Forge welded belt buckle

Forging a belt buckle is fairly simple but in concept. But in practice the smaller forge welds can sometimes be hard to get just right. Lets take a closer look at forge welding a belt buckle.
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The following list provides just a few resources to help you find supplies and equipment for blacksmithing.
CPO Outlet www.anrdoezrs.net/click-885600...
Milwaukee power tools www.kqzyfj.com/click-8856008-1...
www.saymakhammers.com/
www.oleoacresfarriersupply.com/
www.piehtoolco.com/
www.centaurforge.com/
www.blacksmithsdepot.com/
www.blacksmithbolt.com/
www.oldworldanvils.com/
www.nimbaanvils.com/
www.abana.org/
www.mcmaster.com
kensironstore.com/
Blacksmithing and related activities can be hazardous. These videos are not a substitute for competent professional instruction. Your safety is your sole responsibility. Always use appropriate safety equipment including eye and ear protection when working in the shop. Follow manufactures safety guidelines for the use of all equipment. In the event something shown in one of these videos seems unsafe, it is up to you to make the appropriate changes to protect yourself.

[@mpwhite64usaf]

Sir, you recorded this video the day my wife died. She was my inspiration in so many ways, but particularly in my pursuit of blacksmithing skills. She was very supportive of my quest to learn the art of blacksmithing...and more specifically bladesmithing. I stumbled across this today and noticed the date and it brought tears to my eyes, but as usual, it was very informative and reminded me why I continue to love smithing...to honor my wife and the support she showed me in all aspects of my life. Thank you sir!

[@Le_Robban]

God bless you sir

[@bret354]

there aren't many channels I just click on as soon as I see a new video, but I look forward to everyone of yours. Merry Christmas

[@yeethaw5173]

Exact same. I've been blacksmithing for a few years, but I always learn something.

[@grandadz_forge]

You'll love this channel. John's a good teacher

[@robphone4895]

On the twenty-fifth day of Christmas the black bear made for me, a forge welded belt buckle, a basket twist Christmas ornament, a corkscrew, a blanket pin, a squirrel cooker, a key fob, a ball and cup toy, a decorative punch, meat scewers, a hot dog fork, jingle bels, a candy dish, a paper towel holder, a menorah, BBQ tongs, a stocking hanger, a Christmas tree ornament, a cabinet pull, a dinner bell, a steak flipper, a hose hanger, a bottle opener, a candle snuffer, a nice wreath hook and a beaitifull coat hook. Gargoyle spotted😀!

[@kanejaywolf94]

That's awesome! 😂😂

[@workwithnature]

I used to find a lot of those detecting. Great to see how that was done. Thanks John.

[@BlackBearForge]

Sounds like a project to recreate the originals

[@jackdawg4579]

FYI, Finally got myself a set of proper prescription safety glasses a week or two back - partly due to your signature signoff with the reminder about safety glasses!

[@garethbaus5471]

I have been considering prescription safety glasses for a while, but I am only near sighted so I can usually see what I am working on well enough, might be something I need if I ever work in an industrial setting.

[@waynehodges5861]

You're down to earth, reality bas ed instruction is very important. The mistakes, the incidental decisions you decide to make on the spot, the truthful little side comments that add so much to what each of us experience in the shop and never have it explained to us. You have paramount technical skill but at the same time able 2 deliver blow by blow illustrations of what the real world blacksmithing is about. The absence of contrived, showmanship, and the like which usually leaves out the incidental details that are so important, including mistakes. These are major attractions to your site. And as an incidental, would you mind stating what your belt grinder name brand is? Thank you

[@JarlSeamus]

LOL, the "thingy" in the middle is called a Tongue. Nice work, as always, John. Blessed Yule to you and yours.

[@garygraham2974]

Very nice buckle

[@jimhumphrey]

Congrats on the 35K mark. It wasn't that long ago that you hit 20K.

[@BlackBearForge]

less than 6 month ago I think

[@kambranictay1]

Thanks for suggesting the buckle everyone. I have watched this 3 times now cause I am so intrigued by the whole process. Well done John and as always thanks 👍🏼

[@stationaryenginesworldwide]

Truly hooked on Black Bear forge

[@TheOldaz1]

Nice and different project, guess that's how it was done in the "old" days. Thanks John.

