Rebar is one of the most common materials used among beginner blacksmiths. I remember my beginning in blacksmithing. Rebar was my primary material for making various projects, mostly because it was easily available.
Here are 7 easy rebar projects for beginner blacksmiths:
- Rebar snake
- Rebar handles
- Rebar bottle opener
- Rebar dinner set
- Rebar knife
- Rebar leaf
- Rebar snail
Each project will be detail explained by video instructions so you don’t leave with any questions. I will also explain whether rebar is a good material to work with in the first place.
Okay, moving on.
Is Rebar Good Material to Work in the First Place?
The short answer is well, it depends. Since I doubt you are satisfied with that answer, let me clarify a little bit more. Namely, rebar is a metal that is unbelievably inconsistent to work with. This is why sometimes it will harden and sometimes simply won’t, no matter how hard you try.
You simply never know what to expect when working with rebar bars. I will never forget one day when I made five knives out of a single rebar bar. I remember that the first one held an edge very nicely.
The second one actually broke after I dropped it on the floor while the other three could not harden at all. As you can see, even the parts of the same rebar bar vary considerably in their structure. Some parts obviously had a lot more carbon content than others.
One of the greatest advantages of rebar is its availability and price. You can find rebar almost anywhere and you will mostly pass cheap. These two are major reasons why beginner blacksmiths use it as practice material or for a simple project like this. However, rebar is not recommended for knife making, especially if you are interested in selling them.
Let’s start with project number one.
Rebar Snake
We will start off with this very simple project. Yes, you read it right, it is a snake made out of rebar. If you are a snake lover or if you have someone else who loves them, this may be an ideal gift idea. Completing this project requires minimal equipment and some basic skills in bending and spreading techniques.
Rebar is the ideal metal material for this, mainly due to its stripes that serve as an excellent way of completing the real look of the snake. When my little cousin entered the shop and saw the rebar snake, he was so scared because he thought it was real.
Required tools:
- Anvil
- Forge
- Hammer
- Tongs
- Vice
- Bending fork
Required blacksmithing techniques:
- Drawing out
- Bending
- Drawing out
- Bending
- Shaping
Rebar Handles
Except for decorative purposes, rebar can be used for functional items, such as handles. Why would you spend money on various handles when you can make it yourself? Remember, you are a blacksmith, you make things from metal, so keep that in mind.
Custom-made furniture handles are quite popular these days, so make sure to include them on your list. Most people are willing to spend more money on custom-made items, including handles. You can either forge them for yourself or try selling them. In both cases, you will get something, either a nice handle or more money.
Required tools:
- Anvil
- Angle grinder
- Hammer
- Tongs
- Caliper
Required blacksmithing techniques:
- Bending
Rebar Bottle Opener
The bottle opener is often taken for granted until you find yourself in a position when you don’t have one. Yes, we all know that they are cheap, but as always handmade items are simply more appreciable. A bottle opener is a nice small item that can serve as a nice gift for someone. It is also one of the easiest projects on this list.
If you are a beginner who wants to sell his work, consider selling bottle openers. They are one of the most popular items selling online, so it would be a good idea to start with them. As you will see down below, forging them doesn’t require any special equipment.
Required tools:
- Anvil
- Forge
- Hammer
- Tongs
- Vice
- Angle grinder
Required blacksmithing techniques:
- Punching
- Drawing
- Cutting
- Shaping
Rebar Dinner Set
Having your own handmade dinner set is wonderful. Why not make an entire set for you and your family? The fork is considered to be an easy project to make as a beginner blacksmith. Like previous projects, it doesn’t require any special tools or knowledge. All you need to know is some basic drawing techniques and use the angle grinder for cutting. If you have a blacksmithing business, handmade forks may be a good item to sell.
Okay, you have a dinner fork, so why wouldn’t you make a spoon that goes along with it? Imagine eating the cereals in the morning or for soup with your favorite spoon. Having a nice set of forged forks and spoons that will last for decades is always a good idea. Besides that, you would be one of the few who has his own handmade dinner set. On the other hand, you can also try selling them in pairs.
Last but not least, it is a dinner knife. With a knife, you would complete the whole dinner set. Since rebar is not an ideal material to make a knife out of, don’t expect it to last very long. As we said before, rebar is extremely unpredictable, so you don’t have any idea if will it harden or not.
Rebar fork:
Rebar spoon:
Required tools:
- Anvil
- Forge
- Hammer
- Tongs
- Angle grinder
Required blacksmithing techniques:
- Drawing out
- Shaping
- Cutting
Rebar Knife
While rebar is not the greatest material for making knives, it can still be a nice project for novice blacksmiths. Rebar is cheap and easily available, so it can serve as a nice practice for creating various items, including knives. Since rebar extremely varies in its structure, it represents a huge problem for the hardening process.
Before you decide to make a knife out of rebar, I recommend making a sparking test to give you an estimate of its carbon content. The larger the carbon content, the better it is for hardening. To find more about this topic, check Is Rebar Good For Knife Making?
Required tools:
- Anvil
- Forge
- Hammer
- Tongs
- File
- Punch
Required blacksmithing techniques:
- Drawing
- Shaping
- Punching
Rebar Leaf
Making a simple leaf creates an excellent opportunity for all beginner blacksmiths to practice tact and precision. Completing this project requires a decent amount of carefulness, otherwise, a leaf can be easily destroyed. Make sure the temperature is not too high as it can melt very quickly and completely ruin the whole project. This often happens when using coal forges.
Required tools:
- Anvil
- Forge
- Hammer
- Tongs
Required blacksmithing techniques:
- Drawing
- Shaping
- Cutting
Rebar Snail
And for the last project, we have a rebar snail. Another great idea for decorative purposes. Completing this project requires a set of basic tools and knowledge of blacksmithing techniques. Since this item requires a lot of bending, it will also serve as a great way of practicing that technique. It can be made in many different sizes.
Required tools:
- Anvil
- Forge
- Tongs
- Hammer
- Vice
- Hardy bending fork
- Punches
Required blacksmithing techniques:
- Drawing out
- Bending
- Shaping
