Blacksmithing - Forging A Railroad Spike Garden Trowel

[@robertcoyle1532]

Yo Chandler, I made some nice trowels from 1 1/2 inch angel iron. What I do is pound it flat and invert it so that the center thick part serves as a rib running down the concave center. then just hammer the edges thin and taper it to a point. I leave the hammer marks. People seem to like that more than a more polished look, and as far as digging, makes no difference. Cleaning up the dirt after is probably a little harder, but people seem to want that "blacksmithed" look. I even peen marks down the middle rib to give it more texture

[@daretodreamtofly3288]

I realized longer videos are more work for you, but on something like this I like the 30ish minutes like what we got. Its very cool seeing a smith make something other than just a axe, hammer or Lord help us another geesless knife.

[@saiyidramdhani2379]

love your videos Chandler...you are very good at entertaining your viewers.. .keep it up..well done with the forging.

[@quakeroats533]

When I first saw the thumbnail of this video I thought 'oh another railroad spike knife... well not too shabby' but then I noticed its a trowel (and read the title) and was like 'wow awesome! Thats something totally new!'

[@-Honeybee]

Sometimes I love seeing you do twists, man. You make it look like the steel almost likes it.

[@quakeroats533]

"come on.. I know you like it" lol

[@Kus519]

+Phil Herb thats what she said

[@brandonbeddigs2450]

Whenever I see the notification that you've made a new video, I stop everything to watch it. I love your builds

[@Chlorate299]

What a great little tool :) you see so many railroad spike knives but never things like that.

[@giausjulius4]

Hey Chandler I saw you at the Liverpool Crafts fair. I was the guy in the blue shirt who forgot to introduce myself. Anyway, my name is Patrick and it was a pleasure to meet you. I do plan to come to your forge on the 27th for the show you are planning. I may end up bringing you a present too. I hope to see you then!

[@gorisenke]

Those come out really nice. It's definitely worth the 40 dollars. I can get a cheap one from Walmart but that thing is so well built that I can defend my freaking home with it.

[@ShadeTreeGarage68]

"I wanna grow length and width if I can." We all want that Chandler... :)

[@robertbaldo1523]

It was great meeting you the other day at the show. Love the work wish we had brought more money with us. Will plan better next show you are this close. Hope it went well for you.

[@drason69]

Nice tool! A fellow smithing buddy of mine makes trowels from old lawn mower blades. I made one for my neighbor last year, a good stout tool. Need more mower blades....off to the lawnmower repair shop. Thanks for the video and best of sales at the show!

[@pjamestx]

I made one of these for my mom last weekend, she loved it!

[@MagicMaxiVII]

I've seen on other blacksmithing channels that a metal hammer with a polished face helps get rid of hammer marks and is good for finishing up the forging, and working with a wet hammer on a wet anvils helps get rid of scale shortening the finishing process all together.

[@walleyefishinrod3115]

Great project brother...Love the idea. Thanks for sharing...Take care...Rod

[@roacher2148]

I really hope one day you'll get yourself some sort of power hammer. Blacksmithing is hard in and of itself and anything that extends the life of the blacksmith and his body is important. I love watching you work and you inspire me to pursue this because of that i want to make sure you're safe and will last as long as possible. Another great project keep up the good work

[@TheJohn8765]

+Roacher21 He's not sure if it's "kosher", him billing himself as the "Old School Forge" guy. I get it, but I also get him needing to step up his game a bit if he wants to make a living as a blacksmith. He might need to differentiate his "craft" work from his "industrial" work, I guess. I own two Gransfors-Bruks axes and I consider them hand-made even if they used power-hammers. It's the "skill and technique of the smith, not the smashy-bit" that matters to me.

[@roacher2148]

+TheJohn8765 I understand the principle but in my humble opinion... principle won't save damaged tendons and a tired body. To be honest I don't have a complete understanding of the effects of prolonged blacksmithing all i have is educated guesses. I just don't want to see Chandler hurt or in pain.

[@TheJohn8765]

Roacher21 Oh, *I* totally agree. I'm all for "keep the skill, but lose the work" approach, and that's where power hammers and such come in. I guess it's a balance.

[@gavinjenkins899]

+TheJohn8765 Power hammers were used by Romans... I think that's sufficiently "old school"

[@TheJohn8765]

Gavin Jenkins Oh, fair enough;) I don't think power hammers (which used to be water-wheel powered in Victorian times) are in any way new, but I guess Chandler wants to differentiate himself from some factory-slave and promote his work as "smithing" rather than "chinese shit'.