[@getoverit4887]

I'm going to have to make one of these for myself. A little different I like the rounded rectangle ones. For those out there reading comments, if your steel is rusty make sure you remover the rust. Rust is and enemy of forge welding. I remove the rust before putting the steel into the forge whether forge welding or not. Thanks again for another great idea Mr. John. I probably never would have though of a belt buckle.

[@insperatus]

Merry Christmas, John! Thanks for all your work! You are for sure on the nice list! :D

[@vincentgolden5352]

Very nice watching these from my room in the Hospital got pneumonia unfortunately.

[@BlackBearForge]

Get well soon

[@steelpennyforge5152]

another excellent gift idea and video! Thank you!

[@klkkylekin5948]

Awesome work john

[@ghostforge3303]

Thank you again John for another great project. I like the refresher on forge welding. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[@3870TheDad]

Beautiful belt buckle, John.

[@random40s]

Very cool. I might have to give one of them a shot. Awesome work as always.

[@BigWillSD]

I've been wanting to make one of these, thanks for the video

[@luukderksen8810]

Hell yeah!! You got it right John!

[@MatthewRulla]

I really liked that little filing vise! I need to make one of those soon. Thanks for another great project.

[@markspc1]

Merry Christmas John and thank you.

[@BlackBearForge]

Merry Christmas

[@jukeboxhero1649]

My favorite look is heavy wire wheel on oil quenched steel. Dull gray patina.

[@freezinweasle1]

Love watching you work. Thank you for welcoming us into your smithy and sharing your knowledge. It's a year later then when you made this video but it is Christmas time again so have a very blessed Christmas.

[@mannaz3322]

What a great job John. Merry Christmas

[@briankshaw8755]

Kool belt buckle! Merry Christmas!

[@WildBoreWoodWind]

John, you forget just how many utilitarian items blacksmith's made - great project, I'll never buy another belt buckle again - then again, I'm not a big belt buyer, I've had the same belt for the last 28 years and its still going strong. Just in case you don't post another vid before Christmas, Merry Christmas, to you and yours. All the best from Western Australia. 👍🖖

[@BlackBearForge]

Merry Christmas

[@jackreeves3001]

Again John, Merry Christmas to you and yours. I appreciate you and the times spent on your videos!

[@BlackBearForge]

Merry Christmas

[@johndilsaver8409]

Very nice! I'm headed to the shop next to try to finish a Christmas gift. I bet I'm not the only one. Good to hear you mention the solstice.

[@JamesTaylor-jv8mv]

Love your videos. Have a merry Christmas!!

[@frostcb2]

Amazing Array of skill and creativity this last month!

[@BlackBearForge]

Thanks

[@bearshield7138]

lots of fun

[@hannemannironworks1651]

Looks great John I need a new belt so I’ll have to experiment with buckles and make a belt.

[@joeme9328]

Thank you for your work. Been busy making bottle openers and steak flippers. Merry Christmas

[@BlackBearForge]

Merry Christmas

[@TheNuggetshooter]

The piece that latches the belt is called the "prong". Great work as always!

[@robertlundquist5450]

Thanks for another great video. I think the flipper thing is called a prong.

[@frontierscuba]

Happy Christmas John - have had a great year watching your videos

[@BlackBearForge]

Merry Christmas

[@kimcurtis9366]

It's called a tongue, John! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a good New Year's celebration! Best wishes for a prosperous and productive 2019~!

[@frostcb2]

Going to make a couple wine bottle holders for gifts today!

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Nice welding my friend Great piece and the seasons best to you.

[@BlackBearForge]

And to you as well.

[@brettsayers7768]

The last few projects are fantastic, with a lot of great skills needed to make them. Glad they can be re watched to get things right.

[@bc65925]

Nice buckle, I enjoy making them also. One of my favorites is a troll cross belt buckle all out of 1/4 rod.

[@BlackBearForge]

I just watched your video on the round buckle. Good job and nice looking anvil

[@bc65925]

@@BlackBearForge I really like that double horn, gave my Hay Budden to my son so I had better like it.

