pnut

I stumbled into a youtube video taken in Africa of a village blacksmith. The blacksmith was setting on the ground, pumping a truck inertube bellows which fed the air thru a tube to the edge of a wood/charcoal fire. The air tube ended several inches short of the fire. The fire was in a pocket dug in the ground. Guess what the anvil was??? a rock. The hammer was a steel bar. The fire reached welding heat!!!. The blacksmith had cut apart steel wheel rims with a chisel for the steel.

We sure have it good using a stand up forge, steel anvil, tongs and many hammers. But, It is amazing what can be accomplished with only the bare minimum equipment.