Making a Homemade CARABINER from Damascus Steel! Part 1

[@brendanroos7102]

I really want to see Alec make a swiss army knife or a multi-tool with some damascus parts. It would be an interesting and detailed project to dive into, as all of the small tools have unique problems to overcome.

[@KewneRain]

That'd be really cool!

[@rc8rsracer1]

He has made folder knives in the past

[@TitsMcGeester]

@@rc8rsracer1 folders are way easier than multi-tools

[@Thisismycomment.]

Part 289, half way there

[@PaulWinstanleyPhysio]

I've sent this idea to him before! Something I'd love to see!

[@TrackpadProductions]

As a rock climber, I've got to say this is probably the weirdest thing I've gotten excited about in a long, _long_ while.

[@TheColinShowGaming]

Same man

[@JMorris1]

Same

[@tylergrim6166]

As someone who does not rock climb, it's interesting to see a group of people feeling the same uncomfortable excitement, of which I could never imagine

[@alexbernstein1812]

he should send a copy of it to hownot2 lmao

[@living.thealps]

@@alexbernstein1812 thought the same!!

[@Lochlann13]

I've really enjoyed Jaime's increased presence in the videos lately! You guys have a great dynamic, and it reminds me of the Montana days with Will.

[@garyhost354]

OG remember Sam before Alex got rid of him out of greed

[@frankierzucekjr]

Same

[@TheDeepDiveLLC]

I didn't like Will

[@garyhost354]

@@TheDeepDiveLLC I liked will. They had a nice dynamic. Maybe Jamie needs someone else ti run the camera so he can be more involved.

[@yaldnif1438]

I'm sure @HowNot2 would love to break one of these for you to let you know if it holds up to an off the shelf carabiner!

[@pyrojkl]

great suggestion, just saw his channel and that would be a fun collab!

[@Snazzy757]

I was going to add this comment too, would be cool to see the colab

[@steveglotfelty4814]

Yes have How not to Break test it!

[@MV-vv7sg]

I love the recent friendship aspect of the videos. Where the fun between you and Jamie is finally shared with us. Brings so much life and fun to the vids.

[@MV-vv7sg]

@AlecSteele Thanks for liking! I don’t suppose you remember but back in August 2017 I visited your workshop, got a great picture with you with a hammer I could hardly hold! Even managed to spot myself in the back of the Axe forging vid you did that day. Wanted to say thank you so much to you and Jamie that day for the utmost kindness in allowing me to visit. It is a core memory and I cherish it. Feels at home watching you and seeing you back in the N Workshop. You’re a part of my youth and a big part in my adulthood I can only exclaim; Thank you!

[@karrawr9538]

Can confirm, another certified Alec Steele classic

[@Zogg1281]

This is an awesome project, but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to risk my life on a Damascus carabiner! Just a thought, you could kind of turn this into a collaboration project with the youtube channel "Hownot2" as he has an awesome thing where he breaks climbing kit to test how strong it is. You can probably see where I'm going with this....... will you put your Damascus carabiner to the ultimate test of seeing how strong it actually is...... by..... err.... breaking it?!?!?!? Please???

[@dragonixbim5974]

I was thinking the same thing! Let's throw HardIsEasy collab into the mix as well, then we'll have the trifactor!

[@TwelvePaws]

The major axis on most carabina's has a max working load limit of 27kN (2753kgf) The actual test breaking load shoudl be at least 50kN (5098kgf) I very much doubt this decorative piece of work will make it past 10kN before it breaks - given that that the material has been twisted then bent, rather than forged to the shape.

[@Schatzjaeger2]

@@TwelvePaws He tries to build a Petzl Oxan TL which has a 38kN 16kN 15kN rating.

[@En-Beet]

@@TwelvePaws bending and twisting is all part of "forging".

[@TwelvePaws]

@@En-Beet For smithing maybe. Not for industrial applications (Drop forging as an example) when its done in a controlled manner to ensure the grain flow is nice and even for maximum strength. The grain in this piece will be anything but nice. Speaking as an ex metallurgist

[@NickyHendriks]

Very interesting to see you're going for the triact-lock (standing for triple action). It's probably one of the most complex locking systems there is and it is interesting to see what is going on inside as my life depends on them because it is part of my primary industrial climbing gear. And just for some extra info: the snappers aren't allowed in industrial climbing, only locking connectors are which require at least two actions to open.

[@Schatzjaeger2]

Don't tell him about the four way gate... DMM calls it the durolock iirc.

[@telotawa]

can you do a strength test on it? i wanna know if it'd work as climbing gear lol

[@ezri3250]

I'm VERY afraid of using this as climbing gear xD

[@elementalist1984]

I'd imagine it would we stronger than aluminum. However it's also going to be heavier

[@ApocalypseSoldiers]

@@elementalist1984 up until you get a de-lamination or you have airpockets you cant see from the forge weld

[@elementalist1984]

@@ApocalypseSoldiers in which case don't make Damascus steel. I think that the extra weight would cancel out the potential added strength.

