I Made Bank Selling Hand-made Nails.

Head to squarespace.com... to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code FORGE.
DISCORD: / discord
ALEC'S INSTAGRAM: / alecsteele
JAMIE'S INSTAGRAM: / jamie.popple
PATREON: / alecsteele
My name is Alec Steele. I am a blacksmith, amateur machinist and all-round maker of all-things metal. We make videos about making interesting things, learning about craft and appreciating the joy of creativity. Great to have you here following along!
MUSIC:
Epidemic Sound - goo.gl/iThmfx
-signing up at this link supports the show!
SoundStripe soundstripe.com?fpr=alec84
- signing up at this link supports the show!
------------------------------------------------
AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS TO GEAR I LIKE, buying here supports us:
--------------
CAMERA + MAIN LENS: amzn.to/2CrLyYP
WIDE LENS: amzn.to/2CsAZou
TRIPOD: amzn.to/2GpBX7f
MIC: amzn.to/2CrBmiQ
SD CARD: amzn.to/2sF0i7g
COMPUTER: amzn.to/2C4i0oo

[@Kaptain13Gonzo]

Now you know why old buildings were burned down and owners sifted the ashes to get the nails. There were laws about this in the US years ago. There are a few companies that still make hand cut square nails [with some machines used ].

[@randallrun]

What kind of laws? That you couldn’t trespass gathering nails at burned down houses, or?

[@4rog_girl214]

@@randallrun that you couldnt burn the house down for it i assume

[@annasajerk]

ex carpenter here. one single company makes square cut masonry nails, which work extremely well for pulling down high points in sill plates on concrete foundations

[@swamp-yankee]

Real tough to burn a junk house these days. Fire departments basically can’t do it if there’s any asbestos, which any house that’s gonna get burned will have, so now they sit and rot because poor farms can’t afford to send their whole wreck to the hazardous waste dump because the bathroom has an asbestos floor. I’d actually prefer a little bit of air pollution to all the moldy collapsed buildings, but society doesn’t care I have to live and work around them and sometimes walk around brooding about the echos of a place that used to be full of life and a center of prosperous commerce. I now just put my sheep fence up to the corpses to keep em out.

[@scoobertmcruppert2915]

@@swamp-yankeeWhat??? get help and probably don’t blame it on environmentalism or whatever you’re implying here and blame it on those that knew about the hazards and those that aren’t willing to spend to clean it up now.

[@shawnp25]

“Feels like someone else is doing it” while hammering left hand was pretty cheeky. lol.

[@kevinderochie6990]

Almost like a stranger was doing it. 🤫

[@MartilloWorkshop]

I used to make that joke every time I forged left handed on livestreams a couple of years ago. Blacksmiths have a similar sense of humour apparently.

[@happyradish1894]

​@@MartilloWorkshop just like cooks lmao. Everyone I've worked with in a real kitchen shares the same childish sense of humor.

[@qz9720]

@@happyradish1894 agreed

[@Gripfang]

I'm just getting into blacksmithing and am already training myself to switch off which arm I'm hammering with. It honestly feels surprisingly comfortable with either hand, but that could be as a result of already having years of having to train myself to be ambidextrous as a lefthanded person. Definitely nice to feel a little sore in both arms at the end of the day as opposed to very sore in only one arm.

[@sage5296]

Man blacksmiths back in the day really were built different, 15 seconds a nail is wild. Alec would've been done in 2 hours and 5 minutes at that rate

[@ilikesnow7074]

Where I live, we have a lot of living history frontier things people can work or volunteer at. The blacksmith at one makes nails all day, and he can get them out in three hits.

[@Aliyah_666]

​@ilikesnow7074Damn, that's wild...must be jacked secretly lol.

[@jmoneyjoshkinion4576]

​@@Aliyah_666 work strength beats workout strength every time, because it is only 1 hour at the gym 3-4 times a week, vs 8-12 hours 4-6 days a week. Bruce Lee said low weight high rep builds strong, but slim muscles.

[@sealdoggydog]

I dipped in and out of the livestream through the day. It was wild. No matter when I checked in there he was hammering away. Impressive really. Hours, and hours. Slowly watching his sanity dissolve into madness. By the end he was talking absolute nonsense into the camera. Not even exaggerating. I know Jamie is a good editor but the fact he made a semi lucid Alec appear coherent is impressive.

[@doriWyo]

Me, too.

[@Grandwigg]

It reminds me of the time he Marathoned making hammers back, I think, in the Barker street Forge. It was impressive then, and this is impressive now. Quality handmade products will probably always hold an allure over mass produced in very many areas.

