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I Forge Iron

looking for "oliver" treadle hammer images/history


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Ive got the book pounding out the profits and it has got me wondering about olivers .Anyone know how far they go back in history? anyone got any pictures of old historic ones? I do historic reinactments of various time periods so I prefer to use historicly correct tools when I can.. any info is appreciated.

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I don't recall any examples earlier than the 19th century. I would not say they were common even then---you just used a striker! If I was looking for them I'd check Diderot's encyclopedia, there may have been a variation for file or chain making where it wasn't worth the extra cost of a striker.

Your historically correct equipment should include at least two helpers at the forge!

BTW what time periods do you do? I have a Y1K set up with a cube anvil and two single action bellows; the forge gets built from local clay as needed. My Renaissance forge has the T stake anvil; but I gave away my double lunged bellows when I moved and have to build a new one. Luckily a lot of the hammers and tongs are good from roman through modern times!

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There are some photos of oliver type hammers in a publication on Chain Making in the Black Country of Britian. These were used on the small diamter chains. Since they are in actual photos, rather than drawings or woodcuts, they may be from a later time period than you're interesed in.

Patrick

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I don't recall any examples earlier than the 19th century. I would not say they were common even then---you just used a striker! If I was looking for them I'd check Diderot's encyclopedia, there may have been a variation for file or chain making where it wasn't worth the extra cost of a striker.

Your historically correct equipment should include at least two helpers at the forge!

BTW what time periods do you do? I have a Y1K set up with a cube anvil and two single action bellows; the forge gets built from local clay as needed. My Renaissance forge has the T stake anvil; but I gave away my double lunged bellows when I moved and have to build a new one. Luckily a lot of the hammers and tongs are good from roman through modern times!


I do mostly 1790-1840 time pereods but my shop at the museum ime using 1910 as my timeline ..also looking into doing a few renisance fairs in the future ... My portable forge has a 2 chamber bellows and is a bottom draft..tryed side draft and found it took to much playing with fire for my purposes...( I know its more period correct but....) i was thinking of building a simple oliver using a sledge hammer as a new tool for demo.. ive seen a few dezigns but not much old dezigns .. thanks for info guys
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I'm trying to remember where I saw a woodcarving of a variation of wood lathe setup.... one where a strong sapling was bent over with a rope and when you stepped on a board the sapling bend down.... normally, the rope would be wound around a beam which would turn, allowing the beam to be turning to shape....

In this case, the end of the sapling was encased in a metal sleeve with a large end (probably due to the accuracy!), allowing the smith to free his hands for holding the metal and tools....

Probably not good for large forgings, but should work for chasing and repousse work....

Just a thought....

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good info all of these posts these things are complex ! and so many different ways of doing somthing I figured was "simple" !the chain makeing video is nice ! tho those guys must be getting overtime pay to move so fast....the model oliver is interesting might use that spring dezign (ive got a few leaf springs laying around) those images will help thank you!

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I'm trying to remember where I saw a woodcarving of a variation of wood lathe setup.... one where a strong sapling was bent over with a rope and when you stepped on a board the sapling bend down.... normally, the rope would be wound around a beam which would turn, allowing the beam to be turning to shape....


I think maybe The Art of Blacksmithing by Alex W Bealer. Pg. 114. It's a heavy wooden frame, and it uses a lamination of planks as the spring. It just happens to be directly opposite the pictures of spring-pole and treadle style lathes on Pg. 115.

If you don't already have the book, I suggest getting it. A good "history of blacksmithing lesson" and LOTS of pen-and-ink style illustrations (what can I say... I love pictures :) )

-Aaron @ the SCF

P.S. I have the 1995 edition for reference purposes ;)

Edited to add: A picture of it is also on the back of the dustcover.
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I once played with a design that would use a helve arm that would extend past the pivot point and with an over balanced weight instead of a spring. My reasoning was that the mass of the counter weight would be applied to the hammer side as the hammer hit the work. One draw back would be the force applied to the pivot bearing at the strike. I never found my "roundtuit" for this project. maybe some day.

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  • 2 weeks later...

No prob Pete, my hammer and anvil are 2 3/4 round solid(what I got in a trade awhile back), arm and supports are tubing, base is like whatever plate thick enough I can find. Purple thing is a garage door spring. You are going to want the actuator connected close to the pivot on the hammer end, and on the foot treadle farthest out from the pivot, and tune from there.

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you might try a Bow, positioned above for a return, the closer to the head the rope is, the less it takes to return it to the up position. The bow was used a lot for spring pole lathes and foot powered up and down saws, by Woodworkers.

Basic principle is a relly strong bow above with a douple string on it. similar to when kids of years ago put a string thru two holes of a button and it whirled back and forth as you tensioned and released the string, The button is replaced with a spool to apply lift to the tool and as it contracts the bow by twisting the 2 strings, the bow really doesn't move all that much. see drawing below.

6006.attach

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