How to Forge Bevels on a Blade - The Right Way !

In this video Ilya shows you the ins and outs of forging bevels on a blade. Using a tamahagane blade made from traditional bloom from Japan as his demo piece he gives you a step by step of how to forge a blade. Everything from how to swing the hammer to proper anvil stance for bladesmiths and blacksmiths alike. He makes a Japanese style blade, but this technique is good across all cultures of blades.
Secrets and tips from pro craftsmen for you to expand your skill sets.
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Videos Shot, Produced and edited by - Matt Stagmer
Co-producer Ilya Alekseyev
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#forging #knifemaking #bevels

[@ThatWorks]

Thanks for watching this episode of -Your Edge- and thanks to Ilya Alekseyev for sharing this awesome knowledge with us. Be sure to leave a comment telling us what topic you want us to cover on the next episode !

[@generalyyy]

I have an idea for next or one of the future episodes. I would love to watch video of You guys talk about steel, i mean which steel is good for knives, which is good for swords, tools, axes etc.with pointing the properities of those steels, and maybe temperatures. It doesnt need to be full AAA grade episode with fountains and fireworks, simple vlog would be just right for this. Thanks for all those lessons and knowledge and experience You share with us :)

[@David-kd5mf]

Anthracite nut coal vs charcoal vs blacksmithing coal vs wood vs propane for heating metal would make good video

[@rafaelvasconcelos8889]

I wish i have infinitys likes buttons for this video. Please, make more of those.

[@patricioberasategui7429]

I want to learn how to have a razor sharp edge with natural waterstone

[@timjackson5555]

Why the water on anvil before forging?

[@bpcaboutpconapc5461]

Thanks for the Vid.... finally someone else that does what my Granddad did. He also had a small wedge set on a stump rest near the Anvil, he'd use to start different project types with different angles. I remember him saying "start the hammer and the hand will follow". sure enough your work hold hand follows in line pretty quickly. he used to say drawing it out lightens the edge and leaves less material for filing, that fine for finer work its not much good for blades. he also used to say "work it only as much as your eye sees" usually he'd follow with " see it right at the start, in the end you'll see it please the heart" . He was so skilled.

[@mattthescreamer177]

The demonstration with the wood was mind blowing, absolute game changer for me. Holy cow thank you so much for making such quality content. I am binge watching your channel now to see what else I'm missing

[@adamparker9765]

As someone who had to change my hammering technique because of tennis elbow , I can't tell you how much you're right about relaxing the arm. Took a solid six months to recover because I was constantly re injuring it till I changed how tense my arm was . I suppose I was just trying to use more power in my swing , but it really isn't necessary and quite detrimental . All good now and teaching roughly 90 students a year for the last 6 years. The basics are really so important.

[@elirobertson2324]

amazing how the body can experience an injury, and then the mind moves forward with the tension as part of its character ...sort of recreating that tension

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

Personally, I'm very interested in metal engraving, and would love to learn how to do it traditionally, by hand. But the only tools I can find are Dremmel-like mechanical engravers. Traditionally, craftsmen would make their own, so would be cool to see a video on Ilia and his engraving tools, and maybe how to make them.😉

[@paul-emilefrancois3731]

Michael Berthelsen they did a video about engraving

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

@@paul-emilefrancois3731 I know, I was hoping on a more detailed video on how to make the tools. I can't find anything locally, and online it's almost impossible to find the tools, since they're crowded out by Dremmel clones. So a video on how to make your own would be cool.

[@julianitama468]

this. after talking to some more experienced engravers it turned out that there's really only one place in north America that teaches metal engraving, and apparently alot the people who come out of that academy are extremely insular and don't like sharing those skills, so there aren't a lot of easy to find resources out there. a video dedicated to the shape/geometry of different gravers would be great.

[@Sebastian-ed5kt]

@@julianitama468 Ilya did a quick show of his engravers previously here, you may have to search but I think it is in his video to his Bladeshow sword where he is engraving

[@julianitama468]

@@Sebastian-ed5kt I know, I've seen it. it was a good display of technique, but other than briefly saying (paraphrase) "I made these; this one does this, that one does that. blyat." he didn't go into the materials/construction/geometry of a good graver. Just from talking to engravers after the fact, its obvious to me that a lot of information was left out on that end.

