I Bought Amazon Blacksmithing Tools

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:
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AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS TO GEAR I LIKE, buying here supports us:
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[SkiesEye]

Roughly 8 years ago i got into doing blacksmithing. And thankfully i had found this scrappy kid on Youtube from England who did blacksmithing videos teaching all he has learnt for free!! It's been an awesome ride Alec- and Jamie! Legends 🔥 The value of these videos goes beyond mere content. You are a great Teacher mate.

[walnutforge]

I got into blacksmithing during covid, and if I remember correctly, tools like these had just barely hit the market and were still quite expensive. I ended up building my own forge and modifying a harbor freight hammer with Alec's instructions. Now I've made several of my own square circle rounding hammers that I use almost daily. All of that is thanks to Alec. Good information is one of the most important tools you can have.

[Zhinzhu]

i like how he actually tries to make these items work like adding brick to close off the furnace and grinding the hammer, etc. instead of like other reviewers saying this sucks because its not perfect right out of the box.

[Orillion]

I love that the tiny baby anvil, that was at first glance dismissed as a door stop, ended up being the best out of the three.

[Juanni]

11:30 I totally agree. I recently got into lockpicking because there was a sale from a certain youtuber’s lockpick tool store. After looking at different reviews, I noticed that especially for something that requires learning fine motor skills and using feedback from the tools to learn what happened, good tools are vital for beginners. It allows you to know that it was something you did wrong and can improve on so you know to not blame the tools.

[JoshP_Exotics]

Alec you a huge reason why people can now buy these tools on amazon. You have introduced so many people to the art.

[crazypedia]

12:09 Alec just rediscovered why apprenticeships and workshops for the public are important

[LogicalNiko]

Just for reference VEVOR is a mega warehousing/logistics firm for all sorts of Chinese manufacturing businesses. They originally just started about 20 years before handling tools, they just looked at western purchasing demand data and then find manufacturers that make those products. They then handle all the import, translation, labeling regulations needed. They then just expanded that general way beyond the tool market.

The one side effect of that is they don’t have any specific quality benchmark across their products. So sometimes it’s great amazing products, pretty much identical to the ones sold under other brands (because they are from the same factories), but other times they are just ultra cheap and poorly designed versions.

[shockwave]

I think the TV show Forged In Fire really set off a chain reaction of making more and more people try out blacksmithing and the more interest there is in something, the cheaper the good tools get.

[Czeslaw_cntv]

Just wanted to say that my career path of being a merchant ended and I'm finding a lot of joy actually making stuff recently, be it refurnishing my flat, designing and printing stuff, learning to cook or recently delving into "robotics", all while I live off my savings and figure out what to do next. I may not take up blacksmithing but I really appreciate that there are so many creators out there sharing their passion. It really means a lot to get inspired at no cost when you're a bit lost in life. And thank you for supplying me with my daily dose of Britishness.

[alexo]

I remember when i was young hearing others say “A craftsman does not blame his tools.”, then when i was in my 20’s a real craftsman telling and showing me yes that is true but a craftsman also has the the right tool and the best quality tools for the job. There is a time and place for a cheap tool but a well designed and made tool takes you so much farther.

[pahowitzer]

My sister bought me a blacksmithing class for my birthday and I loved it. Now for Christmas she bought me a anvil, hammers, tongs, and a single burner forge. I can't wait to get started.

[mooseitself]

First time I did any blacksmithing I used a hole in the ground, some bricks, charcoal, leafblower, a piece of railroad track for an anvil and needlenosed pliers and a big ole claw hammer.

I made an iron sword out of a barn door hinge and I still have it 20 years later.

[aaronvining]

12:00 ABSOLUTLEY. Like buying cheap handplanes for wood working vs buying an old stanley and restoring it

[jmi]

A recommendation for anyone who is going to cover the wool: Compressing insulation reduces it’s functionality. To reduce this, get some thin wood scrap (1/4 in or so) and fix it in front of the wool. Use that to lay out the cement. The wood will burn out and turn to charcoal (which will further insulate it). This will keep your wool expanded.

[thereal_wertzui]

I find it funny what big role vevor plays in this video. For those who don‘t know, Vevor is a chinese company whose stock includes, as Linus Tech Tips says it:“whatever the hell they felt like making“

[BlackHoleForge]

16:56 so what I've learned is, if you buy an anvil off of amazon, make sure to get several grinder discs as well. 😂

[sturdybutter]

Genuinely super stoked for this video. Not just black smithing tools but any sort of specialized trade tools now seem to be sold on amazon and have always made me wonder….

[neilyakuza]

I bought one of those anvils at Primcess Auto in Canada. The Anvil was a 110 lb weight. I ended up buying the floor model because the rebound on the ball bearing and hammer test was really good compared to the other three that were still in the box. The anvils in the boxes had the same problem as you showed on the large anvil in the video, soft in the middle of the face. Quality control really varies with these anvils for sure.

[fredfchopin]

Wish that they were still making the Mr Volcano forges. I got the double burner one of those and I've been using it for a year or so and it's been great. Still had to put some bricks over the openings, but I can forge weld mild steel in mine if I crank the gas pressure up a bit. Also comes with refractory for coating the inside, including some extra for when it inevitably gets damaged and needs to be repaired.