[@bc65925]

@@BlackBearForge And that was a very bad video, especially when compared to the excellent ones that you put together.

[@jimhumphrey]

Prong....And nice job sir!

[@grandadz_forge]

I need to buckle down and make one of these

[@gregworkshop5713]

hi have a Merry Christmas

[@richardbyerssr5057]

Nice to file or hammer a small curfew in the middle for the pin to set in while wearing so it isn't catching on things is scratching the side of a car or truck!! Maybe your bike!!

[@kennymiller4428]

Thinking about trying this in a three piece riveted approach. You know, just to play around.

[@dalekidd420]

Glad you tackled this one, John. As a reenactor myself, this project is on my short list, because I know there will always be demand for them.

[@stanervin6108]

Wow! I have been quick lately! You gave a holla out to everything except for Seinfeld's ¡Festivus! 🐾🔥⚒ ☃️🏂⛷🎁🎅🤶🎄🌨

[@bryanrobinson1980]

Adding a little narrow section in the middle of the cross bar would help keep the latch bar centered, plus make the wrapped portion a little smaller for looks. Nice easy project, especially here in Texas and maybe use horseshoes for the main oval of the buckle. Using the flat bar would let you possible add a chased design around the buckle too. Lots of possibilities with this one.

[@BlackBearForge]

True, but the slot in the leather belt also keep everything centered

[@tommybigsexy676]

Another great project! Thank you ☺☕🎄

[@5x535]

Fun project. I especially appreciated you taking us along while you cleaned out the fire. One never knows what little bit of knowledge is going to fall out as you proceed with a task. Were you using a simple point to search for clinkers? Thanks again John and have a Merry Christmas.

[@BlackBearForge]

Merry Christmas

[@robbullis5025]

Couple of questions for you John. 1. Have you ever done much work with charcoal? 2. Can you get to a welding heat with a charcoal forge?

[@BlackBearForge]

Yes and yes. I like working in charcoal, but it takes a mountain of it and I don't have time to make enough to use regularly.

[@BillySmith-hk6fz]

Next time, try an elgonated, cowboy-style buckle.

[@moretimethanmoney8611]

It's a buckle like the one Santa Clause uses!!!

[@bunyanforgings7849]

I notice a big discrepancy between the time projects take to complete on your videos and how long it takes me to make one. I realize that a lot of the down time (waiting for steel to reheat for example) is edited out. Factoring in that I'm just a rookie and learning technique I obviously take longer than a pro to complete my projects, would you consider adding in a rough ballpark time frame into your videos? More so to get an idea about the progress I'm making. In any case, great video! Thank you for giving us your time. Merry Christmas, John.

[@BlackBearForge]

I can try. But I spend a lot of time moving cameras around and that throws it all off. This project took about 2 hours to make while doing the video. If I just did the buckle without the video it might be about 1 hour

[@bunyanforgings7849]

@@BlackBearForge You know, from the time I've spent on projects that sounds around the time it would take me. That seems to be the nature of hand made projects. It justifies some of the pricing I've seen at artisan fairs. I guess this is what makes an efficient work flow in the shop so important. The only other way I can see increasing one's productivity would be jigs and more cold forging. I'm pretty sure you've touched on that before, but I forget which video.

[@5x535]

John really does make it all look so much easier than it is when it is in my hands.

[@bunyanforgings7849]

@@5x535 No kidding.

[@danielcrawford7315]

@@bunyanforgings7849 boy tall both got that right. Notably I Do Not have like any of the tools the guys on here do....but dang they make it look so easy. I reckon its cuz they"ve been doing it for years into decades lol. That said I have learned so very much from John and Roy Adam's and Alec Steele and Ting Ting I just feel blessed beyond words! Blessed days sirSir and merry Christmas, Crawford out

[@k.c.meaders4796]

John, I have been using Anthracite coal that has no clinkers yet (I have only burned about 50# so far.) Also, there is very little ash in the trap. I haven't found a supplier of bituminous in Oregon..... yet.