[@fluxbe2737]

I'm super thankful to all the KZbin creators that lend their knowledge of blacksmithing and knife making. It's how I learned to make demascus knives!

[@henrymonroy9533]

I really appreciate that you are so good at explaining and demonstrating PROPER techniques.

[@budove58]

I learned more in this one video than all of the other videos I've watched combined.

[@ronaldmarsh7025]

Another great video. I watch these mainly to learn and sadly a lot of other channels have moved into a more entertainment driven style, ones which formerly focused on learning and teaching. These are still very entertaining, but its nice to have a channel that helps drive the community forward in such an active way.

[@ianlowe4666]

'cough' Alec Steele? 'cough' 'cough'...

[@ThatWorks]

Ian Lowe I’d say he used to teach a lot in his videos but not nearly as much lately.

[@ianlowe4666]

@@ThatWorks He's the only one I could think of off the top of my head who now does significantly less 'educational' material. I was familiar with Brian's work before Alec popularised it but Alec has always been more prolific on the media side of things. Fair play to him, he's making a living. You lads have gone the opposite way though it seems and deserve much credit for doing so as far as I'm concerned. All about the edamucation :)

[@ronaldmarsh7025]

I honestly think that Illya is gifted at teaching while Alec is not. While Alec can and has taught, the ability seems more of a trained thing while Illya makes it seem natural. This has been a big difference for me and I have learned more within the vastly less content. If I had the means I would definately take a class taught by Illya.

[@rbessuges]

@@ronaldmarsh7025 Alec is 23 yo, so maybe we can grant him some time to become a master for others, when in the time being he's already an inspiration for everyone.

[@veteranironoutdoors8320]

Thank you guys so much for teaching the technique! And I would love to see an in depth of making bloom steel and refining it.

[@stevesyncox9893]

Veteran Iron&Wood check out Al Pendray and Ric Furrors.

[@DFloyd84]

The protagonist of a book I'm writing is an apprentice to a master blacksmith, so the tools and techniques you're describing and demonstrating in this series and on this channel in general are a great resource for my work.

[@limj5543]

Derek Floyd what’s the book called would love to give it a read?

[@stevesyncox9893]

Better give a character a name that honors the Master....😜

[@ghostcraft9343]

How’s the book coming?

[@jandastroy]

Swinging a hammer is all about creating that moment of inertia where you want whatever you're hitting to move, be it steel, a nail, or whatever you're hitting. It's nice to see someone demonstrate that clearly love your style Ilya

[@bktfrank]

19:37 "Let's go to the *chalkboard* and take a look" made the next cut so hillarious.

[@evanscott4323]

Valuable information for sure. Proper technique is the key to longevity. I sure see a lot of crazy hammer styles out there in forge land. And the bending over thing...hoo boy. I'm goin' on thirty years of full time work in the shop now, and the only thing that makes my arm sore is working cold iron. Great vid.

[@schoolsout15]

THANK YOU: Now I understand why the first blade I tried forging came out looking like an odd fishing knife. If you could cover distal tapers, that would be beyond helpful.

[@Excalibur-je5pk]

Same. Proper distal tapers look so good but for the life of me I just cannot lol

[@gavinclark6891]

Ilya is such a wizard with smithing.

[@psylegio]

Thank you for producing in dept content! Thank you so much! Forging that wood - brilliant way of showing your point! I learned some new stuff here!

[@analog56x]

Ilya slays myths and provides techniques for staying in the game. what a great show, and an amazing teacher! cheers guys!

