Need Equipment and Plans for old-fashion smithy shop

[Wildlandsstudent]

Hi. I am a student at the Wildlands charter school in Wisonsin and I would like to build a fully functioning smithy area for historical demonstrations as well as to fabricate items in a historically correct way and I am in need of plans or designs for a forge, knowledge of how to work with the metal, as well as any pointers that anyone would be kind enough to give.

[arftist]

Hi. I am a student at the Wildlands charter school in Wisonsin and I would like to build a fully functioning smithy area for historical demonstrations as well as to fabricate items in a historically correct way and I am in need of plans or designs for a forge, knowledge of how to work with the metal, as well as any pointers that anyone would be kind enough to give.

There are a ton of books that cover this. The Complete Modern Blacksmith may be the best allaround beginers book. The Edge of The Anvil is also very good, as well as The Blacksmith's Craft. As far as I know, all three are in print and cover methodology as well as setup.

[Wildlandsstudent]

There are a ton of books that cover this. The Complete Modern Blacksmith may be the best allaround beginers book. The Edge of The Anvil is also very good, as well as The Blacksmith's Craft. As far as I know, all three are in print and cover methodology as well as setup.

Thanks. From what I have read on this site those books have been recomended a great many times. I feel a little idiotic for not realising that those books would be as helpful to me as they were to others.

[Sam Falzone]

Thanks. From what I have read on this site those books have been recomended a great many times. I feel a little idiotic for not realising that those books would be as helpful to me as they were to others.

Hey, forget about it.

There's no such thing as a stupid question.

Not asking the question ... now that's stupid

Besides, sometimes even the obvious answers get overlooked.

Happy reading - they really are great books.

[Wildlandsstudent]

Very true. Thanks. Does anyone who uses this site know a blacksmith in the Eau Claire Wisconsin area who would be willing to help with this? Either with advice or by demonstrating?

[divermike]

If you or a friend will be in NY any time, I have a bunch of equipment for sale.

[Wildlandsstudent]

If you or a friend will be in NY any time, I have a bunch of equipment for sale.

Could you be a little more specific about the tools you have for sale? I have some relatives living in that area.

[Bob S]

Very true. Thanks. Does anyone who uses this site know a blacksmith in the Eau Claire Wisconsin area who would be willing to help with this? Either with advice or by demonstrating?

try these guys. It's a pretty active group in the twin cities area. They may know if anyone is close to Eau Claire.

http://www.metalsmith.org/

[Wildlandsstudent]

try these guys. It's a pretty active group in the twin cities area. They may know if anyone is close to Eau Claire.

http://www.metalsmith.org/

Thanks. I'll check that site out.

[Wildlandsstudent]

And if anyone knows where I can get as much metal to work with for as little money as possible could you let me know? I can look in the Eau Claire Wisconsin area.

[Charles R. Stevens]

To find cheap steel just take a walk their are tons of scrap abandoned in the US. Older car springs, axles and steering parts are high carbon (good for tools) reabar is fairly high carbon, but just a mix of scrap to mete a performance spec. Structeral steel scrap can be anything from old wraut iron to modern A36. Untell you get a feel for what scrap is and what you can do with it you will have faillors, but that's part of the learning prosses. And the ancients worked with inconsistent materials some testing was required.

[Wildlandsstudent]

To find cheap steel just take a walk their are tons of scrap abandoned in the US. Older car springs, axles and steering parts are high carbon (good for tools) reabar is fairly high carbon, but just a mix of scrap to mete a performance spec. Structeral steel scrap can be anything from old wraut iron to modern A36. Untell you get a feel for what scrap is and what you can do with it you will have faillors, but that's part of the learning prosses. And the ancients worked with inconsistent materials some testing was required.

Thank you. I had thought about that but was unsure of how productive it would be.

[Tim McCoy]

Ditto what Stevens said ... in the last 12 months I have gathered a little over a ton of scrap metal - mostly mild steel - just by looking in alleys, vacant lots and asking people for what they have laying around. Great stuff to learn with while practicing!

[Wildlandsstudent]

Ditto what Stevens said ... in the last 12 months I have gathered a little over a ton of scrap metal - mostly mild steel - just by looking in alleys, vacant lots and asking people for what they have laying around. Great stuff to learn with while practicing!

