iknowablacksmith

Sorry for the delay. Thank you one and all for your help. I passed along the transcript from the forum plus the plans and pictures, and Mr. Connor was *very* impressed, and *very* grateful. Now my next step is to try to convince him to get a computer and internet access.....because he would be a natural for this forum. Thanks and cheers and a round of Vegemite to all brave enough to want it! - Lincoln -

Update! I reached the blacksmith last night, and described Mr. Smith's procedure. Just on the verbal description alone he thinks he could put one together. But i'm going to print out that drawing and give it to him today, along with the other comments and suggestions. He already has all the materials set aside - all wrought iron, by the way - and will probably put the toaster together at his own shop. Where he *does* have a torch, which should make things easier. But i'm sure he could do it the traditional way, too: by heating the whole thing at once. Thank you all again! I'll report back after i see the blacksmith today. - Lincoln - P.S. - Vegemite *is* an acquired taste.....but - even way up here in Canada - i did manage to acquire it. S'truth!

Thank you for this, it looks a lot like the one in question. And sorry to all i haven't given you a timely update. I still haven't been able to reach my blacksmith friend. But soon, i hope. And then i'll report back. Cheers to all! - Lincoln -

Mr. Smith - and all - thank you *hugely* for this. I believe you have hit the nail squarely on the head, here. (How am i doing with blacksmithing terms? Still need some work?) I have been unable to reach my blacksmith friend as yet, but once i have i will report back in. I do believe he is going to be impressed! (That diagram was absolutely first-rate! I will print him off a copy, plus all the text that has been contributed so far.) Cheers! (And, odd as it may seem, i *do* have a jar of Vegemite in my refrigerator!) - Lincoln -

Please do! And thank you! I'll be checking back tomorrow (i think i am about 11 hours behind you.....at least until the clocks change!), and for as long as this takes. (Thanks for the "hardy tool" explanation, too!) Cheers! - Lincoln -

Does that magazine still exist? I wonder if they would have back issues.....? When you say a "hardy tool", is this the name of an actual device, or is it just a tool that is "hardy"? (Remember: moron, here!) I saw the base plate he is going to use, and it was most definitely iron. I assume he will be using iron for the arches.....but i'll be sure to mention that, anyway. Continuing thanks! - Lincoln -

Excellent. That helps a lot. I am not sure if he has a torch, but i suspect he has something like that. The blocks of wood in the jaws of the vice makes a lot of sense. I will be calling the blacksmith later today. I will pass on what i have learned so far, and if he has any questions i'll be back here with them. Thanks heaps! - Lincoln -

Thank you. I think i could actually follow most of that. Any idea how they could have done it in 18th Century Pennsylvania? The tools my blacksmith friend will have access to (either at Kings Landing or at his home shop) are "traditional" (i.e. old, or reproductions of the old-style designs), and he wants to recreate the toaster in as authentic a manner as possible. What could they have used in place of the "holding dog" in this description? - Lincoln -

Thank you for this. But is there any chance you can dumb down the description a little more? I will have to describe this to the blacksmith over the telephone.....and the better i understand it the better i'll be able to help him. (In your vast bag of links, is there anything that could be applicable? You know, something along the lines of "Riveting For Morons"?????) - Lincoln -

Mr. Smith! Thank you for your reply, and thank you for the link you provided. The "18th Century Wrought Iron Hearth Toaster from Pennsylvania" is *very* close to the one in question.....and since a large number of the early settlers in New Brunswick were Loyalists from Pennsylvania, this may well have been its point of origin (or, at least, the point of origin of its builder). This is ammunition for more research, certainly! - Lincoln -

Ok, that worked. So here it goes. The problem is this: how are the curved parts attached to the base plate? (Please excuse my lack of blacksmithing vocabulary. I am most definitely a fish out of water, here!) The semi-circular elements started out as 3/16" square bars (or rods, or whatever they should be called) that were twisted in the manner shown. The base plate seems to be about the same thickness. Holes were drilled into it to accept the semi-circular elements. But how are they attached? How was the item held or clamped in order to "flatten" the ends of the semi-circular elements? These elements show no signs of clamp marks. If they were mounted while hot, how did they retain their shape? Or were only the ends heated, and then hammered? Why don't i shut up and let you look at the pictures? I will be checking back regularly to see if anyone has any ideas. The original photos are of much higher resolution, and if there is anything you would like to see in more detail, please just ask. I hope someone out there has an idea about how this was done! Thank you. - Lincoln -

Hello. I am redirecting this from the "Introduce Yourself" section, and this seems a better place for "my" problem. I am not a blacksmith.....but i know one. And he has quite a mystery on his hands. He is trying to recreate a small 18th Century iron item (a toaster) that has no documentation, and has not encountered anything quite like this before. He - Terry Connor - is the resident Blacksmith at Kings Landing Historical Settlement, located at Prince William, N.B., Canada, which is about 35 kilometers from Fredericton, where i live. He does not have a computer or internet access. I do. I also have several photos of the item in question, showing the "problem area" in detail. Neither he nor i have access to the item at present, but i have the photos and my own memories, and i can always call Mr. Connor to ask for more information should it be necessary. As this is my first post with an attachment, i will submit a general view of the toaster itself, so you can have an idea what i am trying to describe. If i manage not to screw that up, i will submit pictures - and descriptions - of the area he's having problems with. Thank any and all for any assistance you may be able to offer. - Lincoln -

Thank you both. I will select and resize some photos tomorrow, and post them here. The toaster is somewhat different. More than anything it looks like an old arch bridge. You'll see shortly. Thanks again. - Lincoln -

Hello. As my user name suggests, i am not a blacksmith.....but i know one. And he has a problem. Well, he has lots of problems.....but don't tell him i said that. He is trying to recreate a small 18th Century iron item (a toaster) that has no documentation, and is put together in a way that has so far remained a mystery to him. He - Terry Connor - is the resident Blacksmith at Kings Landing Historical Settlement, located at Prince William, N.B., which is about 35 kilometers from Fredericton, where i live. He does not have a computer or internet access. I do. I also have several photos of the item in question, showing the "problem area" in detail. Neither he nor i have access to the item at present, but i have the photos and my own memories, and i can always call Mr. Connor to ask for more information should it be necessary. So my question is this: how should i go about submitting this mystery to the forum? I want to follow all the proper procedures and protocols, so i figured i should ask here before proceeding. So please let me know where i should post this, what kind of limits i should observe w.r.t. images, and everything else i should know. Any assistance you may be able to offer will be *greatly* appreciated. Thank you. - Lincoln -