashira area, carving the profile outlines and then removing the material in between before carving the final shape and sculpting the details. The saya is next, first dimensioning the blank is to approximate size and then profiling the koiguchi and then the kojiri, removing the material and carving as close as possible to the final shape using kanna and kiridashi. Finally any remaining high points in the curves are smoothed with a fine rasp. The previous stage is carving the inside of the handle and scabbard: https://youtu.be/ZMLh7ocI9b4 The next stage is making the fittings: https://youtu.be/BLzKldYVHMs finished work is here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/08/aikuchi-tanto-koshirae/ http://islandblacksmith.ca/process/

**WARNING: This is the longer process version intended for serious students of knifemaking. The first half is almost real time, the repeat steps edited out during the second half. The wood is hounoki, carve carefully and check often! Order of operations below... In this video the tsuka is carved first, starting with the omote side and then the ura, carving each half from the mune to the ha. The saya is next, starting with the omote and then the ura, each half beginning with the fitting of the blade (from mune towards the ha) and then the fitting of the habaki area (koiguchi). Finally the halves are glued together with rice paste glue, wrapped with leather cord, and wedged tightly to dry overnight. 1. Tsuka - handle a. Omote - "public side" i. Mune - spine ii. Ha - edge b. Ura - "private side" i. Mune ii. Ha 2. Saya - scabbard a. Omote i. Mune ii. Ha iii. Habaki - koiguchi area b. Ura i. Mune ii. Ha iii. Habaki 3. Sokui - glue with rice paste, wrap and wedge tight overnight The next stage is carving the outside of the handle and scabbard: https://youtu.be/4U9_vp-EpuQ And after that, making the fittings: https://youtu.be/BLzKldYVHMs finished work is here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/08/aikuchi-tanto-koshirae/ http://islandblacksmith.ca/process/

Read more about installing Japanese style hammer handles here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/06/making-handle-japanese-swordsmith-hammer/ More traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction and related projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Traditional Japanese swordsmithing hammers have rectangular eyes with no taper. The handles are not wedged but are held in place by a compression fit involving careful shaping, hand forged wood, and soaking in water. The wood is shaped a couple of mm oversized, compressed by hammering, and then driven through the eye. When the wood is soaked in water (or in this case 100% pure tung oil), the cells swell back to their normal size and lock the head securely on the handle. Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. This hammer handle was shaped from a piece of the Green Ash tree that grew through my first blacksmith shop lean-to. I managed to get a piece of a large branch when the trees were removed by the property owner and have made a couple of handles from it so far.

Read more about the museum project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See the building of the forge here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6yrlHyBBU4&index=3&list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL On the occasion of the first lighting of the museum project forge, I decided to employ a Japanese bushcraft technique and use the heat of friction between two bamboo sticks as the source of ignition. Getting the bamboo to produce smoke is relatively easy, but it still takes some good physical effort, patience, and some careful nurturing to take it all the way to the point of ignition. The first night turned out to be quite an event as there were three forges and six blacksmiths/strikers operating in the museum workshop. Thanks to Tim of Reforged Ironworks, and Josh for their energy and charcoal chopping to get the forge up and running, and their assistance swinging the big sledges to finish drifting and shaping the smaller hand hammers as the first projects in the charcoal forge. Watch a more detailed demonstration of lighting fire with bamboo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycIBCWTyzuo

Read more about the museum project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more charcoal making videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwAi0VcrZt-tyGIsrOUrzhyj A sample of the sumi-kiri process; charcoal chopping, screening, and sorting techniques, and may offer some useful details for astute observers.** Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are fueled by softwood charcoal which is first chopped, screened, and sorted into several sizes for different stages of the forging process. The charcoal is chopped and then processed through four sizes of screen, the largest is for tanren, the second for hizukuri (I tend to use the largest for hizukuri as well and keep the second size mainly for yaki-ire), the third size isn't highly useful but may be crushed into fines or saved for tatara, the fourth is the fines for lining the bottom of the forge, and the remainder is dust for mixing into yaki-ire clay or for brasque refractory. Measurements for the screen sizes are given in sun-shaku and the type of charcoal they keep in is listed rather than what they allow to pass through. 3.03022 cm = 0.1 shaku（尺） = 1 sun（寸） = 10 bu（分） = 100 rin（厘） **Three things to note, 1. after setting up, i moved the camera orientation 180 degrees and rather than move all of the charcoal i moved only the chair to the opposite side, but for efficiency it is a good idea to have the charcoal at the left side within reach of the non-chopping hand...2. rather than chopping directly into a screen as i do, the normal procedure is to chop onto the tarp and then rake most of the largest charcoal off the top by hand before screening the remaining pile (https://youtu.be/3DdXdxSb3vE)...3. also, some of this charcoal is quite soft having been heated too quickly in the kiln or overcooked so it looks more crumbly than it should.

Read more about the museum project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are fueled by softwood charcoal which is first chopped, screened, and sorted into several sizes for different stages of the forging process. Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. This rough but functional d.i.y. seive is very useful for the final stage of sumi-kiri. The "furui" (篩) or sieve is used to separate different sizes of charcoal during the sumi-kiri process. This one is the smallest mesh of the four, made from window screen, and saves the fines for the charcoal bed and allows the powder to fall through.

