Forging a Knife from Horseshoes

This knife's 100% eBay charity auction is completed. $102 was raised for the fight against cancer, thanks to you!
Horseshoes. A knife with a serviceable edge is forged from a horseshoe by forge welding 1075 steel to the shoe. It doesn't all go as planned but persistence pays off. Make one. Do it yourself. Now!
Support this Channel! / greenbeetle
FAQ:
1. " What is 'clod-wrestling'? " - Futzing about uncontrollably; gesticulating dangerously with little effect. Redneck a'gooberin.
2. " Can you forge me a Snuffleupagus knife? " - Are you asking if I can forge you a knife with which to kill the imaginary Snuffleapgus from Sesame Street or just make you a knife with his profile on the handle. The former, yes. The latter, I can, just ask for a Horse Head knife (see video).
3. " Horseshoes are real and they go on horse hoofs, ya dummy! " - Makes me wonder about nailing my shoes on every morning and prying them off with a hammer every night.
Inquiries [e-mail]
This video is my property, all rights reserved, and cannot be used without my express permission, notarized, written permission.

[@nickhadfield3192]

"Summoning all my blacksmithing skills, I make what appears to be a snuffleupagus. Or the blue alien from the Star Wars cantina" Killed me.

[@censusgary]

I don't think Captain Safety would approve of testin a blade by checking how much pressure it takes to cut your fingers.

[@GreenBeetle]

oh, *#@& is he here?

[@stizan24]

Hey, you are a blade smith, I am a blade smith. You have a Vulcan anvil, I have a Vulcan anvil. We are practically brothers. Brother Beetle. Great video. Thanks.

[@zincoleo1]

Lol, i also have the same anvil as beete. Do this make us three brothers?

[@damionlowther78]

that turned out great I'm glad you did the second run. I do a lot of different edge testing from the three finger method to the paper cut. For me the paper is a way to check consistency along the edge and find any rough areas that may need a little more attention.

[@GreenBeetle]

+damionlowther78 That is a good point.

[@kevinkelemen6259]

The best part about your videos is most people would stop after the first knife or never show the less than perfect results at all but you show both iterations and that's really respectable. End result is really cool looking!!

[@Blackandwhitevictor]

I always love watching your videos! The camera is always exactly where it needs to be, and your commentary covers any confusion that non-blacksmiths may have! Thank you for making them, they're always so fun to watch!

[@noahsyb]

the slomo bits were a nice touch Imo. especially the one with the sparks while you were forge welding

[@lsubslimed]

Haha, very cool man! It's always fun seeing what ideas and projects you come up with, thanks for all the entertaining and educational vids you post 👍🙂

[@GreenBeetle]

+lsubslimed ty, bro

[@user-rm4pr7el5s]

Green Beetle no thank you

[@user-rm4pr7el5s]

You know i mean no, thank you just in case

[@AddictedtoProjects]

If you think about it, horse shoes were effectively like today's car 'consumable', i.e. like brake pads or tires. They were designed to be cheap and replaceable, which is why they used a very low grade steel for them. No point throwing expensive tool steel at the bottom of a horse's hoof! ;) Especially back then, tool steel would have been mega expensive, because methods of production weren't as refined and automated as they are today. Oh, and before I forget myself, I *REALLY* like that second knife. Warts and all. It has LOADS of character. :)

[@wiseoldman8567]

You're really skilled at this. Good job on the video and forge! It was fun to watch

[@deathhamster_2213]

The thing the paper test is really useful for is detecting any dull spots or nicks in the blade, particularly when using phone book paper. As a test of how sharp the blade actually is I am mostly skeptical seeing as a knife sharpened on a 1000 grit stone slices through paper nearly as well as honed edge.

[@philip9487]

i always enjoy watching knives being made from other stuff keep it up

[@walruswarlock4800]

knives

[@patbartley9907]

The second knife was absolutely beautiful!

[@nathantripp9134]

Wow, fantastic job on both knives. I really liked the mane of the horse on the second knife.

[@jeremymcclanahan2389]

i'm glad you do not play music over the sounds of the work.

[@benhightowerv]

When you started I was thinking it'd be a better straight razor than knife. You drew it out quite nicely. Definitely the alien from the cantina!

[@yakub2888]

I’m making my own horseshoe knife tomorrow so I’m watching this for tips and tricks 😆

[@cttraiden]

Just found your channel today, very nice work and great commentary. Subscribed, looking forward to more.

[@jasoncox6058]

Aww, I was really looking forward to the Benny Hill music! Must be a royalties issue! Love your channel!!

[@alvindueck8227]

That's a hell of an edge. great job on the horse had too

[@GreenBeetle]

+Alvin Dueck ty

[@Chlorate299]

A little fuller where that black line runs across the blade would look pretty good. In-keeping with the horseshoe thing.

