I’ve been watching Youtube blacksmith Alec Steele and bear in mind I have zero experience blacksmithing. At first I was entertained but there’s something off. I think part of it is that he continually calls layered metals “Damascus”. I know laypeople call it Damascus but I would think a professional would call it pattern welding since it is not wootz steel. Also, he says I don’t know a lot which I thought was self-depricating but now think he really doesn’t know. So is he a good blacksmith? Not so good but a good youtuber? Inexperienced blacksmith?
I can make some basic things I need for the colonial events and I make fairly good knives and tomahawks. He isn’t bad but I don’t consider him one of the ones to study and mimic except for getting started. I’ll forgive the terms he uses sometimes; he is doing it for a YouTube audience after all. But his basic technique is solid.
I find it intriguing that he’s not selling iron things on his website, but t-shirts.
I’m not a blacksmith. He is entertaining and charismatic and making a killing as a youtuber.
I’ve done a tiny bit of blacksmithing myself, but I’ve hung around with several professional and semi-professional blacksmiths for many years, and I worked at a blacksmith shop at a Renaissance Faire for eight years.
I think the guy knows what he’s doing, but from what I saw of his videos (I watched portions of several of them), his videos seem to be more about the cool imagery than explaining, in any real level of detail, what he’s doing. He clearly has an awful lot of high-end equipment – most working blacksmiths that I’ve known do have some of the tools that he has (like gas-fired forges and power hammers), but he seems to have a lot of expensive grinding and milling equipment, as well.
Also, FWIW, I’ve heard a lot of blacksmiths talk about pattern welding / Damascus steel, and I’ve heard many of them use the terms interchangeably (even if inaccurately).
Only re-enactors and archaeologists really care about the difference.
Most blacksmiths, knifemakers and allied trades, as well as their suppliers, call it Damascus regardless or mix the terms. Just check any random* Forged in Fire* episode, as well, or most any site selling knifemaking blanks. That last one even sells “Nordic Damascus” blanks :smack: .
IMO as a non-blacksmith fan of blacksmithing - He’s technically good, and creative, but inexperienced, is what I always think (the fact that he still looks 14 probably doesn’t help). It’s good that he also shows his failures in addition to successes. He certainly knows the basics well.
IANAB, but I followed him for a while.
In the end, I found the charisma a bit overwhelming - it was like: Michael McIntyre; The Blacksmith Years
That’s a perfect description!
This young man has accomplished more than most in a lifetime of effort. Is he the da Vinci of smithys at this time? No, but impressive nonetheless.