[@TheUncleRuckus]

He needs to send it to How Not To Highline and have him break it on his slack snap machine to get a rating.

[@jackhall290]

As a firearms enthusiast, I can say that the locking mechanism is very very just and inside out version of the "roller delayed" operation used in some firearms. You have pins and cam grooves that allow the rotation and unlocking and a spring to reset and lock the mechanism in place. Pretty strong and quite ingenious for how simple it is when you know what you're trying to achieve.

[@ike8236]

I forgot the guys channel but there's a blacksmith in the US that makes flintlock rifles, they're pretty amazing.

[@couragios]

Mate .. Alec manages to actually kill 2 stones with one bird ... he really is something :D

[@qem14]

Ok i thought i was the only one who heard it

[@justin00ish]

I love these build series's!!! This is the type of stuff other Blacksmith channels just aren't doing! And he's so fun and entertaining to watch!

[@justin00ish]

@alecsteele8028 FAKE

[@MakeEverything]

Seeing what is inside that spring lock got me really excited to see you remake it. I love this series of forged tools!

[@hpphinatic]

this series of homemaking tools and other things is my favorite thing youve done on this channel in a while! keep it up! super interesting and a nice departure from the knives and swords etc.

[@pumello]

Hey Alec, thanks to you i got inspired to start studying blacksmithing. Ive been taking classes with a master blacksmith since august last year. Thanks! :)

[@outsidestuff5283]

So stoked to see you doing climbing gear!! A belay plate would be cool too

[@IRONMAIANI]

Damascus belay plate or figure 8 would be sick!

[@Dexter_Morgan.]

You should send one of these to Ryan from HowNot2 so we can see how strong it really is

[@kensmith8832]

We want another Jamie video! It was the best laugh in weeks!

[@swimdude2113]

As a note, wire gate doesn't necessarily mean cheap, and are commonly used in climbing (sport and trad). That said, if you're using a non-locking carabiner for climbing, only use it for appropriate applications (don't use it for belaying) and only buy reputable brands that are rated to be load bearing. And always inspect your gear regularly!

[@MV-vv7sg]

Love the new narrative of Jamie fixing all Alex’s problems in each episodez

[@MV-vv7sg]

As an idea Alec I’d love you to do a series of time lapses of the sanding down of blocks of Damascus patterns. By time lapsing the precise removal of layers you’d see a video of the pattern move through the block of steel. You could even overlay its whole volume so it looks like a cross section layer is moved through rather than the actual block reducing in size. Just an idea I think would look great! All be it a lot of waisted material.

[@pracowniaprojektowroznych]

few years ago ... its about 5 years i made one carabiner for my friend. It was only with threaded mechanism. I just thread on one end, bend the body to my shape and attached the extended nut but i remove the thread from nut on lets say not threaded side of body. Was fun and works easily ;) Good luck with next step. And good job!

[@michaelwillson6847]

So not just Damascus hard enough in itself but twisted Damascus nice! 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@GrimmsDeath]

My suggestion would of been instead of milling down the bar at the start of the video, you could of drew it out and then made several as you need several plus if had messed up, it would give you back up material. As we saw with the Katar, you can always remove material but you can't put it back.

[@Oli4vn]

It’s needed to get the pattern to look good I think

[@squidge903]

*have

[@1draigon]

i cant be the only one that has no idea about forging, and is only here for the beautiful filmmaking and the humor?

[@dim1723]

The last episode was lots of fun! Corporate should give him a promotion! Well a free gift is just as good sometimes!

[@francobuzzetti9424]

3:00 the confident and awe in the words when you said "nobody knows how this works" made me laugh so hard

[@trentens991]

It's been a while since I've seen anything from Alec, glad to see it hasn't changed

[@PPedroFernandes]

Alec and Damascus, name a more iconic duo

[@jonathonbaker5107]

I have an idea for a vid I thought you might like, a Damascus Swiss Army knife with like 5 gold outs, but each fold out and the parts all made of a different pattern of Damascus so like 2 blades, a saw, a can opener , and screw driver ? Sounds like a fun video 😊

[@sharknatho2406]

intro editing is spot on!

[@Fiachrakelly2011]

4:55 two stones with one bird😂

[@gregiep]

You both burning yourself on the carabiner, seconds apart, was legendary.