[@DustinSeiger]

I feel like you nailed it.

[@curt81]

i dipped in and out of your mom

[@mitchpw2996]

​@@DustinSeiger lol

[@honordevs]

Man, the camera work is really what makes this channel shine. Something so satisfying about watching hot metal take shape.

[@brendanrobertson5966]

7:30 the time taken may be a bit longer; those old films were shot at on 16fps and they get sped up to either 24fps or 30fps depending on the digital player. so 15 sec may be closer to 22 sec.

[@eliabeck689]

Is that why they always seem to be talking way too fast in old movies?

[@leewat3742]

@@eliabeck689 Itcouldbe,butoneneverknowsdothey :)

[@zacshnu5471]

​@@eliabeck689 yes

[@WolfHeathen]

Finally someone who makes square nails. People have no idea how superior square nails are to round nails.

[@KipdoesStuff]

At 50x the cost, lol.

[@dertyp3848]

i`m one of them, could u elaborate?

[@WolfHeathen]

@@KipdoesStuff Yes, because they're no longer mass produced.

[@WolfHeathen]

@@dertyp3848 Square nails are more resistant to wood twisting. They're also great for so-called "dead-nailing", which is when the nail goes through a piece of wood and you hammer the point of the nail flat, much in the same way a rivet would. Dead-nailing guarantees the nail can't be pulled out. You can't do that with round nails since they'll bend instead of flatten. The square shape also folds the wood fibers downwards, effectively creating tiny "barbs" that help hold the nail in place. A round nail just pushes the fibers out of the way, around itself. Therefor, the grip strength of a cut square nail can be 1.5 times greater than that of a round wire nail. The square nail shape also aligns with the wood grain to greatly reduce the risk of splitting. Round wire nails were made for price, not for efficiency.

[@ragingelefants]

@@WolfHeathen That was a very good explanation. Thank you for the nice little education session. Always like new tidbits of random information on things like that.

[@hawkbox]

The direction of the nail header was something I learned on my own after having a hell of a time getting the first nail out.

[@tahoemike5828]

You are an English blacksmith. The real question is, how many arrowheads can you make in a day?

[@samwhitlock87]

Great idea

[@Skraeling1000]

And set up his workshop at Agincourt, just because!

[@Matt_Alaric]

Amazing comment. I now want nothing more from Alex than for him to dress up like a medieval blacksmith and bang out hundreds of arrowheads to be sent as rapid delivery gifts to the French.

[@a_921]

Alec + Jason Kingsley doing a medieval weapons forge session would have been cool

[@anticpuppo3010]

thought this was an old school runescape video then Alec going on about making bank off of hand made nails, got me excited

[@fleebist4341]

Same bro same

[@CrashKaiju]

The secret is to be an Internet famous blacksmith

[@shanefoster5305]

Ok I watched this video and when i was done I realized, I’m watching someone make nails… NAILS! And what makes me an addict is I watched a good portion of the live stream too! Lol 🤪

[@joshuaabbott7498]

You broke the steam power hammer didn’t you!

[@bluntmuffin1729]

Iv never made them by hand but I have forged literally millions of fasteners in my life and I think we probably swung a hammer about the same for a days work.

[@sjv6598]

I can’t believe you got me to watch a fifteen minute SquareSpace add 😂

[@4444Jules]

i wonder if alec would make stuff like the tacks that baumgardner restorations and other fine art conservators use for the side of paintings?? that looked so cool by the way!!

[@highrish8045]

here we observe a blacksmiths descent into madness one nail at a time

[@forrestmarsh8787]

Alec I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I first got hooked on your channel watching you hustle making hammers before you came stateside. I am happy for all your success but sometimes I miss these strait forward videos. And you tied it into the ad so well. “ make cool stuff and sell it on internet “ Ave.

[@colausbra]

My blacksmithing instructor would have had a fit if he saw you smithing with that cut off tool still in the anvil. He saw a few guys lose fingers from doing exactly this.

[@frankierzucekjr]

How did the tumbler do? Good for you. Thus makes me plan to use Square space when I start selling my products

[@Embiid-is-my-God]

I remember checking in and seeing him promo the watch. It was hilarious 😂

[@CNC-Time-Lapse]

Can't wait to get my 20 nails in the mail. :-D Thanks for doing the live stream. I watched it from the start of the live stream till the end (of the second live stream after the first one crashed). That was a lot of fun. You answered a lot of my questions. Please do this again. It was cool to have Jamie answer some of my questions too.

