This is Alec Steele, blacksmith, YouTuber.
You make all sorts of stuff.
I brought some cameras, we're going to make a thing.
I don't really know what's going to happen now.
Well, we're going to make a bottle opener.
Yep.
But what we're also going to do,
is we are going to make the tools that we need to make the bottle opener.
Right.
'Cos that's one of the special things about blacksmithing,
is the blacksmith was one of the only craftsmen
that literally could make pretty much all the tools in his workshop
to make all the items that somebody
would actually want to buy from him.
Huh.
It's relatively basic.
I think it's going to be a little bit of a challenge.
Okay There's a lot to learn.
It is for me!
I've never done anything like this.
I don't even know where to start.
So, we're going to get the forge lit,
I'm going to tell you how to hopefully not burn yourself.
Yep.
And then, we're going to start forging
a point for the drift
that you're going to make while I make a punch.
Right.
And they're needed to make ourselves
this beverage opening device.
What's a drift? (laughs)
...we'll get to that.
3, 2, 1.
(hoots)
Thank you for moving the camera out just in time there.
Wow.
So these are the tools that we're going to be making.
All right, okay.
This is a slot punch.
Yep.
It makes a hole that is shaped like a slot.
All right, yep.
This is a drift.
And, the profile of this means that
you take a rectangular slot,
and you push it through the material,
and then you gradually enlarge it into a round hole.
Okay.
So, a punch makes the hole,
a drift "drifts" or enlarges it open.
All right.
For us to make both of these,
we're going to need to do one of the most
critical and key parts of blacksmithing,
which is forging a taper or a point.
Right.
So, it's changing the cross-section of the material by displacing it,
making it thinner as we go.
So, that's a taper.
Yep.
And, what'll happen is, is we'll start
with a bar that looks like this,
and all of that material right there
is going to be shoved out there like Play-Doh.
Okay.
Forging is that, it is displacing this plastic material.
So, I'm going to demonstrate each heat
and then you'll do the same.
Okay.
Oh, sorry, a heat is every instance
of taking the material out to the anvil.
Uh-huh.
Every time that comes out to the anvil,
we are taking a heat.
Here we go, so.
Yep.
Like I said, about a 30 degree angle here.
Yep.
You're going to tilt your hammer over,
straight up and down and hit the tip.
Right.
Give it a good whack. Aim the centre of your hammer
at the centre of the bar.
(metal clanging)
Every time I hit, my left hand here...
Yeah.
is rotating the bar with my fingers like this,
my index finger comes around.
Yep.
And every time it turns around,
we lock it in at 90 degrees and hit it again.
Okay.
And, we start to make a point.
We start to make a point, yes we do, okay.
So, just take this?
Careful, yep, it's cold.
So, take that, put it there.
A little further that way, just because,
and then you're going to come back onto the anvil some more.
Lift up. Up, up, up, up, up, up, perfect.
And right there, hit the end of the bar.
(metal clanging)
Brilliant.
So, now stop for a second.
Bend your knees a little bit,
and get that hammer up high and then really...
I'm more worried I'm going to miss the damn thing.
Don't worry, I know the guy that makes the anvils.
He can always make another.
Oh, I know my form is terrible, but...
That's okay.
I'm just happy to be hitting the thing at this point.
I'm going to try and give you some feedback
on it for the next heat.
So, let me put this camera...
Missed, completely missed.
If you're happy for me to,
kinda manipulate your position a little bit?
Yep, yep, go for it.
That's still cold, bring your hand closer to my hand.
Yup.
And then, drop that shoulder some,
so you can relax a little bit like that.
As you come with your hammer, right here,
there's a really big gap between your elbow and your body.
I'd like to close that up.
So, if you can bring your body in a little closer
to the anvil like this.
Yep.
And, scrunch down a little bit more.
You want to think about having that elbow
in just a little tighter as you hit,
and everything closer in,
means that you have a smaller moment arm.
And, so you've got a little more power.
So, it's better to be close in when you're hitting the hammer.
And then, now, lift that hammer up
like you want to take a swing.
Yeah.
It's pretty good.