[@dfgaJK]

I love that there reaction was the same! "F**k me, that's Hot!! "

[@jacobthornock317]

Jamie's impressions were funny as can be. Glad he is reinstated

[@matthewwilson9749]

Slag coming off of the billet is one of the most satisfying things

[@rileyemerson]

I couldn’t help but notice that when he was talking out the different kinds of carabiners he left out the most important one, the magnetron

[@Paradigm7977]

I'm excited to see this come together

[@patrickvaugn897]

I'd like to see a demonstration of kerosene an oxidation inhibitor for forge welding. Its supposed to burn off in the forge leaving the steel coated in carbon suet

[@WTFmike98]

Make a Damascus shovel next please, that whould be amazing

[@edoliver4174]

Thank you for getting back to actually making stuff and showing how you do it.

[@benjocharlie]

You have no idea how happy this makes me! I double dare you to make a cam next 😊

[@rubenmllerklattschou2941]

At 4:55 "We're going to kill two stones with one bird" - had me in tears

[@aamingujar]

Me too 🤣🤣🤣

[@dylant.wisneski5293]

PLEASE send your carabiner to HowNot2 in California, they can break test it the way they have all other carabiners and you can find out how you stack up!!!

[@MiGWar82]

Alec I'm so glad you got over that cold you sounded a bit under the weather last video

[@bestbladerevah]

look into inheritance machining, he has been my go to for machining videos since This Old Tony hasn't been posting much. he probably knows how to do the innards perfectly

[@freqenc]

Make sure your spring is "wider"/bigger than the shaft it is surrounding so it can rotate! You're actually "slimming"/tightening the spring when you rotate it.

[@freqenc]

This will become an issue later on, I feel it!

[@michaelcherokee8906]

There's something so entertaining about hearing people who you never hear swearing being bleeped when they pick up something hot.

[@jakeirwin8433]

you're the only youtuber i religiously watch man! i love your content

[@gustavobroglio5873]

As a climber and a long time viewer of the channel, I'm really excited for the conclusion!

[@Flying0Dismount]

Remember the carabiners are not just rated for tensile strength but also for shock loading ie, if you fall. Therefore make sure you heat treat the carabiner and not leave it in the soft state otherwise a fall will likely just bend it back open.. The gate in the carabiner is also responsible not just for keeping the ropes inside, but also contributes to the strength of the carabiner (which is why they have two specified strength ratings: one for gate open and one for gate closed). The shape of the carabiner is also designed to work with the gate, so I'd try to make the shape as accurate as possible... But it's your life....

[@ThatGuy-ou4ev]

Alec needs to try making a katar again, don't give up on projects!

[@JossWaddy]

Idea for a one video quickie: A shaker for your flux like you get with icing sugar, to get a more well spread sprinkle of flux. shake it over a metal bowl and you'll catch what misses your work material.

[@miguelangelmartinezgarcia9682]

I'm from Spain, so for that, I'll write in Spanish, you can translate this. Los mosquetones se clasifican por su forma. Cada tipo de mosquetón se usa para una determinada maniobra según su forma: HMS nudo dinámico, ovalado para poleas y polipastos, segmento K para vía ferrata, mosquetones de escalada para chapar rápido.

[@Miner49er1]

Next time you come to the States, hit me up. I explore abandoned mines and would absolutely love to explore some with you two! This was a wickedly cool project!

[@BassMatt1972]

@Alec Steele as carabiniers are "load rated", how does "load rating" work, and how do they "guarantee" the quality and strength of rigging stuff like that? Any ideas? How does "steel hardness" get affected while forging? Is there a secret or some test while forging as to how hard your steel is?

[@ryangross5446]

Yess. The rock climber in me never knew i needed this video

[@johnny-wm4uo]

If it weren't for the weight, I would definitely use this for rock climbing. This carabiner is so thick, I have no doubt it will hold more than 20 kN. With a half decent gate I would reckon it can hold more than 40 kN.

[@brentkeller3826]

Jaime is trying to destroy and replace you! "I can become him if I wear his skin!" Wait, this is why Alec's been using Red Dykem! He's already been replaced! It's all a huge conspiracy! (Keep up the good work, someone collect up the channel lore)

[@razinhailsharp]

Lore? Time to call MatPat and get a Theory going!

[@BraxxJuventa]

Thanks for this video Alec. 👍😁

[@xx_faded_bacon_xx9112]

If this project is a success, would you ever consider selling these. A Damascus carabiner is something I’d love to own and it would be a huge flex!

[@maffiozo12345]

Go to the DMM factory in Wales and 'borrow' some of their carabiner blanks for reference

[@slightlyagricultural]

Was also going to suggest Alec try to get into the factory in Llanberis - I had the tour many years ago and it's a fascinating place. They're fairly media savvy so might be up for it? Pretty sure they have the test rigs to put this though its paces and compare the results against their own kit.

[@ziggythecartoon]

I'm so hooked on the video/music timing of your videos. I love the editing!