[@chrismills9951]

Anyone else slightly disappointed Alec doesn’t cook his pizzas in the forge? 6:10

[@dr_outcast9385]

*"Alec, You successfully hit metal 17 times so you are now proud owner of this photograph of motorcar"*

[@joshuahagan9739]

I must say, you really nailed this video!

[@mech0p]

what would you do with nails so small, especially that type

[@qulizaftiunigal6900]

Please forge a whole knife lefthanded. I am sure that would be hilarious😂😂

[@homefrontforge]

That's a wicked looking cut off hardy. 100/hour was the standard back in the day. Hello tendinitis

[@johngalt969]

Should make some nail tongs.

[@solidhdplays9698]

@alecsteele you should make your own staple gun that would be awesome too see how you'd make one! ❤ everyone like this comment if you'd like to see this!

[@danjennings5068]

lol @14:50 "I'm beginning to feel... starvation" lol was fully expecting a factor dual sponsor.

[@skateboardrll2]

You really nailed it man

[@gaymer5697]

I mean its not quite as simple as that as getting an customer base is often the hardest part of running a business.

[@ParadoxPerspective]

Long ago you made a video where you were swimming and pontificating on what man does, his relation to automation, and the intrinsic nature of his being. The takeaway was that mankind, by our nature, will always endeavor. Though you don't know me, in the time that I've listened to you and observed your journey I've worked in automation and in metallurgy. I've done some amazing things with both, and lived a worthy life. Now, still, despite all the bubbling chaos of the world and human condition that we're now becoming the reluctant custodians of, I can't help but look back on how far we've come. A man makes nails, and there is something beautiful in it.

[@ItzRetz]

150 nails in 3 and a half hours @ 5 pounds per 5 nails = just under 50 pounds an hour. The work might suck, but you'd get super fit doing it and the pay is very generous. 80k pounds a year working 6 hours a day 5 days a week, and you'd only get more and more efficient as time goes on. Doesn't seem like a bad gig if you ask me.

[@zagrososhkosh6105]

Lol you cheeky bugger. You're awesome at doing these small sales. You get them done even though they are time consuming. Excellent work Alec. Love the video.

[@LikeAboss168]

12:02 To celebrate 400 nails I’m gonna make 100 more nails 😂

[@adamkernohan]

Also great insight into what it takes to make one of your videos, great work! Looking out for the next live

[@MiningdragonLP]

a medival blacksmith made 800 to 1200 nails per day. just shows how had they worked

[@pasanaator9874]

Imagine you have to do this 12-14 hours a day, 6 days a week, for years if not decades.

[@kasumach4828]

Yay a video he forges in. 🎉🎉🎉

[@wolfman7123]

Dang, im sad id missed the livestream! i love your livestreams and these kind of video's!!!!

[@BerserkerGang2019]

If you quench them in water they pop right out.

[@woodsplitter]

Pizza with iron supplement 🍕

[@kzarnold3678]

Good times nicely done 👍

[@dutmala]

The live stream was so funny 😂😂

[@mrtnsnp]

"Nailed it".

[@tag180rotax]

Nailed it

[@kf6948]

How many pounds of propane did you use in the giant forge for the tiny 6mm stock?

[@vsupps1]

Those are the runescape nails ever

[@peppa1667]

I wonder how fast blacksmiths in the 1800s could make them nails

[@sodiumchlorid]

you nailed it!!!

[@CNC-Time-Lapse]

I enjoyed listening to the forge in the background whiled I worked during the livestream. It was soothing. lol Please do it again... I think I gave close to 100 bucks in superchats, plus bought 20 nails. lol

[@e.scottdaugherty8291]

Congrats on doing a thing. Well done, bit too ad-ish, entertaining none the less. Cheers.

[@booshmcfadden7638]

@10:00 Alec begins to crack...

[@DreadnaughtGamingNL]

what i would like to know, is what watch alec got on, thats a nice smort thing

[@xXah]

longest squarespace ad ive ever seen

[@geoshark12]

Fun fact square nails work better and are less likely to cause wood splittin

[@matthewd109]

I know I’m months late but it would have been dope to order a 5 pack, if you ever feel the want to do this again save me some.

[@Tommy-ye5vf]

WE WANT THE STEAM POWERED HAMMER !

[@bradclifton5248]

The baby or the big boy?

[@Tommy-ye5vf]

@@bradclifton5248 the big boy xD

[@jamesbizs]

He posts 10 minutes of content every week and we’ve waited 2 weeks lol and he gives us nothing.