There we go, perfect.
And, that'll be more like it.
That hammer wants to come quite close to your head.
Yes, it does.
I'm not sure how I feel about that!
There we go.
That's, that's much more like it.
The next heat be a much more fun operation for you.
All right, so, this goes back in?
Yep, straight back in the fire.
The idea of hitting with any precision is, that's still,
there we go, all right.
Lift up with your left hand, that's perfect.
And, keep that, even though you're tilting it,
keep the hammer close to your head.
There we go.
You've already got more force on the blows.
Yeah, I'm starting to get a little more confident,
which is probably going to backfire on me.
No, no, it won't.
Nothing bad will happen from hitting too hard.
(both laugh)
(metal clanging)
Let's take another heat.
The hotter it is, the easier it moves.
Do I get a montage now?
I feel like I get a montage.
You want a montage?
Yeah, lets do a montage.
Okay, I'll make you a montage.
♪ (upbeat rock music)
Perfect.
That's it, and can I say, you are swinging that hammer
probably 20 times as hard as you were in the first heat.
You've got so much more speed out of that hammer swing.
It's incredible, Tom.
The steel tells you when it's right.
I'm quite happy with that now.
It's looking fantastic.
That was wonky a minute ago.
It's still slightly wonky,
but I'm a lot happier with that.
Well, you take a couple of minutes' break.
Yeah.
I'm going to get my punch moving forwards.
Yep, okay.
180 degrees and turn it over.
You make it look so easy.
I do not have a respectful response to that.
No, I just suspect a lot of people
are going to be looking at that and going,
oh yeah, all you have to do is put the thing on there
and hit it and turn it and hit it.
How hard could it...?
It is very hard, is the answer.
It is extremely difficult.
There we go, and it wouldn't be the same
if I didn't touch mark it.
Oh right.
This end of the punch, is finished.
With your logo on it?
Sorry?
With your logo on it?
Yes, got my logo on it, I wish I had letter stamps.
We could stamp your name on to the other one,
but I'm now going to heat it up.
Cut it off and then get back onto your drift.
Okay.
(metal clanging)
180 degrees.
Perfect.
There we go.
All the way up to the tip and hit a little more at the tip.
I want to make it more like a screwdriver tip.
That's it.
Watch out, It's just a little bit twisted over to here.
There we go.
So, as you start to hit that anvil with the hammer,
you want to bring that tip up close to this far edge.
Very good.
That looks straight to me.
I think that that is perfect.
Well done, Tom.
It's a long way from perfect,
but I'll take that, thank you.
That makes me very happy.
Next step, is we are going to put
the hot cut in the hardy hole
and you are going to cut it off.
Right, okay.
(metal clanging)
I've just realised there is a non-zero chance
that if I miss, I do hit myself in the balls.
Have you ever seen that—
Cause it keeps doing that,
it keeps kind of, cause my arm's getting tired.
Have you ever seen that video of me on the internet?
It's probably one of—
You're gonna need to be more specific than that, mate!
There's a video of me getting hit in the nuts
with a sledgehammer by myself.
Yeah. I'll show it to you.
I just had this realisation, that if I...
if I miss this, there is a... there's a trajectory there.
A very real possibility of some swear words
on Tom Scott plus.
Okay, and now, as it's getting thin,
don't hit quite as hard.
Get a little bit lighter.
I'm going to need the small hammer.
Arm and wrist are not up to that anymore.
It does get a little tiring.
(metal clanging)
And then, stop.
(laughs) You said stop, and I was halfway
through the... nearly there.
Well done.
We have ourselves,
it's under there,
A punch, a drift.
A drift, I said the wrong word.
It's not the best one in the world, but I made that.
Time for us to start work on the bottle openers.
We are now on to making the actual bottle opener,
we've had lunch.
I'll let you do the honours again.
Thank you.
Hang on, that did not... there we go.
Ready and go.
I felt that!
Oh, I got in about a second too late there, didn't I?
Yeah, got a little bit of the, oh no, a little skin.
I have actually lost a little bit of hair there,
that's fine, I don't really want it.
Who wants hair on the back of their fingers?
