Next we create the actual bottle opener end of the tool. I recommend you keep a few capped bottles on hand for this part so you can actually try it! And get it just right. Our master blacksmith (Sam) has made hundreds of these so he can eyeball it and get it just right.

Next we are going to work on this end of it. This is the end that actually lifts the bottle cap off the bottle.

Remember: I do have a video shown Sam do this whole process. You can watch that video on my youtube channel right here.

We have our twelve inch piece and one end is pretty hot so we put it back in the forge and get it up just to the edge of yellow hot. Then use a technique called "upsetting" to enlarge the end a little bit - Not a lot, just a little. This next picture shows Sam upsetting it by hitting it right on the end with the hammer.

Next we forge it down to a wedge shape. think of the shape of a chisel end or even a wedge of cheese. You want to keep the end of the wedge straight. And you don't want it to actually come to a sharp edge like a chisel. That would make it too thin and it would bend when you try to open a bottle with it. So you want a little bit of bulk and thickness on the tip of that wedge.

You can see that Sam Hammers the end of that edge to keep it from getting sharp or too thin.

Now lets create the curl that does all the work on the bottle opener. Sam starts the curl by hanging the end of it over the edge of the anvil and hammering with forward strokes. This starts the curl.

Here he has turned it on its side and hammers it on the end to continue the curling action.

Use a variety of anvil locations including the top surface, the sides and the edge to work the curl. This next picture shows Sam even using the side of the anvil to compress the curl just a bit.

This next picture shows the desired outcome. This is what you want to end up with. The angle of that tip is just about perpendicular to the handle of the piece.

Okay, We have finished the business end of the bottle opener. And this would be enough. Test it! If it works you are done. Tweak it as needed. But... in this tutorial Sam is going to do a bit of ornamental work on the handle and the other end of the tool.

So let's continue and check out those techniques

Make a Damascus Steel Knife

Damascus steel is challenging to make. But you don't have to make it for a knife. You can buy a blank and make a knife with it. I show you how in this tutorial: Make a Damascus Steel Knife (I also have a video for it) And I hated to hide all that striated steel under a wooden handle so I made a clear epoxy resin handle so we could see through it.

Forge a Medieval Letter Opener

It is an easy project and we learn six different blacksmithing techniques while doing it. Want to learn what a blacksmith does? This is a good place to learn it. Forge a Medieval Letter Opener