Blacksmithing again, jobed and made two seat springs. Bullard and I made nails in the eve, made 200 nails in two hours and a half.
September 10, 1869
Blacksmithing again, set nine tires and worked on wheels. Bullard and I made nails in the eve, fifty cents more.
September 9, 1869
Blacksmithing again, worked on two express wagons and set nine tires. Bullard and I made nails in the evening, I guess I made more than fifty [cents].
September 8, 1869
Blacksmithing again, worked on wheels and plows and axles and so forth.
September 4, 1869
Blacksmithing again, set four tires and worked like a tiger all day. Then Bullard and I went to making nails, I made about 50 [cents] tonight and feel pretty tired to pay for it. Mr Daniels is laid up with a boil.
September 3, 1869
Blacksmithing as usual, set 16 tires, two of them was five inches wide, hard work I tell you. I retired pretty early for I [felt] tired.
You have to realize this apprentice isn't getting up at noon and working for a few hours. As an apprentice he would be up after dawn and get the forge up and running (running the fires he calls it) and get all the tools and iron set out for the days work ahead for himself and he master smith. He would work all day helping to forge wheel rims and set those on the wooden tires. He mentions working into the evening, sometimes until 9 at night making nails they would use building horse drawn wagons.
He mentions often making 50 cents a day for his work !!!!! Forging all day for 50 cents !! ..... It makes me appreciate my paycheck and not needing to 'work like a tiger' as he calls it for his low wage. Eventually .... he would become a journeyman, maybe strike out on his own and set up his own shop where he would make a living wage and hopefully obtain prosperity, a family and a home --- That was the American Dream. It is these types of historical readings I truly love to immerse myself in so I can get a good understanding of the past, and try to re-create what they actually did and how they did it when I run the fires and hammer the iron. This deeper understanding is what gives me my deeper satisfaction as a blacksmith. I also love making nails but I could never make 200 in two and a half hours ...... Whew !!!
Ohio Rusty ><>
The Ohio Frontier Forge
S.E. Ohio
Whats goin on here?
in Blacksmithing, General Discussion
Posted · Edited by Ohio Rusty
A Ball bearing question ... How big of ball bearings do you have to make a flat piece that thick and that big?? All the ball bearings I have ever seen are tiny balls suitable for shooting out of a slingshot or smaller.
Looks like hard embedded forge scale ...
Ohio Rusty ><>
The Ohio Frontier Forge