Okie-dokie, so, here's how it's going to go.
We're going to take it out.
Now, if you see me put this punch down,
there is a distance from this edge of the punch
to that edge of the steel.
Yes.
Of approximately here,
seven millimetres or so,
All right.
You want a similar distance from the end
of the punch that is now touching the steel,
to the end of the bar.
Okay.
So you want a—
I would interpret that as having the same
margin on all sides.
That is an utterly brilliant and clear way of explaining it.
Okay, and then you're going to hold it,
and without moving, that's the difficult part.
You're going to give it a light hit.
Okay.
And now, what you're going to do,
is you're going to examine the result of your work
and decide if you're happy with its location.
'Cos if you're happy with its location, it's a simple fact—
a simple matter of feeling
the tactile feedback of being inside the groove
and hitting again, and if you don't like it,
feel for where it is and make the necessary
adjustment and hit it again.
I go all the way down to the bottom.
You're going to feel,
whoa, it bounces back way more.
You flip it over,
you hit the back, and you see a bullseye is developing.
Yes.
There's like a clear indication,
oh, there's the other side of your hole,
because that's the most recent place to get hit.
Yep, I see it.
So, then what you'll do is you line
your tool straight on top of that bullseye.
Yep.
And, if it's straight on top,
and you give it a really hard whack...
(metal clanging)
What you'll start to see...
Yeah, that's a hole.
You have a hole developing with a tiny little plug,
Yep.
About to fall out.
And with a couple of hits, that usually...
There we go. There it goes.
It drops right onto the anvil surface.
Right, hang on a second, let's remove the punch,
give it a harder hit on the back side.
Once more. Now come into the first side,
and I want you to give it one more hit on the punch.
Now, you see it's not hitting.
You're about to get an unsightly experience if you do that.
Yeah, yeah, but there's not much I do about that.
So, what you need to do is you either need to pick—
pick yourself up on your tip toes.
Yep, there we go.
Or, remove the punch and hammer it with your hammer.
I'll tip-toe it.
This could get painful.
That's fine.
Good, that'll do.
Let me quickly take the punch to cool it,
while you flip it over.
And then, now try and line it up and get your mark set.
Yep.
(metal clanging)
I'm not convinced by... ah, you [bleep]!
Shake it off like that.
Yep.
I got it.
See, what I did there, was I grabbed the hot thing.
What did I say about grabbing the hot thing?
You said, "Don't grab the hot thing."
Fortunately, I was wearing a glove!
I'm very glad you were wearing a glove.
Right, so, I'm going to grab this by the back here.
Yeah, it's quite a logistical problem, isn't it?
It is, and I'm just going to run this under
some cold water for safety.
I'll take it out— I'll be back in a minute.
(water running)
It wasn't the initial thing that got me.
It was the: how do I get this glove off?
This glove is now very hot.
That's the thing, isn't it?
Because at first you smell
the glove is burning. - Yep.
And then all of a sudden,
the glove heats up rather fast and there's a delay to it.
Yes, yes it does.
Ehh...
Oh yeah, it is a little bit red, isn't it?
Yeah, I'll have a little bit of a blister now,
I'll be fine.
All right, so yeah, pretty sure that's a first degree burn,
that's going to sting for a while.
Fortunately, it's not the bit of my thumb
that I use to hit the space bar, so that's fine.
Give it good, solid single blows.
How do you define "single"?
That was close.
Oh, sorry, I thought you meant like...
Okay, I didn't know you meant, fine.
Sorry.
I very nearly whacked my wrist with that, as well.
That slipped on the last one.
Golly, I did, I really hoped building
a bottle opener would be a good, safe decision—
Yeah, yeah, so did I.
It turns out we're really,
we're really risking everything here.
So, to get that out, what I'd actually
like you to do is flip it over and go over this square hole.
That wasn't even hot, I just flinched
'cause I realised what I was doing.
And now, before you put that punch in,
I'd like you to use your drift.
Ah, okay.
(metal clanging)
That felt better.
Good.
(metal clanging)
Oh, hello.
Okay, I'll do it with this, watch out.
