SOTW #12 - Creating a Classical Tanto @islandblacksmith

Uploaded March 2016 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago

The tools are simple and few, but the work is long and hard. See the finished works and read more about the process of making them: islandblacksmith.ca/category/featured-work
islandblacksmith.ca/process

A collection of clips documenting the steps and sounds involved at many stages of the process of crafting charcoal forged classical tanto and mountings from reclaimed materials. Footage from several recent projects is included, some extended and some previously unreleased, some from Japan and some from Canada, photos of the finished work appear at the end of the video.

TLDW #16 - Aikuchi Tanto Koshirae - Carving the Inside

Museum Forge part 3/7 - laying the forge bricks

Historical Knife Making - keep it simple, do it the hard way

TLDW #22 - Repair broken Natural Waterstone with Urushi

Museum Forge part 6/7 - recycling farm equipment, making aku

$3 minute forge and 5 minute forge making...bring your own bellows! diy Building two examples of quick and simple diy sideblast charcoal forges with found and reclaimed materials to demonstrate that lack of equipment and materials should not be a major obstacle. See more in-depth forge builds on the bladesmith forge building playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL Ways to improve these concepts include: mixing copious amounts of chopped straw or charcoal powder into the clay to make it refractory, using high temperature kiln bricks, making the walls higher and longer, using the clay to narrow the tuyere to about 1sun/3cm right where it enters at the bottom side of the forge, putting a barrier up to protect the fuigo (and allowing a shorter pipe), allowing the clay to dry before lighting the forge, etc... Note that if the pipe is galvanized best fit with another section of non-galvanized or at least file off the last 2 inches of zinc in case your tuyere accidentally gets heated to an orange yellow heat and burns off the zinc causing toxic fumes... Full traditional swordsmith forge build documentation here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/01/building-traditional-swordsmith-forge/ Smaller tanto forge build here: http://islandblacksmith.ca/2017/04/building-a-charcoal-tanto-forge/ Fuigo box bellows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ecetg1B7y4&t=0s&index=16&list=PLBJ5AOs7cMwCSinW7foaiHFZKbZDkasQL$

TLDW #27 - Forging a Saya Nomi (鞘鑿, scabbard chisel) - from reclaimed farm equipment (harrow tooth)

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