THE BEST Metalwork

Fabricator Brian Oltrogge walks us thorough a truly modern process for casting a custom hammer. He used a 3D printer to generate patterns, hand-sanded and smoothed the parts, then used them to make sand molds for its aluminum handle and lead head.

Inspired by old metal toys what were assembled using bent metal tabs, Jimmy Diresta designed and built himself an awesome looking industrial stool. His powerful CNC laser cutter made quick work of cutting 18 gauge cold-rolled steel sheets, then Jimmy worked his magic on the rest with hand tools.

Engineer BrunS takes a momentary break from making epic metal rocketships to build something different – a miniature version of Bender Bending Rodgriguez from Futurama. But it’s clear BrunS’ wife is tired of him spending his days in the machine shop, and keeps interrupting his project. Also, you can buy Bender here.

There’s a musical instrument called a steel guitar, but it’s named for its metal slide, and not the material it’s made from. But metalsmith Paul Pinto decided to actually make a guitar out of the weighty metal. Watch as he cuts, welds, forges, and grinds a steel plate into a beautiful chrome-plated instrument. Now how does it sound?

Miller Knives decided he could use another keychain knife so he set about building one that actually looks like a key. To make it work, he layered together three keys, cut the middle one to allow space, machined a butter knife for the blade, then joined the pieces together with a couple of nails.

After wowing us with his Fallout-inspired Red Rocket, metal artist Engineer BrunS is back with an even more challenging build, a big bronze rocketship. Watching the precision-milled components fit together so perfectly is wonderfully satisfying. If you’ve got 1500 bucks to spare, you can even own this masterpiece

In this clip from Japanese metalsmith Swap Lamp, he shows us how to use an offset disc to mill repeating geometric patterns into a piece of metal. It takes a bit of manual work to re-position the workpiece, but the resulting design is something like a Spirograph would make if it could engrave metal instead of drawing on paper.

Watch as a pile of ordinary brass nuts and bolts is transformed into a shiny sculpture of an insect by artist Ross the Random. We weren’t quite sure where he was going at first with the wing piece, but the finished work turned out to be quite amazing.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, a morning star is one of those ancient weapons that’s basically a spiky metal ball on a stick. It’s definitely not something you’d want to ever encounter on a battlefield. Though this teensy version that Koss Workshop made from a ball bearing and some screws is a little less deadly.

We rather enjoy watching tools being recycled to serve another purpose besides their original use. In this clip from Hassan “Habu” Abu-Izmero, he takes us through the process of transforming an old steel box wrench into a razor-sharp axe.

Ever since seeing The Sword of Exact Zero in The LEGO Movie, swordsmith Michael Cthulhu has contemplated making a larger-than-life X-Acto knife blade. With a sponsor in hand for his video, he finally took the time to make his cutting tool for giants a reality. He’s auctioning it off for charity to help save animals from Australia’s fires.

Metalsmith Shurap shows off yet another unconventional material for creating damascus steel. This time, he took the woven metal of protective chainmaille butcher’s gloves and turned the mesh into a beautifully-patterned blade with a cool blue sheen.

Russian YouTube channel Creative Forging shows off a neat technique for creating an awesome dragon scale patterned handle from a solid bar of steel. The trick involves making a series of 45º cuts into the metal, then heating it in a furnace and twisting it while still pliable.

Artist and builder Uri Tuchman is working on an automaton which will presumably be using some tiny tools. As part of the project, he created this miniature hammer and chisel set, which look just like the real deal after they went through a shrink ray.

As metalsmith Shurap has proven before, you can make damascus from just about any kind of steel hardware. In this clip, he melts down thousands of tiny ball bearings, and transforms them into a uniquely patterned blade. Because of their sheer number, they appear to be one of the more challenging materials to work with.

For this project, metalsmith Shurap created a gigantic chisel using numerous layers of steel. The oversized tool is designed for woodworking, but is so beautiful that it could just be a work of art on a stand. Watch how the intricately-carved handle was made here.

Not only is this teensy axe that blacksmith Paul Pinto made adorable, he upped the challenge of creating it by using a miniature anvil and hammer he previously made. The only problem with the video is the sped up drilling sound reminds us of the dentist too much.

While the metal helmets worn by soldiers in ancient times weren’t exactly cushioned like today’s foam-filled models, they did save lots of heads. In this clip from metalsmith Andrey Yumanov, he takes us through the process of heating, forming, and finishing sheet metal to form one of those old-style military helmets.

The beautiful patterns of damascus steel make for some of our favorite tools and knives, and the thicker the tool, the more dramatic the look. In this clip from metalsmith Hassan “Habu” Abu-Izmero, watch as he welds together, forges, and twists multiple layers of steel to create a truly special pair of pliers.

Industrial Studio’s build video features the construction of a stand for his workshop’s anvil, and shows off one of the more satisfying methods of joining together steel – using molten hot rivets and an industrial press to smush them into place.

Did you know that many bike tires contain a metal wire to form their bead? Metalsmith shurap decided to see if he could extract the steel from eight old tires and melt it down to form it into a damascus steel blade. We don’t quite understand the use of the pepper in the process though.

Mt Phillip Metal Works shows off an amazing method for turning a bar of metal into an intricate and sculptural decoration inspired by the scaly tail of a dragon. The technique was inspired by the work of fellow metalsmith Matt Harris.

Jewelry artist Pablo Cimadevila shows how a pair of ordinary brass hex nuts can be transformed into an elegant diamond ring. Of course, the 1 carat diamond added significantly to the cost, but the ring itself was all about time, talent, and effort.

DiesInEveryFilm Customs‘ latest build is pretty nifty. He crafted a teensy version of Thor’s mighty hammer using a layered, damascus-style steel head. He got the idea from fellow artist Brandon Hyner, who makes mini Mjölnir pendants.

How to Make Everything decided to how many U.S. one cent coins it would take to make a copper sword. He first had to separate older and newer pennies to get the ones that are mostly copper, then set about the task. We’d love to see the blade patina over time.

Among his many projects, maker M.N. Projects likes to take old bits of metal and transform them into shiny new objects. Here, he takes the sleeve from a large bearing, cuts out a section, flattens it, and sharpens it into a tomahawk.