Forge Rebar Tongs and Save Money! | Blacksmithing Project for Beginners

[@RVsbladesnthangs]

OH heck yeah man, thank you!!! I'll get to it next! I really appreciate the info!!! And I can't wait to give this a shot! As far as a video idea, have you ever made a knife from a box end wrench? I've tried 2 of them but one broke because I don't know how to quench or heat treat anything yet. And of course it broke AFTER I made the leather sheath for it.😆

[@ToddKoch]

I’ve been working on some knives from scrap material lately and have been planning to make a few videos on them, I just need to get my process for those projects fine-tuned. It’s always hard to heat treat those kind of knives because you don’t know the exact metal composition. But I’ll try my best to get one in the works! Thanks for your feedback as always!

[@RVsbladesnthangs]

@@ToddKoch well I've got plenty of scrap metal around here so that will be great as well. I also just acquired a bunch of railroad spikes and clips so I have plenty of "blank canvases" as they say!😆

[@ToddKoch]

Those are always fun to work with! Best of luck with them, they’re a great way to build skills!

[@JosephRomero-pk9cu]

Not true there alot of guys making knife from rebars

[@jakestewart4966]

As a younger and less experienced blacksmith it was helpful to see someone closer to my age make their own tools thanks for the tips I’ll be making my own tongs soon.

[@ToddKoch]

Heck yeah man! I can totally relate I haven’t been able to find almost anyone out there who’s a bit younger besides my friend that I started blacksmithing with😅

[@thatnumber202]

Same here, I'm still waiting on my furnace!!

[@fluffbucket9560]

Same with me it’s great to have theses vids to watch and learn from

[@estebanviniegra2510]

I'm 25 with three kids a wife and a full time job. And you have inspired me to pursue my own blacksmithing journey. Thank you very much for your free advice. Keep up the great work.

[@KoJaksKranium]

Hey there Todd, I'm about 35 years older than you and you taught me something. I've been involved with blacksmith work for a number of years and have never made my own tongs. You've given me a new technique that makes more sense to try. You also seem like an extremely sharp young guy. Most guys your age are usually staring at a screen with their fingers on a keyboard or game controller, so good for you. I also admire how you use tools that are basic or self made. Using rudimentary tools is the best way to learn as well as appreciate fine tools for certain other mechanical projects. Anyway, keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing more of your videos. Very informative. Kojak

[@swampfox3692]

Thank you so much for the video, it’s almost impossible to find people where I live to teach me to blacksmith. Fewer still that are close to my age (17). This is my first day using a forge and this was the perfect project. God bless you man.

[@davehahn8767]

Great to see a video of a rebar project. Rebar is affordable, available, and durable, so I like it. Great job!

[@donschenck2466]

Thank you for this video. I'm a novice and I LOVE blacksmithing, and this video is very "real" to me. Not perfect, not showroom, but a REAL tool that can REALLY be used. In other words, your level of expertise is about the same as mine AND THAT IS SO ENCOURAGING! You don't need to be an expert to enjoy the craft and make useful stuff. Kudos. Well done. You rock.

[@chriswhitton2465]

Fantastic mate, thank you so much for this brilliant video. Rebar is literally everywhere and free 😊

[@CharliesForge]

Cheers mate, just getting into blacksmithing and needing tongs! absolute lifesaver. Just made my first vid :)

[@RyanBarnes]

Just started my first pair using this video. I used a wrench to hold mine as the measurements you mentioned didn't give me enough stock out of the forge to grab with my gloves hand. However, having never made anything other than a blacksmith knife in a class, this was a learning experience. Right now, mine are cooling before I pin them, and I'm taking a break. Lol!

[@ToddKoch]

Sounds good, and yeah sorry if the stock wasn’t long enough! Glad it helped you out though!!

[@daves9551]

Nice work Todd. I’m about to start smithing myself. Getting stuff together. Keep the videos coming!

[@ToddKoch]

That’s awesome, good luck with your smithing! I’ll be sure to get a new video up soon!