[@rickdearmont9950]

Very nice job. I love seeing you learn from one knife to the next.

[@arthurpena1568]

Nice horse design on the handle

[@brooklynemtp589]

That is a beautiful blade!

[@nolan4817]

you sir are aren't a blacksmith. you are an artist god.

[@MrGeoffreySmith]

Fantastic! This is one of the most interesting knife videos I have seen. It's got all the forging and working the material, but also you wanting it to be better, down to the horse's head, which is the link from the beginning to the end. Well done!

[@blackthornknives]

Great job 👍 I enjoyed the concept.

[@davidkauffman8798]

I told World of Warcraft to start just before watching this, and the loading screen music started just as you said to que the music.

[@8bitInfidel]

awesome knife and I like how you show the learning curve, and add some comedy, keep it up

[@yellowfoot273]

That is a beautiful knife

[@bobofwar]

I actually put Yakety Sax on my phone for that part and it made my night.

[@liegesaboya33]

Congratulations ! this is one of the most beautiful knives Ive seen ( it has a natural look )-- the horse head came out very , very beautiful ! --- maybe the brazillian knifesmith is Andrey Navarre , one of the few in my country . One idea ( if you allow me) would be filling the handle crevice with some powder of glass and melt it in the furnace .

[@1938vw]

Well done chap

[@JustinmWhitman]

Really nice knife!! Great job.

[@nicholaskillmeier4895]

Hey dude love your videos. I like the mild steel flatter. I think I'm going to face mill one and weld a hardie onto the bottom of it. My anvil is an old Mousehole. Many mouseholes were originally made with a fairly deep belly, so I struggle using the anvil for flatness all the time.

[@aleksanderzuk4407]

Great video and idea as always.

[@kevinlawson5570]

Hy not a “soft” steel jacket out of the horseshoes, wrapped around the harder blade edge steel?

[@craighood1532]

love this knife! I like that you didn't clean it all up.

[@vincentrosa9631]

Beautiful job 👍👍

[@thepettyforge9082]

Making what appears to be a snuffalupus 😂😂. Love you man really do great vid too.

[@bossdaddy1919]

Just found your channel, very educational. Enjoying it very much. Subbed.

[@thepettyforge9082]

Ok I just realized that if I play the snuffalupus part in slow mo it's so funny I was rolling on the floor laughing.

[@douro20]

The US is one of the few countries where it's not even required to be certified and licenced to be a farrier. In England you have to be a paying member of the Worshipful Company of Farriers and it can take up to four years of formal education to get the Diploma necessary. It used to be that you couldn't even possess the tools of the trade unless you were licenced. And I believe in Austria you have to have a degree?

[@pamsimerly7547]

I bet you could make some killer hoof picks!

[@MattDiresta]

very cool! love the charity idea!! great stuff buddy!

[@GreenBeetle]

+Matt Diresta Thanks, brody. What have you been up to?

[@MattDiresta]

+Green Beetle just been super busy with custom orders for clients. Have a lot of cool stuff coming for the channel. Much love brotha

[@urieelSEptim]

i like the alligator heads on them

[@Blue_Moon_Forge]

Head looked more like one of those droids from star wars

[@duaneaubuchon9453]

looks good cool looking knife

[@mattnobrega6621]

Love the second one better.

[@dannywhitney333]

I like this, I made a knife with a horseshoe handle, I like yours better. I was thinking in the early part of this video that it looked like a razor. You should try that

[@tbone12051]

Where did you learn how to blacksmith knives? Watching your videos makes me want to learn how to make collectable knives

[@nyoungp]

You should get straps to keep your flat edge from sliding around

[@bananaman8535]

very creative man.

[@MegaEvoluzione]

Paracord wrapped around the grip would be a good idea

[@caveofskarzs1544]

Interesting use for a horse shoe. About the horse head and Brian Brazeal's technique: Don't try to reinvent the wheel if you only know about squares. ;) (Guess what I do on a regular basis, though? Try to reinvent the wheel.)

[@Xyienced]

Props for including Benny Hill on a KZbin video. Great stuff. Good production

[@mattbrown5511]

another awesome knife

[@kinger2005]

Quack quack

[@jewishfox6580]

I agree with you.

[@donkeypunch07]

great work!!!

[@waltlars3687]

I think would cool if You could work in a horse shoe nail design in holding the wooden scales on it

[@the3rdid485]

These are just like the best fucking videos on KZbin.

[@knivesstuff]

Love it! Watching someone forge weld a knife by hand always makes me nervous because I always screw up. good job though :D

[@GreenBeetle]

Thanks. I sub'd your channel a while ago! Good stuff.