[@TheKenpachiZaraki13]

In your description of holding your hammer makes me think as a drummer of how we hold our drumm sticks. We pinch them with our first 2 fingers and thumb and use our other 2 and pamb as bump guides

[@BrokenWar46]

another thing I've heard is, just like a drumstick, to not death grip the hammer and to let it bounce

[@EvilSewnit]

@@BrokenWar46 very true

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Yes, that's more or less true of holding everything from drumsticks to hammers to knives to even baseball bats. The "death grip" thing *will* injure your joints sooner or later, and those kind of injuries never really heal up right. People think they have to force the thing; but it's really more about just guiding it smoothly.

[@richardlindsey5341]

This is awesome, I really appreciate a master of his trade passing his knowledge and skills on to amateur such as myself. The posture part has really made a big difference for me. Thank you so much for your time.

[@lanettekarner]

I've watched countless blade forging videos and I have to say, this video was more useful to me than all the others combined. Thank you.

[@ericcartrette6118]

In my experience, there are very few people out there that teach how to properly use a hammer. As a result, I developed bad habits that are threatening to take me out of the forge. Thanks for the explanation! I am working to correct my posture and swing. Hopefully when I have the money, you will have more hammers in stock. I WANT ONE!

[@gushlergushler]

As a physiotherapist I would advise you to get medical help early, the more you delay chronic problems the worse they become and early beginning of treatment can prevent problems spiraling out of control.

[@ericcartrette6118]

@@gushlergushler Yeah, I've seen an Orthopedic specialist. I have rehab exercises that I have to do. If things don't get bwtter, I'll be seeing him again soon.

[@gushlergushler]

@@ericcartrette6118 Good luck!

[@flyingpigforge]

FWIW, I would like to offer another opinion from being a farrier/blacksmith for 37 years. I've found that if I keep my shoulder, elbow and wrist in the same plane I have fewer soft tissue issues. When I move my elbow away from my body to the side i get a compound arc that gives me tennis elbow, yet I could still hammer with my elbow in. I also set my anvil at a height I can stand upright and move easily around as I use the edge, horn and face for different effect... but then, I'm no knife maker, either.

[@Curtislow2]

Some people ar nature instructors An Ilya you are one of the best.

[@GreenBeetle]

Nice video ty! My experience with milled steel is that the reduction in saber curving with this technique is not a pronounced as it is here in bloom steel. Is that your experience or am I doing it wrong? Thanks.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I can't say for 100%, but your observation seems correct. Because mill steel doesn't have that "stringy" "loose" grain to it in the first place. I enjoy your videos, by the way.

[@Thechemist777]

Awesome video guys! Thanks

[@dasnurk]

Absolutely invaluable advice, thanks Ilya!!!

[@vanloockeaxel3622]

I started forging a month ago and I had some trouble forging my bevels. Thanks for your job guys !

[@agentzier4443]

Watched this over the weekend and just tried the compression technique that was shown. Wanted to come back and say how amazing this worked...so much easier and with a much straighter blade Instead if the sabering before...thank you

[@daveycodfish5584]

Hi guys! Thanks for the awesome vid! And thank you Ilya! I always learn so much from you guys! Please please please keep them coming!

[@rybaneightsix5085]

That initial explanation and demonstration was great. And confirmed what I have suspected for a long time. Absolutely love your videos.

[@hectorvelazquez9367]

A great video! That make a lot of sense. Thank you!

[@mandamados]

Ilya you are a forging scientist !!!

[@dadsfriendlyrobotcompany]

This is excellent. When I was forging my first double bevel dagger, I was chasing the snake and was constantly looking out for the trapezoidal cross section. It was a handful.

[@RovingPunster]

Love that analogy ... chasing the snake. 😃

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I have often wondered, half-jokingly, if maybe that's how the kris design was invented... perhaps a bladesmith was having trouble with all that and just decided, "Fine, screw it, this dagger is going to be curvy." :p

[@hankatmaggies8819]

@Dogslobber gardens lol 😂

[@88nzmike]

One of the best videos on forging!~ thank alots

[@normanbayona4636]

I'm so glad I stumbled onto this video. It's unfortunate how in the current age of KZbin, content creators that can drown the subscription feed come out on top, and I hadn't seen this video until 2 years later. I'm noticing that the idea of whipping your tool into materials is likely a universal impact tool technique, whether using a hammer, an axe, or even a baseball bat. Thanks again!