[@ryonkershner7584]

May I ask where you find coal in Oregon? Thanks

[@k.c.meaders4796]

@@ryonkershner7584 I bought from Beaver Creek Ferrier Supply in Beaver Creek.

[@GibClark]

👍👍👍👍

[@richardbyerssr.3355]

If memory serves the piece that goes through the holes in your belt is known as the tongue pick off the buckle!

[@xyz8512]

If you were to make a simple English-style stirrup, would you make the weld at the top and then punch a slit through that spot for the stirrup leather? Or would you make the weld at the bottom where the foot rests and the iron is thicker?

[@kevinmorgan3877]

Hi mate, I've just been forging in the garage, when I went to light the gas forge with some paper the burner blew it out , so I turned off the gas and lit a lighter and went to relight the paper and woosh gas still in the forge burnt the back of my hand, not bad but I thought as an old firefighter you probably know what to do when you first burn yourself , do you plunge it in cold water or the fridge? There might be other dummies like me out there. Love your work. Kev.

[@BlackBearForge]

Plunging in cold water helps stop the burn, but then it needs to be cleaned since any water in my shop is pretty dirty.

[@cptcurk192]

Cool video. I’m new to handmade belt buckles so I have to ask a question. How do you attach the leather belt to that buckle? Just run it through the loop and snap or rivet the end?

[@BlackBearForge]

I generally hand stitch them. But more modern belts tend to use small snaps so you can change buckles easily

[@gregwise5324]

John, Love Your Approach With The "Chainsaw" File, Great Tip! How About Some Advice on Dealing With A Cold Anvil, & Cold Tools For those Of Us That Have Cold Winters ? When I Get Small Stock Hot in The Winter, My Cold Anvil, & Cold Hammers Seem To "Suck All Of The Heat Out Of My Stock". I Have Taken To Pre-Heating My Anvil With My Propane Fired "Weed Burner" Torch. I'm Sure Other "Smiths" That Live In Colder Climates Probably Have Similar Issues, But How Much Heat Do I Use To Warm Up My 125Lb. Hay Budden Anvil ? , I Mean When I Hit It With The Weed Burner It Sweats For A While, What Should I Pre-Heat it To, Non Sweating ?? Thank You Again For All Of Your Help, & For All Of The Great Videos, Merry Christmas To Everyone !!!

[@BlackBearForge]

I generally heat large pieces of scrap in the forge and just let them sit on the anvil while I prepare my tools and materials for the day. Warm enough to feel warm but not to warm to touch

[@craigbrown7277]

would you make some different types of fire steels..

[@BlackBearForge]

yes

[@wyattearp6437]

Can I by one just like that buckle

[@johnjude2677]

John What kind of coal do you preference.I guest the soft coal from the east

[@BlackBearForge]

Bituminous coal is what I use. We used to be able to get it in state, but as industry switches to electric induction, those mines have all closed down.

[@jimp7181]

"And I'm sure someone is typing that in as I speak", LOL. Don't worry about the trolls, or those who congratulate too freely, either.

[@BlackBearForge]

Oh, those aren't the trolls.

[@LiamJPenn]

What anvil is that?

[@BlackBearForge]

It is an old hat Budden, I think

[@CXonthefly]

Or blacksmith would say

[@samuelshearman4482]

Where are you from?

[@CXonthefly]

Is any good fabricator would say it's a thingamajig

[@goshnodo]

Is your anvil solid or hollow?

[@BlackBearForge]

.It is solid and weighs over 300 pounds. I have never seen a hollow anvil.

[@goshnodo]

@@BlackBearForge I live in Alaska and there are lots of outdoor auctions for everything from random old tools and steel on pallets, blocks of lead and bullet molds to Old machinery and even four wheelers. A few times I've seen some smaller anvils in great shape, upon further inspection I found them to be cast and were Hollow.

[@trollmcclure1884]

You dont need donations sir. Put the stuff on ebay and give us the link. I need a new belt. I'd pay for a buckle I could show someone in a vid.

[@redhotforge5812]

Can you make a horseshoe

[@BlackBearForge]

Probably, but I have no interest in horse shoes

[@redhotforge5812]

@@BlackBearForge ok