Swedish blacksmith Torbjörn Åhman
Moving Metal recently connected with the famous YouTuber blacksmith, Torbjörn Åhman, the Thunder Bear himself. He shared how he got his start and his thoughts about his path as a blacksmith.
Åhman: To begin with I have always had a strong creative side. I love to build and create things, whatever it may be.
My mother is an archaeologist and through the years she has attended several courses in experimental archeology, to get a deeper understanding for some of her work. At one point, when I was 15 years old, she brought me with her on a week-long class in ancient iron making. There we learned how to make charcoal, roast bog ore and smelt this ore in small bloomery furnaces. Alongside we also got a chance to try blacksmithing, making simple things like hooks and door catches.
This is where my interest in blacksmithing first started. I bought an anvil and tinkered a bit in my father’s back yard, but then school and other things became more important and the anvil was put aside for many years.
My partner and I decided we wanted to move to a place where we had space for a workshop. I brought home the anvil from my mother’s house, who was tired of it sitting in her cellar. I built a forge and started some simple projects, and suddenly I was hooked again.
Åhman: I’m not sure. I think the passion is in the process of making. To see if you’re able to make what you set up to do, and figure out a way to move forward. Solving problems is part of the fun but also a challenge and it can be frustrating at times when you don’t know how to do something and you realize you just need to dive in and see if it works.
MM: You’ve written that Otto Samuelsson was one of the first smiths that taught you. What were the key things you took away from Mr. Samuelsson back then?
Åhman: That was a short class, but I remember I realized how important it was to think ahead, and have a plan for what to do with your next heat.
MM: In other artforms, people can point to a style of an artist’s work. Can you describe what you think your style is for your projects?
Åhman: I don’t think I have a particular style, but I like things to be functional first. In many cases the process or the nature of the material is giving you the design. Most traditional styles comes from this I think. That said I also get inspired by the work of other craftsmen and that can probably shine through at times.
MM: I think you moved your family onto a property in 2008 in Sweden, and among other things built a greenhouse and workshops. What was your motivation to move?
MM: It’s clear you enjoy what you do on your YouTube channel. And, congratulations for surpassing 615,000 subscribers – a significant achievement. You provide your audience with a wide variety of projects interrupted by scenes from around your homestead. How do you go about picking a project you want to forge that you will feature on your YouTube channel?
Åhman: It’s not so easy to answer. I don’t have a great master plan. It can be that I want to try something that I never have done before, maybe it involves a technique new to me. Sometimes people ask me to make something specific, and if it feels right I go ahead. Sometimes I try to make something seasonal, like for Halloween or Christmas. For the most part something just pops up in my head and wheels start spinning. It can be frustrating at times to figure out a new project, but if I can’t think of something I have a pretty long list of things in my notebook.
MM: It seems building relationships with other YouTube blacksmiths is a good way to grow an audience. Which YouTube channels do you watch and who would you like to connect with going forward? Any future collaborations?
Åhman: The collaborations I have done so far were mostly to show my support and having a fun time, not to grow my audience. For a smaller channel it can probably be a good thing. I follow most of the smiths your readers follow, but I’m struggling to keep up and watch all their videos. Here are a few:
Alec Steele - I have been following him since he was 13 I think.
Mark Aspery - Huge source of inspiration. Great teacher and fun to watch and read. I have his books.
Black Bear Forge - Also a comprehensive source of inspiration and information for anyone interested in the craft with step-by-step instructions for most of his projects.
Brian Brazeal - I was early on very influenced by his work, especially the techniques he teaches when hand forging blacksmithing tools. Some others are Gary Huston, Joey van der Steeg, Joshua De Lisle, Big Dog Forge and Daniel Moss who all have great channels.
There are so many talented smiths and craftspeople out there. I hesitate to pick anyone in particular. I look up to anyone who has made something that triggers my mind. When I see something beautiful, my first thought is almost always - how did they do that or what processes were used to reach that final piece? Looking at old ironwork can be very inspiring and also bring up a lot of questions about how things were made. If we could go back in time, I wonder what we could learn from the long-gone masters, like Samuel Yellin or even the local village blacksmiths. Much of the know-how and knowledge was never passed on, which is sad.