[@bliblablubb9590]

This one and the bone carving videos were my absolut favourites on this channel. I really like the new concept you guys are trying out.

[@jaredpaddick5879]

This was so helpful and informative! Thanks for all this freely given knowledge. You guys are great!

[@genedavis759]

Great instructional on fundamentals ! Thanks !

[@TokyoCraftsman]

I found this very interesting and you really show the technique well, thank you. I'm no blacksmith or knife maker, but I find it all very interesting to watch. One day if I ever can convince my lovely wife to move out of downtown Tokyo, I'd like to set up a blacksmith shop. I have often wondered how smiths of old formed the bevel on knives or swords. What I see so many smiths do these days is to grind the bevel into the blade blank, fair enough they are working with modern steel and have access to belt grinders etc, I'm sure if smiths of old had access to belt grinders they would use them in a heartbeat too, but like I said, they did not, so how did they make the bevel. This explanation makes complete sense to me, and the maybe not obvious difference between compressing and pinching is now clear to me. Your tips on hammering technique are great. Thanks for the instructive video, I subbed. Cheers from Tokyo!

[@kylebakner2119]

Thank you! Awesome video. Explains "Edge Packing" in a way I've never seen before.

[@justinbackiney]

Baltimore knife and sword has greatly improved my metalworking in so many ways! Thanks for the awesome videos and please keep it up

[@Paulsinke]

so much learned from one video, thanks!

[@dabforge5731]

Awesome informative video! Thanks man

[@sankojin]

Thank you so much for this video! I have watched tons of videos on forging blades and what I just learned from watching it was so very helpful. Thank you, Ilya for taking the time and doing this.

[@NordicEdge]

Great video, thanks guys!

[@samchapple6363]

Excellent. I’ve been following the advice and this expanded version is very helpful. Thank you!!

[@thomaseskelsen1362]

Cool and informative. Thanks guys, I love this channel!

[@alexkatsaros6180]

Great lesson Ilya! I have learned a lot that you!

[@Castaway_glass]

This is one of the best instructional videos I have ever seen, the demonstration was very helpful in explaining the physics at play. Thank you for putting so much attention to detail into this video 🙏

[@apachegypsy88-98]

Amazing video! Thank u guys so much for making these videos! Keep them coming👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽✊🏽

[@rodneylangstroth4577]

Awesome man. I'm self taught in forging and knife making. This is just the direction I need. Thank you

[@nathanshaw6303]

Excellent video!! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@amishplumber4251]

Very valuable information. Thank you for sharing. The correct art of blacksmithing can only live on if people like you keep on sharing information like this.

[@congruewoodworks1474]

There is so much useful information here for a beginner like me. Thank you so much!

[@mikebrant97]

I love these guys you do such great work

[@gustavoalmeida624]

Love this kind of content. Especially the posture and way of taking care on using a proper form to preserve your health.

[@rodneylangstroth4577]

I've watched this video several times. I keep learning more each time, and am now teaching my students this method. Thanks for the awesome tutorial, Ilya

[@rodneylangstroth4577]

I've watched this episode several times, and keep learning. I really appreciate your sharing this with me. My technique is improving greatly compared to 6 months ago. And now I'm sharing it with others who want to learn bladesmith techniques. Thank you very much Ilya

[@jondrud3742]

GREAT video! Please make more 🥺

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

Thank you very much for this! I've only done a small amount of forging many years ago, but my instructor taught me these same techniques. It's refreshing to see and hear you explain this. Prior to learning that, I was a carpenter for many years. I learned early on from my father that properly gripping and swinging a hammer (properly gripping and using any tool) was of the utmost importance.

[@wandervanhoucke4331]

Thanks for another video guys!

[@andrewoperacz7427]

Awesome technique/beveling video. I really appreciate the time you take to show all of us Ilya and Matt!!!🤘🏼🔥🤘🏼🔥

[@Hogbellylife]

Your videos are amazing and very helpful! Thank you kind sir!