[@hustlinghard8081]

keep hustling bro. love the videos and never miss one. The wife gets pissed at me because of all the banging you do but she will get over it i suppose because i am not going to quit watching. thanks for keeping all of us inspired.

[@TheJohn8765]

Damn. That's a great little tool, Chandler. If I went to a fair and they had this, I buy the shit out of it. And a hand-cultivator, weed-pick, anything like that.

[@nathantonning]

Good luck with the show, Chandler!

[@heelf5277]

i love the way you work mate, its like... theres Makita and theres De-Walt, and your Makita =D (keep up the great work)

[@panikrev175]

That camera angle you had at 6:40, just after you put the half-twist on it, was a really nice shot. It provides a pretty good view of the forge, anvil, and vice. I know how you sometimes forget about the shot, because obviously the work is more important, but that view might be a good general-purpose position for the camera. Btw, love your videos. I'm in college for welding and fabrication; blacksmithing sounds like a fun hobby. I'm planning on making a brake rotor/drum forge in the near future and would like to see more videos of your brake-forge.

[@tfrederick9]

I need a few of those for mother's day.

[@JamesJohnson-bq5yq]

Wow! Wish I had seen this before mothers day!!!

[@TufStockdogs]

Good job on that trowel buddy. Thank you very much for sharing that

[@gandj19]

20:16 Situation Normal All Fouled Up! Great work chandler trowel looks great.

[@azflecstower3943]

Love the live streams keep it up chandler

[@woodworks3585]

Nice job on the spike. Man that's a lot of work but well worth it.. I have just found your Channel and Subscribed. I would like to do this type of work to. I'm going to watch most of your videos and see what I can learn from you. I will have to start from scratch as this is new to me. I have heated things with blow torches but I want to learn the old school way...Thank you for sharing,

[@williambarnhartblacksmith414]

I honestly find that making 2 or 3 at one time is the fastest way to go. Don't expect any breaks in between heats though! Lol, great tool. Just rewatching some videos of yours.

[@ronthacker211]

Loved this one CD. Keep more of this type of stuff coming.

[@OrionsAnvil]

Man that looks great! I like that spring swage you made. I might have to try one of those.

[@awsdfsdgf34]

Good job man - they look great.

[@patriotpioneer]

I must say a very useful item....!

[@patriotpioneer]

post muted...? Who's the BItch..

[@stokkelandsmia1631]

that wirewheel grinder ... i have one right here hanging on my shop wall XD great minds ..and that :)

[@arcturusbbqsausagemaking2435]

awesome job ! to clean up the inside of your trowel a flap wheel on a drill or a dia grinder works great !!

[@AJsWargaming]

Lovely project. If you have them left after the show, I'd buy one on-line.

[@AJsWargaming]

You should charge $50.00 for that FYI

[@munckmb]

Awesome! Good stuff. $40 is cheap considering the time and effort you put in to these.

[@tropifiori]

After you hammer it as flat as pissible, you might try a flatter- usually saves alot of grinding.

[@jaratt85]

Chandler, have you ever watched the Jesse James Blacksmith thing where he went and learned from Uri Hofi? He says the thing you can learn the most from is making decorative leaves... that after all his years of blacksmithing he still learns new things doing them. It's really interesting to watch.

[@RJTickler]

absolutely no point in having a glove on the right hand, lol! keep at it man, trowel looks good!

[@tleg6969]

Scotch Brite wheels would do wonders on those.

[@DoorKnock80]

Yup. This guy is awesome!

[@Redneckdipper-gt8qr]

love watching your videos you have tones of knowledge I enjoy learning from you I'm 21 but I loved the necklaces you made they were awesome and I have a quick question do you every make anything for anyone if they request it and buy from you I just curious I been watching people forge hunting blades and skinning knives so I was curious thank you for your time and videos always cool to see what you make how you do it and is amazing

[@karmakshantivyapini4734]

Sometime when you have an idle moment, check out the trowel the Japanese call Hori Hori. You can find one in a good garden store. It has a serrated knife blade ground into one side of the trowel in order to cut through tough roots. First, it's a product you might consider producing for a higher price. Second, it will force you to have an idle moment, which you badly need. Haste makes waste.

[@onigato8183]

Very pretty, and it looks like it's an effective tool for the garden. I like the wheel you pulled out for the inside polish, but have you ever tried a tumbler with sand for a polish? Not exactly fast, true enough, but it'd get a better polish on the pineapple handles, which look like they'd feel pretty good in the hand.