[@dwightcimino1040]

Now I know how to do a quick pair of tongs . . . don't have any yet . . . but I do have vice grips (lol) Thanks, Todd

[@jeffreyjones6409]

Very cool. The first few sets of tongs I made were brutal to look at. But as my skill level went up I was able to use them to make better tongs. Still no expert at it but the last few sets I have done are much better. Like anything else the more you do it the better you get at it. Thanks for sharing.

[@ToddKoch]

I feel like I’m in the same place too! Tongs and moving pieces always scare me but I’m finally to the point where I feel pretty confident in my abilities.

[@fearlessboy_cherry]

తమ్ముడు బాగా చేశావు బ్లాక్ స్మిత్ పని చేశావు నీకు కృతజ్ఞతలు దేవుడు నిన్ను కాపాడునుగాక నువ్వు బైబులు చదవాలని నేను ఎంతో నిన్ను కోరుచున్నాను మై డియర్ బ్రదర్ థాంక్యూ

[@RMR_Makes]

Thanks! excellent info, great vid, i'm glad to see this kind of content, thank you very much and keep up the good work!

[@ToddKoch]

For sure! Glad you found it helpful!

[@jaxandthegreatoutdoors7957]

I would love to see a video about your rebar draw knife. Great video!

[@ToddKoch]

I actually did make a video way back when I made it! It’s on an old channel called TT Blacksmithing that me and my friend used to run. The video might be a bit harder to watch, my editing wasn’t as good back then haha! But you can find that video on that channel, or in a playlist I have in this channel called “every blacksmithing project I’ve ever done” or something like that!

[@jaxandthegreatoutdoors7957]

Thank you!@@ToddKoch

[@Mo_Vet]

I have a cattle ranch and tons of oak. I am trying to learn everything from hinges to angles of all sizes. I have a super heavy oak gate, and I need strengthen it. I want to be able to be total self-sufficient. Think like we are bake in 1880

[@old_pepe]

thanks man ,I want to do blacksmithing but I thought that I should try to make the tools to get better and have tools ,and generally know how to make tools in case I need to make a costume tool in the future

[@ryanedwards2021]

Ahoy bud. In this video I saw you had a reambar spoke shaver on your shelf. Do you have a video on making that????

[@regobertoaguilar6293]

Thank you.

[@dougeaton888]

thanks, just what I needed to get started

[@jackpoole8397]

Try putting something rounded like a large bolt to try and get more or a perfect circle

[@addy3dia]

Nice your my homeboy to go to now for information great explanation

[@billyblake4291]

Great video!

[@beav2821]

Nice work!👍👍👍

[@fearlessboy_cherry]

Great video my boy

[@wanderingthewilderness]

Nice job sir

[@Raven_Airsoft]

Question about making the shape of your tongs round or square. Is it easier or possible too heat up the tips of the tong then hold the material you want too shape it to, then hammer it? Like holding round stock so it makes a better rounded shape

[@ToddKoch]

Great question! I’ve tried this a few times, and I’ve found it works pretty well for angular tong grips (barstock holders, octangular, stuff like that). It can also work pretty well for curved metal if you have a decent jig to do it with, however if the round stock that you’re shaping it to isn’t properly pinned down, it tends to send the roundstock flying and is a bit trickier. Hope this answered your question a bit!

[@Video_Fiend]

Hey! I am planning on making blacksmithing a hobby of mine. Would tongs be a necessary tool to start with, or should I start without then move to using them later on.

[@Filip-ne5od]

My mother walked in and thought that im watching a documentary about thongs😅

[@nvk5070]

so Im getting a new shop in a garage any could you make a shop tour video with some ideas you have

[@ToddKoch]

I would be happy to get a video like that in the works!

[@Mo_Vet]

I have tons of rust nails. I need to make everything except fire bricks so I can reuse everything

[@akuiori]

Thanks

[@Olletaljer]

best tutorial

[@ToddKoch]

Thanks! Glad it helped!