[@egyptwns89_26]

As always, it’s great to see you guys are still going.

[@hacktheplanetzc]

This was very informative. Thanks, Ilya.

[@Snit369]

thanks for the video, it was very good!

[@raymondraptorclaw2901]

Thank you very much for teaching me this technique! It answered all of my questions: best fuel, making a blade properly, and efficient hammer form.

[@shatersphere11]

Thank you very much for the in depth teaching and the concepts behind it. I've been practicing blade forging for about 1 year and for the most part I've just been grinding in the bevels but to me that is the easy way out and I wont always have a grinder at my disposal. I like to learn to do things correctly the more difficult ways then learn the ways I can make it easier while still correct.

[@jorgegonzalez-pv8mv]

A true Master !!!!

[@adamnurdin8224]

Thank you Ilya for the enlightment.

[@williamhart4896]

Thanks Ilya your letting the tool do the job not forcing your body to get it done . Thanks for sharing this information

[@chrisparasiuk]

Thanks for an amazing tutorial! I'll definitely be using these techniques to adjust my beveling

[@mictaylor9531]

Fantastic video - thanks 👌🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@darrenwidas2473]

Awesome. I accidentally used this technique but didn’t understand what was happening, now I know. Thank you!

[@deligneeric6804]

Excellent, finally good explanations on how and why properly use a Hammer.

[@lukefeitner2651]

This is an awesome video I look forward to learning more blacksmithing techniques from you

[@christospapakostas8405]

One of the best videos (if not the best) on forging technique that i've watched so far. Thank you for sharing this information

[@mountainwolf1]

Thank you very much Ilya and matt for making this video sometime ago. This had and has improved my technique greatly in no only blades but in everything I forge godbless and be well.

[@mikegibson7977]

Thank you so much , your explanation was very helpful and your methodical easy to understand teaching style is appreciated !

[@damienday864]

Very informative episode, Ilya you a master of the craft and I thank you.

[@briancapell8442]

Excellent teacher .thanks

[@chewher4171]

Very educational. I love the way he explained it and modeled the wrong way first and pointed out all the mistakes. Then he showed the right way. That way we can compare the two.

[@johnphilipllegado9413]

Now this is worth watching. Thanks for the information. You guys are my inspiration to make knives..

[@AngrodPalantir]

The best tutorial made ever.

[@Adam-ie3cf]

By far one of the best videos I've watched. I watched this while my forge was heating up to start a new project. The better technique was obvious immediately. Thank you

[@designink]

Excellent excellent excellent, you make it very understandable! Thank you so much.

[@brucecampbellforpresident1393]

Thank you very much this helped a lot.

[@dakota-joel7590]

As always very informative and educational. Previously I've avoided forging my bevels because the blade would get twisted as well as curve horribly. I hope to try some more of these techniques soon!

[@evank7113]

Fantastic informative vid Thankyou

[@markheppleston478]

This is exactly what I wanted to learn! Thank you brother!

[@tntchitwood]

Thanks for the tips, tried them today, worked great!

[@kellynalley2251]

Very informative. I like the way you explain things. Thank you so much for being on KZbin you are awesome Kelly Forge.

[@BigOlHogie]

I enjoy watching you. I mess around with metal work and the knowledge you have is so old style. Your one of the best in my book.

[@jamesspry3294]

Awesome stuff! I love this stuff about the right techniques. It's like an apprenticeship with a blacksmith.

[@southernblueblood5402]

This is the best blacksmith video I have seen by far, you explained clearly and simply. The camera shots and angles were up close and can see everything, thank you Ilya your instruction is the best I have seen.

[@stepstone9021]

I really appreciate you're instruction...makes perfect sense...thanks

[@ArgenioAndrew]

Great job helping people Way to serve

[@dyemondeye]

I have been watching for awhile and this is is very helpful because I have been trying to get into forging and you are teaching me the right way thank you

[@suminagum6605]

Excellent video I learned the proper technique for a beginner as I am. 👍

[@danthemakerman]

You are a great teacher.