I don’t have any planned collaborations, but I am open for suggestions.
MM: Why do you stick with coal forging?
Åhman: I think the coal forge is the most versatile. You can heat both small and reasonably large areas. You can isolate a heat to a specific part and you can chose the size of the fire to a degree. I also have an experimental oil-fired forge that is similar to a gas forge. I use it sometimes when heating larger stock or have several pieces going at the same time. Propane gas is pretty expensive here in Sweden, and I don’t quite like the safety issues involved with large quantities of gas in my shop.
MM: Most of our readers will not know what you do for a living. Could you tell us what your job is?
Åhman: For the last three years or so, making content for my channel has been my job. It does not generate a huge amount of money but enough to let me focus on new projects. Previously, for almost 20 years, I worked with 3D computer graphics, doing visualization, animation, game design, and photo-realistic product imagery. All very creative but almost everything you make never leaves the virtual world which is a big contrast to crafting something with your hands. I do miss the undo-button from time to time though.
MM: What projects are you considering in the near future? Are you taking commissions?
Åhman: I’m currently upgrading my air hammer with a proper lubrication system. It was missing when I got the hammer. It will probably not rank as a blockbuster video, but for many viewers it doesn’t really matter what I do, they like to follow along. After that I will think of something new.
In general I don’t commit to commissions since I like to focus on new videos instead of making stuff for sale. But if the request involves something I like to make, I might.
MM: Can you give us a rundown of the machines and equipment you have in your shop, including anything you know about your anvil?
- Bêché 75kg air hammer
- Abno 25kg mechanical spring hammer
- Arboga drill press
- Aldell bench/post grinder
- Kemppi MIG welder
- ESAB MMA welder
- Shop saw
- Belt grinder 2”x72”
- 2 swage blocks
- 2 post vices
- 3 Kohlswa anvils
- Home-built coal forge
- Oil-fired furnace
- And just a few hammers and chisels
Most of the equipment is second hand and did not cost me a fortune as some may think.
My large 400-pound anvil is an A1 Kohlswa anvil. A1 is their designation for the English pattern style. I bought it from a gentleman who had it sitting in a barn for many years. It originally came from a saw mill where it was used to straighten saw blades apparently.
Åhman: Yes, you can’t have too many hammers, right? My favorite hammer is an old TOR’s hammer weighing 900g plus the handle. It’s a Swedish style hammer with a pretty narrow pein and a heavily crowned and slightly rounded face. They can still be bought from Hultafors who incorporated TOR’s line of hammers into their production when they bought the company many years ago.
I’d like to remind everyone to remember to dress your hammer face. It’s one of the most common mistakes by the beginner when they buy a new hammer. Remove all sharp corners and make it smooth.
MM: For smiths with a bit less experience, can you give us three things you know now that you wish you knew when you started smithing?
Åhman: Metal does not always move as you expect it to do at first. It takes a bit of experience to better judge how to tackle a particular problem. So instead of planning out a project from start to finish, with assumptions, go ahead and make a test piece or two. That will teach you how to make a part right. Although I succeed from time to time with a first try, it always goes much better the second or third time I make something.
Make notes. It will help you during a project and certainly afterwards when you are asked to make another one. I’m not terribly good at it myself, but my videos could come in handy one day.
Don’t underestimate the time you need for a project, and don’t sell anything too cheap. Both will come back and bite you.
MM: A few videos show your children in the shop or around the homestead. How early can parents or mentors introduce blacksmithing to kids? In your opinion, how early can actual training begin?
Åhman: I don’t think there is a lower limit really. The child needs some strength to swing a hammer naturally, and to move steel you need some weight, so I guess that is the limit here. But you don’t have to forge to learn, just being around and maybe lend a helping hand can spark interest for the craft.
MM: Any other thoughts about your blacksmithing that you’d like to share?
Åhman: I’m a bit curious about what the future brings us when it comes to fuels and heating. Using coal and gas isn’t really sustainable, although our consumption is minute compared to industrial applications. Maybe we all need to go back and use plain old charcoal. It can be produced with fewer environmental impact compared to coal and it’s renewable. It’s hot and relatively clean.
Induction heating is another possible option and Derek Melton’s article here is informative.
Visit Åhman’s YouTube channel here.
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