[@-keios8170]

Next video idead: how many barns can you build in week

[@CricketsBay]

0.003 barns.

[@PMCAUTOS]

NAIL IT ! 😂

[@ThreeDPrintDesigns]

Love this channel..

[@970357ers]

Simpsons’ bacon grease economics

[@DJBroniXOfficial]

Bros tryna get a bond of the GE irl

[@NoNo-fy3kr]

100 nails in the year 1600 England was worth 4 pence. So.. You would need to make 2500 nails to earn 1 British pound. 1 British pound in 1600 England is the equivalent of £137.88 in 2017 money. (inflation converter only goes up to 2017)

[@KrazyNomadQc]

My forge teacher told me a blacksmith back then could forge 1000 nails a day

[@jamesbizs]

Lol do it every day for 10-40 years? Yeah. You’ll get pretty good

[@bulfin21]

This ad for square space was brought to you by Alex Steel

[@camer5371]

works out to be probvably around $30 an hour leaving about $2 an hour for expenses and food and stuff its probably closer to $20 in total but with an optimistic approach its not bad ngl

[@RSK412]

Eating while working. A tradition here in the US as well. 🤣🤣

[@drl001]

Absolutely love seeing some good old-fashioned blacksmithing. Any chance of more back to basic smithing content on the horizon?

[@Zelmel]

Not gonna lie, if these were cut/punched nails I would have gone super hardcore on trying to buy a lot of them because that's the type that are original to my house and I've had to remove some due to issues with them. (Yeah, I'm totally certain I can get some but it's not THAT big of a deal)

[@CuddleUTube]

is that a normal price for nails? i wonder how much you actually made /hour

[@jeffkeen6943]

I always love Alec in full crazy mode…hugely entertaining…😂

[@PatrickHemmes]

Aah alec back to his roots

[@Unknown_Ooh]

5 pack of nails? Lmao

[@seedless-bud]

Hey Alec, I have seen an old video clip of you SHMAKKING your "BoYz" with the handle of a sledge hammer handle?!?!? was it you???? lol i seen it in a " fail video compilation"

[@samuel_towle]

"That's Like a Dollar an Hour"

[@tennisplayerjoe]

I spy a Texas A&M sticker!

[@TheJocoHills]

Literally OSRS smithing in IRL

[@al-imranadore1182]

Are there any advantage to using hand made nails?

[@DSperformance96]

Anyone knows the brand of his watch?

[@TreeCutterDoug]

I saw the live stream popping off, but didn't have time to join in and watch. Thanks for the recap: Looks like you had a blast!!! Speaking of blast... I've been enjoying energy drinks called Jocko. Sugar free, instead sweetened with monk fruit, and they are a helluva good buzz. No spike or crash like most all of the other drinks on the market. Cheers!

[@corneliuspace3386]

His arm has traveled further than the rest of his body, due to hammering. cool

[@BenLillegard]

Anyone know what brand pants and or belt he is wearing?

[@IanZainea1990]

At 15 seconds per nail, thats 500 in 2h5m. Even if we double it, thats 500 in 4h10m ... Half a day lol

[@01Fratricide]

Curious... Would be cool to see real world 2024 break down of cost for per nail. as if you were to pay skilled works to make 500~1000 nails a day What would be your Furnace fuel cost for that day labor and estimated real world production rate and cost estimations per nail. I realize you make the bank from vid revenue.

[@sloppy.giuseppe3860]

How much does it cost to run the forge all day?

[@jerryjungle5717]

The longest advert I've ever watched

[@HiramJonesjr-dx8tl]

Water and oil

[@stevespieth7101]

Ah lunch. I miss Chef Mic.

[@jasonlib1996]

Meanwhile, a machine has made those 500 nails in about 20 seconds. with no gas, just by smashing a very heavy piston against reels of steel wire

[@staticx2552]

idk but you remind me of a fallout character with like 10 intelligence and strength and i mean that as a compliment haha

[@perttupaavola6174]

Buzzzzzzzzcutttt

[@c.b.7830]

I miss the days of Sam and hammer making.

[@RobertGracie]

This was utterly hilarious when he was forging these on the livestream he really did "Nail it!"

[@crcruz89]

Nearly forgot, how’s the process on the house?

[@ItekTackle]

That is a hard way to make $150... I am guessing on materials and gas for the forge, so I hope the video income surpasses that and makes this worth your while. Great video!

[@DruggiePlays]

💹 live donos, Patreon, ads, selling the nails, KZbin more ad... Absolutely making bank my dude

[@jort93z]

What do you need nails this short for?