Damascus Steel Plane Blade

[woodbrains]

He used nail polish or whatever to coat the last few millimetres of the bevel before etching to make it look like a laminated blade :lol:

Hello,

That isn't why he did it, though.

Mike.

 

[Saer Llongau]

So why did he do it?

 

[AndyT]

I've just watched all three videos. Yes, it's entertainment, in the same way as lots of cookery programmes are - not as a way of learning to do it, but as a reminder that making things can be fun and rewarding.

Am I really the only one who was impressed to see a 19 year old with a power hammer and a big press?
And who agreed that a bit of heavy metal guitar was a suitable background music choice?

I was also impressed by the way the hammer beats were synchronised with the music!

 

[Cheshirechappie]

So why did he do it?

Third video, at about 4 mins 15 seconds and onwards.

 

[MikeG.]

......Am I really the only one who was impressed to see a 19 year old with a power hammer and a big press?.........

Absolutely not. And it's not just having the kit and knowing how to make it work, it was the skills and knowledge on display which you'd ordinarily expect to see from a gnarly old boy in a checked shirt.

 

[MattRoberts]

So why did he do it?

To stop the acid from etching the bevel

 

[Saer Llongau]

Okay, so there actually was a good reason for it.

 

[woodbrains]

So why did he do it?

To stop the acid from etching the bevel

Hello,

And the back, which he polished flat. The acid etch would have made it irregular, essentially pitted.

Mike.

 

[D_W]

The yngwie malmsteen of blacksmithing. Interesring at first, but you've soon had enough.

 

[Andy Kev.]

I think one of the key things about being an internet presenter is fairly obviously how you choose to present yourself. This bloke has clearly opted for a high marmite factor, which is a bit silly because if the the reaction on here is anything to go by, this clearly limits his appeal and therefore the number of people he reaches. It's glaringly obvious that his internet persona is superficial i.e. something which he adopts purely for show purposes - there's no way he acts like that over a cup of tea at the breakfast table. Compare and contrast with e.g. Richard McGuire, Peter Parfitt or Treebangham (the latter being mentioned in the review section). There is zero superficiality with these gentlemen and I suspect that their manner will put hardly anyone off.

The sad thing is that his persona is so (insert adjective of your choice) that for many of us we are not prepared to battle through it to able to judge the worth of what he has to say. "Your loss", you might say and nothing wrong with that. On the other hand I can see no reason why one must be tolerant of absolutely everything on offer. I suppose it all boils down to - in my case at least - being prepared to take the possible loss because I'm not prepared to tolerate what I see as an irritatingly infantile and false persona.

 

[Rorschach]

I think one of the key things about being an internet presenter is fairly obviously how you choose to present yourself. This bloke has clearly opted for a high marmite factor, which is a bit silly because if the the reaction on here is anything to go by, this clearly limits his appeal and therefore the number of people he reaches. It's glaringly obvious that his internet persona is superficial i.e. something which he adopts purely for show purposes - there's no way he acts like that over a cup of tea at the breakfast table. Compare and contrast with e.g. Richard McGuire, Peter Parfitt or Treebangham (the latter being mentioned in the review section). There is zero superficiality with these gentlemen and I suspect that their manner will put hardly anyone off.

The sad thing is that his persona is so (insert adjective of your choice) that for many of us we are not prepared to battle through it to able to judge the worth of what he has to say. "Your loss", you might say and nothing wrong with that. On the other hand I can see no reason why one must be tolerant of absolutely everything on offer. I suppose it all boils down to - in my case at least - being prepared to take the possible loss because I'm not prepared to tolerate what I see as an irritatingly infantile and false persona.

Nicely put. I respect his skill and the works he puts out, but I simply cannot enjoy watching him which is a shame.

 

[MikeG.]

Annoying as hell and all that.........but half a million people follow his stuff on YouTube. Half a million. He might be off-putting to us old buffers, but he clearly appeals to a huge number of people. Steve Maskery, for example, is a pleasant and harmless presenter of useful workshop videos, but I'd be surprised if he has a following a tenth the size of this chap...........and I suspect there are probably more woodworkers in the UK than blacksmiths from which to draw a following.

 

[AndyT]

Yup.

There's a bigger demand for entertainment than there is for instruction or detailed demonstration.

It would be interesting to see the age profile of his subscribers - I think it would be a lot lower than the profile of the members of UKW.

 

[nabs]

it also takes skill and effort to create well produced content and build an audience on youtube and, since this is really a brand new industry, a good amount of initiative too.

When you consider the sheer amount of content available, finding 500k people who like your stuff - as in this case - is actually a very impressive achievement.

In terms of style, I do not understand why a shouty presentation and weird camera angles attracts viewers, and I never will - this is because I am an old duffer. luckily there are plenty of other old-duffers out there who are happy to make less shouty content for us to consume, so no need to grumble!

 

[bugbear]

I've just watched all three videos. Yes, it's entertainment, in the same way as lots of cookery programmes are - not as a way of learning to do it, but as a reminder that making things can be fun and rewarding.

Am I really the only one who was impressed to see a 19 year old with a power hammer and a big press?
And who agreed that a bit of heavy metal guitar was a suitable background music choice?

I was also impressed by the way the hammer beats were synchronised with the music!

I suspect he comes from a rather priveleged background (which would fit the non-Norfolk accent).

It is possible (just) that he has bought all the kit on the back of Youtube income. But (somehow) he went to Mississippi, aged 13, to take a course with (famous blacksmith) Brian Brazeal. That speaks of capital, and the bank of mum and dad is the obvious source.

BugBear

 

[Mark A]

I'm not an old duffer, and it still pisses me off!

 

[nabs]

I am afraid you may be showing signs of early-onset-dufferdom Mark . I am going to get my teenage sons to watch it tonight and will report back with an alternative yoof-view.

 

[AndyT]

I am afraid you may be showing signs of early-onset-dufferdom Mark . I am going to get my teenage sons to watch it tonight and will report back with an alternative yoof-view.

To make your experiment even more useful, you might like to get them to watch a Tubalcain (MrPete222) video as a comparison. He's at the opposite end of the metalwork video spectrum - ex school teacher, slow, repetitive and really clear and useful. He's made hundreds of YT videos and has 155k subscribers. (Including me.)

https://www.youtube.com/user/mrpete222

 

[MikeG.]

.........It is possible (just) that he has bought all the kit on the back of Youtube income. But (somehow) he went to Mississippi, aged 13, to take a course with (famous blacksmith) Brian Brazeal. That speaks of capital, and the bank of mum and dad is the obvious source.....

And? It sounds like you hold that against him.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

I think I am an old duffer, (50) but having worked in a school workshop for 6 years or so, I actually watched all 3 videos linked by CC, concurrently. I think my threshold for youthful exuberance must be high. Does it count as a skill?

I was quite envious of his set up, his forge hammers are awesome and I like his milling machine. The only thing that stopped me doing this sort of thing in the past was lack of funds. It is just the sort of thing that appeals to me. I'm glad for him, clearly he has the means to do what he enjoys. I do think that this sort of presentation isn't for everyone, but there are lots of dry, all be it informative videos out there. It would be daft trying the same thing himself. Especially since a 19 year-old, who is clearly aware that his skills are still developing, would not be taken seriously if he gave a tutorial. This sort of bombastic, let's give it a go and see how it turns out, we'll all learn together style, is a good way of presenting to a new, young audience. If he attracts and inspires other young people to take up this sort of work, then great.

Mike.