[@SteveBeckerBass]

+Michael Phillips That's a good idea with the tumbler, man. I've used them for polishing all sorts of metal tools and they do a great job. If he wanted to keep the forge finish on the handle part, anything you don't want polished can always be taped off. The other plus side is that it would free him up to be doing other things while the tumbler did the final polishing work.

[@bretthostler1279]

Cool idea

[@cuban9splat]

This is a great build video. Thanks for sharing it with us. Have you ever considered serial numbering your work? You could make a video of making it and show the serial number while stamping it on the item. I wonder how well it would be received by your customers? They could log onto you tube and watch you actually make very the item they purchased. Do you think it would help sell stuff or is it a dumb idea? Just trying to help. Keep hammering. Love your work!

[@jeffreyjones6409]

Thanks for showing us how you do this. Was just thinking, and I know for me that can be a dangerous thing, however once you have the digger end in the flat, would it be helpful to clean and shine it up before you form it? After that would it be less work to clean up a few tool marks? These are very cool. Keep up the good work.

[@huckelberricampbell4616]

These are awesome! Is there anyway you can post a list of shows you will be attending so some of us who are relatively close can come buy from you?

[@nathancampbell850]

You should go to the NEB spring meet next weekend.

[@workwithnature]

They make good pointing trowels if they were flat. Nice.

[@WatcherintheDark69]

Have you also tried making those little hand rakes? I bet they would sell pretty good too.

[@zaneramsden6114]

Just went out to my homemade forge and made one it turned out pretty good I just didn't do a twist because I don't have a pipe wrench to do it

[@banjosambar]

Ain't to shabby if you ask me. "God dam it" 👍🏻

[@GodzillaB210]

Someone get this poor man a Sam's/Costco sized box of Ol' Burny brand blacksmithing gloves.

[@guyverslab9864]

hey bro, was looking at the profile on the trowels, looks like u could get some decent throwing knives outta those spikes, would be interested n seeimg

[@Therealchrist]

Great video. Anyone with experience clear-coating for external use, what do you guys use? Would love to read your thoughts on that Chandler if you happen to see this comment.

[@faolan1686]

hope the show goes well mate.

[@Hoiafar]

How bad would the rust be / how easy would it be to maintain? Railroad spikes are high carbon steel, so they would rust a lot when used in moist environments like the garden, aren't they?

[@mikeeberle8432]

Watched a few outdoor tests and tried it myself on what to use to protect your metal.. Come to find out 3in1 oil does the best for the money!!

[@ethanchesnutt7672]

Wonderful video Chandler! I was wondering where you are located and if you would be willing to take on anapprentice? I'm turning 16 in a few months and have recently become very intrigued by the art of knifemaking etc. Thanks!

[@Bg1111ghk]

Chandler there is gardening tool called a kuri kuri I believe. You should look into it.

[@stevenlancaster7241]

Hi Chandler, is that a masonry chisel you are using for the lines? Nice work!

[@stephenhutton1805]

Hey there Chandler been watching your video's for the past couple of weeks now and thank you very much I've learned heaps just to get me started.One question though. How much do you charge for your railroad spike trowels and kissing horse harts at a show?Please keep up the great work Cheers Steve H Western Australia

[@dirtybird4528]

Chandler, Have you thought about getting a logo stamp (or punch... Whichever is the proper term) to stamp your logo into your tools?

[@domwasha100]

dirty bird makers mark,you mean??

[@TheHotEndChannel]

Yo da man chandler!

[@ricapache1]

bad ass brother

[@ehudsedge6389]

You briefly mentioned some rust protection. Being that the entire piece is raw steel, what works best in your opinion?

[@HanibiSW]

The real question is, where are you getting all these road spikes?

[@ryanramos5438]

you should use a small dremel to gring the inside of the curve

[@dougbishop111]

that is a great idea. is it a hc spike?

[@TheChipmunk2008]

$40 is a bargain for that kind of thing. You're right about the crap that's on the market with regard to trowels...

[@XxDaHuStxX]

Hey Chandler, awesome work on that piece. I'm trying to start up my own forge and one of the first thing I want to make is a trowel. I had a question, if you don't mind answering. Where do you get your coal from? is it local or do you have it shipped? Thanks!

[@chandlerdickinson]

local butler supply in auburn ny also sometimes from tractor supply

[@mp-uy9sv]

Hi Chandler , i sent you a private message on facebook , about an interesting topic idea.

[@fish2222]

hey chandler are you having a show at your forge on the 27th? if so id like to come!!!

[@chandlerdickinson]

yes from 5 to 9

[@fish2222]

I'm assuming u mean p.m.!?