Watch your hand.
(metal clanging)
There we go, okay.
Flip it over.
So the plug is a little bit caught up.
It is.
So, you'll just flip it over and out. Bink, bink.
So like that?
Yeah, actually that would do it.
(metal tapping)
Ta-da! We've done it.
All right, we have... Yep, it's just pernickety.
A thing with a hole in it! Lovely.
Well done.
Back in?
No I'm going to put mine in.
Of course.
What we're now going to do is we're going
to drift the hole open.
So, again, hold it between your legs.
Yep.
You're going in the rear side of the hole.
Yep.
You put it in the middle and you start driving
and then you put your left hand on the bar again,
hopefully without burning yourself.
Yep.
And, you kind of move it side to side
in the hole as you go, when you start getting
a really big black ring around it, just stop.
And then we'll just hammer the punch out.
Okay.
And then flatten off our material.
Right.
(metal clanging)
- Beautiful, there we go. Much more secure.
(metal clanging)
That's about as far as that's going to go right now.
As they say in Texas: yee-haw!
Next step.
Is we need to make the hole,
maybe five or six millimetres larger.
Right, okay.
But we're not going to drift it larger.
What we're actually going to do is forge it larger,
by using the horn of the anvil
and hammering around this loop,
so we're going to stretch it out
like it was plasticine between the fingers.
All right. So it's going on this bit, just here.
Yes, absolutely right.
That bit just there, yep.
It will go like this.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
Right.
So, as you come up to this shoulder,
got to be a little careful about the edge of your hammer.
But again, hammer all the way around.
As you come to the bottom,
your grip is going to have to change like this.
And, you're going to get your arm a little bit close.
If you want to get it further away, just step like this,
and you then come up, now hitting with your hammer
in this direction.
So, you notice I started, hammer hitting like this.
Yep.
As I come down and I changed my position,
I hit like this.
Okay...
That's not meant to be easy to understand.
It's not!
There's a hell of a lot of moving parts.
Yep.
♪ (dramatic rock music)
♪ (music intensifies)
Well, it ain't perfect, but it'll do.
It looks fantastic.
All right, last one.
About there?
Sounds good. Looks right to me.
Hit and check.
Not hard enough.
No, a little bit harder.
Hit and check,
and, hit and check,
and, hit and check.
And, you know what?
It's not popping out.
More heat. More heat.
And harder hits.
That there.
Put that there, whacking great hit with this.
Yes!
(metal clanging)
One more.
That'll do it. Perfect.
So, now while it's hot, give it a good brush.
Yep.
Nice aggressive brush.
I'd push away, get a little more force, there we go.
Oh, you do.
All right.
Now, all we got to do is cut it off.
Okay.
You're just rage hammering!
Let's take another heat, one more heat.
I kind of have a theory that it doesn't require
that much muscle mass and that much muscle development,
more muscle memory, in terms of the technique.
So, it can be quite a quick progression
from it being incredibly tiring,
to it being not tiring at all.
(metal clanging)
And, stop.
Oh, oh.
It's amazing how I knew that that was the time to stop.
You did. Perfect.
Right.
So, let's heat it up
and we'll get our fabulous end shot.
Ready and 3, 2, 1.
(sizzling)
Doesn't matter how many times you put something in,
that's red hot in a bucket of water, it's always fun.
- Well! I've also got to remember this is still hot,
this is still...
Oh, absolutely.
We did it.
♪ (upbeat rock music)
I've made a thing.
You made two things.
I did, yes.
I mean, you, you have done a bit of polish on both of these.
Let's be honest.
That was not tapered off at the end.
It's a little bit straighter than it was.
But this, this bit here, that's all me.
I'm really happy about it.
Good, you should be, you should be proud.
I think you did a really good job,
and I'm very grateful that you came.
One minor burn. One slight loss of hair.
Quite a lot of dignity lost,
cause I thought I was stronger than that,
but I have a bottle opener.
Thank you so much for coming.
Thank you, Alec.
Do we have any bottles?
No, actually, I'm sorry.
[Formatting: Caption+ by JS* https://caption.plus]
I could have prepared that.