[@SabertoothDeathmouse]

The irony of the lathe breaking after maintenance, just after the last video had Jamie making fun of Alec for having a broken lathe caused by bad maintenance

[@elliott8385]

the absolute unhinged energy in the last few vids is really giving me life

[@ThomasKiehl]

I know this is part 1 of a new project, by my vote for the next one is a fancy damascus Whirly-pop stovetop popcorn maker.

[@balke7935]

Wonder how this performs… would be a cool video if you could pressure test, or maybe drop test too… I’d love to know how many KN this could take. There are channels that you could send it to and they’d do it for you 100%

[@chrissynen]

0:19 yep this video is getting a thumbs up

[@OperationDarkside]

I'm not enterly sure, why Alec doesn't use a pipe-like jig to twist damascus rods. What I imagine is: A thick walled pipe with an "arm" welded to one side, so it can be attached to a vice or the table. For bonus points attach the pipe with bolts for different diameter pipes and flare out one end of the pipe to make damascus insertion less stressful. If you want to keep the damascus hot for longer, drill holes into the pipe and point a torch at it. So unless an uneven twist is desired, this should provide a more reliable solution and shorten the time between heating and twisting.

[@elementalist1984]

Can't wait for part 2

[@greggwllms]

I know the chances are slim but if you guys are ever in Texas and want to do some caving let me know!

[@FixitFred]

You should contact the UK based DMM Wales Climbing equipment company and have them torture test it. Also a factory tour of their foundry would be amazing to see

[@BriceWilson]

Super fun build idea.

[@chaintheguardien]

dye penetrant test. make sure there are no micro cracks if you are going to test this even just climbing your workshop wall

[@thebeardeddove]

Having been to DDM's factory and seen how carabiners are made, I am very excited to see how you make it without a giant press

[@anonymous-jo3dl]

I love your project 😍 can't wait to see next part, Alec ❤️ from 🇧🇩

[@patchvonbraun]

Jamie's impression of you was nothing short of brilliant, all things considered. I just finished taking a "working at heights" course. Home-made carabiners? Yeah, not gonna happen on a job site, that's for sure ;)

[@Madmaddieiscraycray]

Surely the prayer to the delamination gods should end, 'Lamin'

[@Pasghettios1]

I'm now convinced that Jamie is messing with things so that he can come in at the last moment and look like a hero lol

[@Ian-te9io]

I really like watching your videos ! It's a shame there won't be anymore after you try using this karabiner in the real world. ,😁

[@witchdoctor6502]

looking forward to stress test once it is done

[@JC-ck4wk]

Professional Tree climber here, I use these bad boys every day! Pretty excited for this build series!

[@shadowofchaos8932]

Part 12, still working on the springs.

[@jayspencer66]

I am a Firefighter and use 'biners' a lot. Always wondered the exact mechanics behind how they worked, thank you for the illumination.

[@airuiz2]

@alec knows how to" kill two stones with one bird" 5:05 confirms it lol 😆 😄 🤣. Nice job on this project!

[@robertmathurin739]

🤣😂🤣😂🇱🇨👍🏼♥️

[@Ludix147]

You should send this to that KZbin channel that tests climbing gear when you're done!

[@TimothyHall13]

Oh yeah!!! Thanks Alec!!!

[@RPSchonherr]

Time to learn how to do drop forging Alec.

[@sempi8159]

Triple lock aswell i like IT!

[@Rouverius]

Winner, winner, carabiner!

[@TheDartsReferee]

Hi Alec, could you make a video making a set of Damascus darts? I think they would look super cool etched. If you did, I’d love to do a video trying to hit a 180 with them on my channel. Really enjoy your videos 👌🎯

[@meech2163]

Question for any rock climbers who know metal, will the different layers of the Damascus prove to be a danger over time? Like if one of the types of metal is worn down quicker over time, allowed for more rough edges that could end with the rope being cut. I know even just a normal carabiner can do that if it’s old enough and not taken care of enough.

[@FuzzYBunnY211]

At this point I’m convinced this is actually Jamie’s channel, Alec is a paid actor and Jamie is bored of Alec breaking everything 😂😂

[@Sam-yd6]

Can’t wait to watch 10 parts of this over 3 month for him to f it up

[@Matt-ob8gj]

You should make a bolt action .22lr!

[@Heaffey1]

i dont care about cars but i love top gear. similar to the 3 years ive been watching you. its the fun u have with will/jamie MORE! (take a poll to see what people are watching for)

[@christopherblake3190]

This guy needs to reach out to How not to, a climbing channel that tests gear. Id love to see these on the droptower

[@ronitjagdale6491]

2:22 most normal people before meeting someone these days 😂😂

[@aaron_r6611]

I'm interested whether or not it'll be strong enough, either way it'll look cool

[@buidelrat132]

Sweet, let's try some gold inlay again on this ten part series 😘

[@justicejyles4013]

Love the Videos.