Grilling Skewer
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A grilling skewer is a practical, sellable piece - the kind of thing blacksmiths make by the dozen for kitchens and outdoor markets. You forge it from a single piece of flat bar: a long shaft, a sharpened point, and a handle you grip. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes and needs a forge, tongs, an anvil, a hammer, and water to quench in - no power hammer, no special tools.
Tools you'll need
- Forge (propane or charcoal - any heat source)
- Tongs
- Anvil (or a heavy steel plate)
- Hammer (hand or power - both work)
- Water bucket (for quenching)
- Optional: file or sharpening stone for the point
- Optional: bench grinder for finishing
Build steps
- Start with 14 inches of 1/2 inch flat bar. Any recycled steel works - old rail, plate, or bar stock. If the edges are ragged, trim them roughly square with a hacksaw or a grinder. The finish is hand-textured, so small imperfections are fine and part of the character.
- Heat the whole bar in the forge until it glows bright yellow-white - a near welding heat. The steel should glow evenly along the entire length, not just at the ends. If only part of it glows, move it in the fire so the heat spreads. This is the step that makes everything else possible; without full heat, the steel will crack when you hit it.
- Mark the bar into three sections: about 3 inches for the handle, 8 inches for the shaft, and 3 inches for the point. The shaft is the long middle section that holds the food. The handle stays the full 1/2 inch thickness - you grip it. The point is drawn to a sharp tip. If you want a set, make them all to the same length so they sit level on a rack.
- Draw out the point. Heat the point end (3 inches) and use the hammer to draw it out along the anvil, elongating the metal into a taper. Work from the thick end toward the tip, so the taper is even and the point is fine. Keep reheating as you go - drawing a taper in cold steel cracks it. The point should come to a sharp, even tip at the end.
- Put an edge on the point. Once the taper is drawn, the point is still blunt. Reheat it and use a file, a sharpening stone, or a bench grinder to put a cutting edge on the point - the same edge that lets it slide into meat and into a grill. Even a few careful passes with a stone is enough for a usable point. Alternate sides evenly so the edge stays centered.
- Form the handle. Heat the handle end and, if you like, draw it slightly to a taper or leave it full-width. You can also curl the very end over the horn of the anvil to make a small hook so the skewer hangs on a rack, or leave it straight. A few hammer blows set the shape. Keep the handle strong - it takes the full pull of the grip, so do not thin it too far.
- Quench the finished skewer in water to harden it. Hold it in the water until it stops glowing, then pull it out. The shaft and point are now hard enough to hold weight without bending. If you have a second heat source, temper it by heating to a dark cherry-red for about 20 minutes and air cooling. This keeps the shaft tough instead of brittle, so it does not snap in your hand when you pull it through a grill.
- Finish the surface. Pass over the rough spots with a file, grinding stone, or bench grinder, or leave it rough - the hand-textured forged look is part of the character. A light pass with the hammer over the whole piece adds the authentic forged texture. A set of grilling skewers is done.