[@That_1940s_Delinquent]

I am so annoyed that I didn’t get into black smithing earlier. I could make pretty much all of my tools for my other hobby (wood work)

[@neki134]

"I'm not the best peener" - Todd Koch 2022

[@ToddKoch]

Guilty as charged

[@neki134]

@@ToddKoch Btw Todd i've been wanting to get into blacksmithing, i got a few questions that i need answering. 1: why use a belt sander and then hand-sand too? I know we sand to make something sharp but i'm confused as to why we need to do both. 2: What's the difference between tempering and annealing, and what changes do these processes make to the metal? 3: is quenching done to keep an edge or to prevent bending?

[@ToddKoch]

@neki134 I use the belt sander to shape up the blade. The reason I hand-sand is for aesthetic reasons, the finish of a hand sand is much more uniform and professional than a belt sander normally gives. Annealing is where you heat the metal up to critical temperature and let it cool down naturally, and it helps the metal form a more uniform grain structure, which makes it stronger. Tempering, on the other hand, is where you keep already hardened metal at a high temperature for a while in order to soften the blade a tiny bit, mostly to offset any brittleness you pick up from the quench. This just helps ensure your blade isn’t too brittle and won’t snap under stress. As far as quenching goes, quenching hardens the metal by forming a crystal structure that keeps an edge much better. It can also help prevent bending because it makes the metal more brittle. Sorry it took a second to respond, it’s been a bit of a busy week haha

[@neki134]

@@ToddKoch Yo, thanks for responding, the response time was fine, i'm 17 rn and i've just gotten my first job, I bought a blacksmithing book and when i get my paycheck i wanna get a propane forge and an anvil, and start blacksmithing. the answers were really helpful, once again, thanks.

[@rickylahey3229]

What is the diameter of the rebar? 12mm fine???

[@azulan730]

most rebar is not quenchable just so everyone knows. normal rebar is a low carbon steel and it doesn't matter how much you quench it, it will never get any harder

[@bluebery4130]

Study how metal works and then teach others , iron and many others can be quenched , hardness Is a product of the volume of lattice crystals and any metal cooled quickly will form more lattice crystals so way harder , it doesn't matter what metal or the carbon content

[@azulan730]

@@bluebery4130 There's a simple non scientific way to try this. quench a piece of steel. if it shatters in half after you hit it with a hammer it got hardened. or try filing it. if the metal feels like glass when filing it it got hardened. Sure a mild steel may technically get harder but it's insignificant. but like i said some rebar is high carbon steel. especially old ones before the modern rebar it used to have over 0.4% carbon which is enough to harden.

[@azulan730]

@@bluebery4130 google Martensite for more info

[@ToddKoch]

This is very true! I’ve looked into the alloy that the rebar I’ve gotten from local construction sites is and if I recall properly, it’s about a 0.3% to 0.5% carbon content, so not exactly ideal, but it gets the job done. Most rebar has a bit of carbon and can be used for beginner tooling, but proper tooling needs proper metal. I just got lucky and found some rebar with decent carbon content without knowing!

[@JosephRomero-pk9cu]

Everyone saying you cant use rebar. Don't listen to them. There a channel saying he makes knifes from rebar

[@ToddKoch]

Some rebar is suitable for professional knifes, but some has decent carbon content and at the end of the day it’s a great material to start and and get practice with!!

[@foggy7595]

Rebar is inconsistent. It's the bottom of the barrel mix of whatever the steel plant gets from the recycler and scrapper. You could make a knife out of cast aluminum if you wanted, doesn't mean it's good! Rebar is fine for home gamers, just don't go expecting high performance from your steel.

[@ianseverydaylife5184]

👍👍👍👍👍✌️

[@ToddKoch]

I appreciate it!

[@parvizbayat7285]

عالی

[@ericsprado4631]

The flat spot where you drill is called the BOSS by blacksmiths!! Letting them cool to room temperature is called normalizing. You are a talented young fellow but please join your local blacksmith association and take some classes and/or watch some demos. Not meant to be mean but as an eighty old smith I hope you continue to seek knowledge.

[@mymikeysbeefarm3606]

Woooohoooo

[@CollinBlackk]

Been waiting for this one for a while now 🫡

[@ToddKoch]

Same tho