[@knivesstuff]

Green Beetle Yes I saw it! Thank you I really appreciate it :)

[@michaelc.4321]

I like it better when you just make a higher percentage of carbon in the steel than attaching good steel

[@АлексейДеба-у7я]

So good

[@AllChemystery]

Have you tried to go on forged in fire? great competition show.

[@agentp5393]

looks like a dragon or seahorse!

[@moechano]

good stuff

[@MrJendatu]

Very nice.👍

[@pabloolivero2783]

good knife, i like it

[@workwithnature]

Nice you tried it again, I think you are making them heads to narrow that's all.

[@Max-ph6fn]

I’ve watched a few of your vids and your attitude and voice remind me of Deadpool

[@miketsaganos]

I'd have to say that is one lucky knife

[@64t120r]

The second knife looked like a horse head pommel. The first one looked like a sea horse. Which is cool, but I don't think you can shoe a sea horse either.

[@dasschadenfreude7333]

"Reverse Banana Curve" is totally a legit technique name.

[@GreenBeetle]

+Elliot Robertson It shall be called banana hammock technique from now on. "Time to hammer on this banana hammock" sound good?

[@dasschadenfreude7333]

I like it.

[@craigbynog8621]

Sea Horse knife! Great vid brother!

[@pacificnorthwestnative5050]

I love your ambition to stay diligent on improving the knife. If the first one had inclusions , or pits, rather than grinding the knife to death, you go back to school for lesson #2👍

[@andrewdouglas9829]

a knife made of paperclips would be cool

[@yokaicustoms]

Max Reebo was from Jabba's Palace ;)

[@davidberry8498]

Great piece. I love the blue flames coming off the blade you cought on camera in the second go round. Would sandwiching a piece of 1095 in the middle of a shoe folded over on itself work? I'm not a knife maker, but that occured to me as I watched you beat that shoe into shape.

[@kdoubleg]

i enjoy your videos very much. currently building a forge and a knife grinder. i have a project i plan to try once i feel i know what im doing but id like to suggest it to you because you definitely have the experience and id love to see you do it. would it be possible to make some canister Damascus using broken drill bits, taps, and threading dies? iv been saving a bunch. along with just about anything i think could make a knife.

[@dennis16549]

you must have some funny looking horses in the states XD

[@rolanddawson3657]

So how did the horseshoe branding on your leg go? XD great job man, this was awesome. It must take a lot of work to not only forge the knife but position all the cameras too.

[@nathantonning]

Loved the video, the lighting was excellent. What is the purpose of wrapping chains around the anvil? Do they absorb shock from the hammer blows?

[@damionlowther78]

absorbs some of the shock dulling the vibration and cutting down on the ring making the anvil quieter.

[@andrewkrzys1167]

This is cool

[@tokomilano]

I'm from Brazil and I follow your videos often since I discovered your channel , I would like to ask you what the best metal and level of hardness to make a knife. I saw a video once the knife to cut steel chains and cable. Already your channel is great and put more videos often ruin forgiveness for English is that as I am not fluent in their language I'm using google translator . Until then continue with the videos.

[@chronicallydazed5446]

Cutting paper dulls a knife really quick so it's a bad idea to test sharpness that way it'll just ruin how sharp it is haha

[@thomas_lale]

I'd put some handle scales on that

[@rileyverellen0429]

I guess when you held the shoe upside down it made it 40 carbon giving you bad luck .lol

[@baddogforge5181]

You my friend make wonderful knives but if I must say u need a leg vice

[@Khanclansith]

With your conversational style I want to download your video and record me answering you.

[@jeditoaster7732]

snuffleupagus knife forever

[@Oscar-ym7xm]

kan you make a karambit

[@GreenBeetle]

Next vid.

[@amyasseektruth8246]

+Green Beetle How do I send you a Private Message?

[@GreenBeetle]

[e-mail]

[@collinthomas6987]

+oscar cedergren no he kannot

[@Snowy101]

+oscar cedergren 'kan' you go back to Minecraft and CS:GO?

[@nickwales8553]

you should make a throughing knife

[@tunesgarage]

It took me 3 tries to make my head's exactly like Brian brezels

[@Lazywatchsmith]

Very cool. I like the horse head. I have a video in my channel of me making a horse head figure. I would like to hear what you think of it. Thanks for sharing.

[@seanlosee7352]

I'm a new subscriber... great content. Any reason you don't brush your steel with a wire brush?

[@captaincapybara2431]

I will use all of my blacksmithing skills TO MAKE... an snuglupagus.😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@benmastrorocco4937]

Hello, I really enjoy your videos and can you say something how your forge works

[@CemlynGriffiths]

so making a knife just from 15n20 should result in a knife with decent edge retention? similar to a knife made of 1075 steel

[@Arkie80]

Great video. Just needs some banjo music.