[@chandlerdickinson]

yes

[@fish2222]

thanks bud! I may be coming from ohio! just wanted to make sure we are on the same page! lol

[@brycumbria]

Chandler Dickinson hi my name is Bryan turnbull from England (cumbria) I am a self employed Gardner and I am looking for a good forged trowel and fork is ther eny chance of getting a set made and if so haw much will it be and sent over to the uk I hav washed evry wan of yor videos u are fantastic blacksmith pleas replay Chers Bryan

[@DocRorshack]

Where can I find those abrasive brush wheels? They are great!

[@KowboyUSA]

+DocRorshack Hardware stores have them. I buy mine from one of my local machine shops, though, thy're cheaper there in my location.

[@DocRorshack]

+John Ratko Thanks! Do they have a specific name?

[@KowboyUSA]

The ones I buy from the machine shop are manufactured by Dico Products Corporation of Utica, NY and I believe they're called 'abrasive fiber wheels.' Don't quote me on that though, one reason the machine shops here are inexpensive is they don't spend anytime on ads or displays or such; they just open the boxes, marker a price on them, and set the box on a shelf.

[@kelliglennemeier1261]

How did u mount your anvil to the stump in your shop

[@matthewlynch2523]

What are the dimensions of your garden trowels, and can you put serrated edges on them?

[@dangerfieldknives3575]

Was that a high carbon spike?

[@ccrane1367]

a buffing wheel should work for the inside bins...

[@derpyduck5088]

I have 3 questions (to anybody that can answer them) how did you get the kind of money for an anvil those things are like 800$ alone excluding tools 2. where does all the knives,trowels etc go, do you sell them or what, is it profitable and 3. how old do you have to be to blacksmith I'm only 13 and this seems fun and awesome its a bonus if you can use something like Craigslist to get profit out of it

[@toeofawesome1264]

you dont need an expensive anvil to start with. any heavy hunk of metal will work. including very large bolts/ pins, and railroad track scrap yards are great for this. you can even use a large rock with a flatis surface. get something to hit on, a $10 dollar hammer from your local hardware store and a pair of channel lock pliers to use as tongs, eventually you can make most of your own tooling if you want. idk what you would do for profit, but when i was in school id forge knives for my freinds and people i knew. craigslist would be a good place to start, or if you can use etsy or ebay somehow those are really good.

[@ithappens2165]

Did you use a hc rr spike for this?

[@phantomwraith7289]

mate where do you sell your stuff ??

[@waverider48]

Is any of this for sale online anymore?

[@wuhansrule]

So If I would like to buy one of these from you how could I achieve that?

[@clint19-_-92]

nice

[@Danny-li6ht]

Chandler how much would this tool cost?

[@BornIn1500]

he said he sells it for 40

[@Trailerpark_joe]

Do a rubix twist or cube twist on a railroad knife

[@lgphantom9122]

do you live in Illinois

[@aaronallen9272]

$40 is that it I would pay $100 for it

[@TheWarcraftIII]

Can't you buy pre made knives and try to pimp them and resell em for more :D?, mabye flip knives and screw it apart and heat treat it so it gets that rainbow look?

[@derredc]

Hey Chandler! Have you considered joining a Network on youtube?

[@frantazlamal4625]

power Hammer;-)

[@nachosftw113]

Set up a go fund me for a power hammer!

[@porterchristenson4835]

How may I purchase these fine items??

[@australianscrape-waste7293]

+Porter Christenson www.etsy.com/shop/McFinleysCabin

[@porterchristenson4835]

+Dempsey Phillips thanks

[@stageforgejon905]

Your awful pariniod about some one coming in your drive buddy! Calm down my friend! Just do these type of videos when you have time to give instructions step by step! I love what you do,it got me building from scratch blacksmithing!! ✌️💪👍🔪⚒️⚔️🗡️

[@duanekipp147]

YOUR SUPPOSED TO QUENCH POINTING NORTH. THE. MAGNETIC PULL KEEPS YOUR KNIFES STRAIGHT. TRY IT AND LET ME KNOW

[@benjaminstegemann9066]

would you ever be intrested in an apprentice

[@KowboyUSA]

Get a little iron trace mineral in your soil, gardeners.

[@jesseallen7856]

be great for metal detecting , all the store bought ones brake

[@amyrutherford4121]

You need a swage block

[@jakysz145]

Well from my point of view it's not the best garden trowel, yes it may look nice and it may be srtong, but i doupt that it's ergonomical and funcional, because it's heavy, narrow, crucked and after some time it will be rusty as hell, and the dirt will stick to it. So if I would want to have a nice thing maybe I would buy it ,if I would need a tool, I would go to walmart.