any blacksmiths on the line?

There's a lot of videos on you tube about blacksmithing an metallurgy on you tube.
I suggest he watches them.
Actually, I am a welder by trade, and understanding metallurgy is one of the staples of the trade.
I actually worked under a blacksmith some years ago that taught me a lot about how heat control and how to make steel move.
That is an art unto itself...