Read more about the museum project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. This rusted-out garbage can is used as the sheet stock for a rough but functional d.i.y. container in the shape of a winnowing basket. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are fueled by softwood charcoal which is first chopped, screened, and sorted into several sizes for different stages of the forging process. The "mi" (箕) is used to store and move charcoal between screens during the sumi-kiri process.

Pierre Nadeau of soulsmithing.com lights his new forge in Canada for the very first time. I was honoured to be there for the inaugural firing, it felt like a graduation, a major milestone. See the rest of the forge building series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpmPJRiiS-E&list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL&index=14 I met Pierre several years ago in Japan where he spent almost a decade working as a swordsmith apprentice. I am very grateful for his advice and assistance over the years. He is now continuing his research into traditional Japanese swords and historical crafting techniques. Soulsmithing channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Soulsmithing An interview of Pierre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNKymP1QF4M Read about apprenticeship: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2015/05/on-swordsmith-apprenticeship/ Pierre also specializes in making hempcrete mixers and custom wood-fired ovens on the side, the pizza was so good that unfortunately there is no footage! http://soulsmithing.com

Pierre Nadeau of soulsmithing.com prepares to light his new forge in Canada. The focus of this video is sumi-kiri, charcoal chopping, screening, and sorting techniques, and will offer some valuable details for astute observers. The charcoal is chopped and then processed through four sizes of screen, the largest is for tanren, the second for hizukuri, his third size isn't highly useful but may be used in mini forges or crushed into fines, the fourth is the fines for lining the bottom of the forge, and the remainder is dust used for mixing into yaki-ire clay or for brasque refractory. See the rest of the series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpmPJRiiS-E&list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL&index=14 I met Pierre several years ago in Japan where he spent almost a decade working as a swordsmith apprentice. I am very grateful for his advice and assistance over the years. He is now continuing his research into traditional Japanese swords and historical crafting techniques. Soulsmithing channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Soulsmithing An interview of Pierre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNKymP1QF4M Read about apprenticeship: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2015/05/on-swordsmith-apprenticeship/ Pierre also specializes in making hempcrete mixers and custom wood-fired ovens on the side, the pizza was so good that unfortunately there is no footage! http://soulsmithing.com

Serious students of the forge can watch more full process traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi9Sh2Dt65U&list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL&index=2 Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This forge is a scaled down version specifically geared for tanto and smaller knives but has a removable spacer to allow for a larger fire when needed. Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Details about traditional measurements and clay mixtures here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/

Read more about this project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ Serious students of the forge can watch the full process and see more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi9Sh2Dt65U&list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL&index=1 Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This is a short overview of a 7 part series to illustrate several of the features that are common to this type of construction and follow the process of crafting a functioning swordsmith’s forge at a museum on Vancouver Island.

Read more about this project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This 7 part series will illustrate several of the features that are common to this type of construction and follow the process of crafting a functioning swordsmith’s forge at a museum on Vancouver Island.

Read more about this project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This 7 part series will illustrate several of the features that are common to this type of construction and follow the process of crafting a functioning swordsmith’s forge at a museum on Vancouver Island.

Read more about the anvil here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/02/making-swordsmith-anvil-scrap/ Read more about this project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This 7 part series will illustrate several of the features that are common to this type of construction and follow the process of crafting a functioning swordsmith’s forge at a museum on Vancouver Island.

Read more about this project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This 7 part series will illustrate several of the features that are common to this type of construction and follow the process of crafting a functioning swordsmith’s forge at a museum on Vancouver Island.

Read more about this project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This 7 part series will illustrate several of the features that are common to this type of construction and follow the process of crafting a functioning swordsmith’s forge at a museum on Vancouver Island.

Read more about this project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This 7 part series will illustrate several of the features that are common to this type of construction and follow the process of crafting a functioning swordsmith’s forge at a museum on Vancouver Island.

Read more about this project here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ See more traditional Japanese swordsmith style forge construction projects here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Most of history was forged with very simple equipment made from found and natural materials. A basic charcoal forge can be made with clay, brick, or even mud and stone. Traditional Japanese swordsmithing forges are purpose-built with certain design elements specific to the tasks involved in tanren and hizukuri. This 7 part series will illustrate several of the features that are common to this type of construction and follow the process of crafting a functioning swordsmith’s forge at a museum on Vancouver Island.

A look inside the carving of a small kaiken tanto mounting (futokoro-gatana) with additional examples from an Edo period tsuka and an even older shirasaya. Serious students of the forge can study more tanto geometry here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/tag/tanto-geometry The wood is hounoki/honoki, Japanese Magnolia, traditionally chosen because of its stability, longevity, and medium hardness. The omote is the "public side" of a tanto or sword, the side that faces outwards both when being worn and when on display. The edge faces upwards and the handle is on the left when displaying nihonto. The ura is the "private side" and faces away from the viewer when on display and towards the body when worn. An article on the carving and fitting of a classical tanto style handle: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2016/02/making-a-tanto-takedown-handle/