Thank you. I will definitely be looking around for any scrap metal that I can find.

[ianinsa]

And find you will! Ask your local metal work shop they usually have short off-cuts of 12mm(half ") bar both round and square this is great stuff to practice on/with. whan I was young a local scrap dealer let me take stuff "on apro" if I messed it up he would just take it back as he only had interest in the weight and not the shape, I just paid for what I kept! There are really some good souls out there who just hope that you pass it forward!
There is little lost in asking? Ian

[Wildlandsstudent]

And find you will! Ask your local metal work shop they usually have short off-cuts of 12mm(half ") bar both round and square this is great stuff to practice on/with. whan I was young a local scrap dealer let me take stuff "on apro" if I messed it up he would just take it back as he only had interest in the weight and not the shape, I just paid for what I kept! There are really some good souls out there who just hope that you pass it forward!
There is little lost in asking? Ian

Thanks. I will see if there is a metal work shop nearby that I can get cut-offs from. I hadn't known whether or not that would work, but I will try it. Thanks fot the input, it is much appreciated.

[Dragons lair]

Second time back be sure to take a finished piece and or donuts. Even if they charged ya for the 1st visit.
Ken.

[DocJohnson]

Also check the ABANA website affiliate list, <abana.org> the Badger Blacksmiths list one of their contacts in Eau Claire.

[Wildlandsstudent]

Second time back be sure to take a finished piece and or donuts. Even if they charged ya for the 1st visit.
Ken.

Thanks. If I can find a metal shop nearby that will allow me to visit I will bring donuts. Thanks for the advice. I had not thought of bringing those, but now that you have mentioned them it is a very good idea, and if they don't take all of them I can eat those that are left over.

[ThomasPowers]

First clarify your question! What TIME and PLACE in History? Egyptian, ancient greek, migration era, medieval, renaissance, early Industrial rev, american colonial, 18th century, 19th century 20th century.

I can help with sources for pretty much all of these BUT I am not going to type out pages of info only to be told that you want 19th century South American...

A historical forge could be a hole in the ground with a ring of people using blow pipes, (ancient Egyptian), to a massive masonry structure using water wheel driven bellows, (De Re Metallica),

Divers Arts 1120
Mechanics Exercises 1703
Diderot's Encyclopedia Enlightenment
Practical Blacksmithing 1889, 1890, 1891,

etc...

[BlackSmithBear]

I work in a "Period" Blacksmith shop 1890-1920 and would be happy to send some pics to you, Here's some for a tease...





Bear in mind that this park is a recreation of a logging camp, way out in the woods type. Accordingly the forge is a wood box type that could be constructed in the woods, with the available materials. It was originally a "Side Blast" forge, but has since been converted to bottom blast, without being visibly apparent.
BlackSmithBear

[Wildlandsstudent]

The time and place we are planning to represent are the American fur trade era in Wisconsin. We want this to look like the kind of set-up that someone making a living trapping fur who has a blacksmithing area so they can make any repairs to their equipment and make any additional equipment they may need.

[ThomasPowers]

Aha---that lets out a big london pattern anvil and fancy set up right there. Makes it easy for you as a couple of hammers/pairs of tongs would be the most you would expect for an out in the boonies smithy. If you want to be accurate avoid the urge to make it much larger and fancier a setup that they would actually have---you can have your own private smithy with all the bells and whistles hidden somewhere else!

You'd be forging with charcoal for fuel too.

Steve Parker has made some *GREAT* historical travel anvils---I have one of his that weighs about 25 pounds and is spot of for anywhen from Roman through at least F&I war, (I know of Roman, Viking, Spanish Colonial and F&I examples). I just used it at the smithing class I taught yesterday as it's a great one for nailing which is one of the 3 projects my beginning students do. It has a nice spike on the bottom and so easy to use where ever a sump can be found or made.

[Wildlandsstudent]

We had assumed we would be using either charcoal, or because we are on a very limited budget we might be using regular wood. We intend to build the forge out of a double sided sink that we will be disquizing as a brick forge and we will be making a set of bellows, and we have found someone who might be able to get us an anvil, and who may be willing to teach me some basics.

[ThomasPowers]

A brick forge sounds unlikely at that time/place and not something that a part timer would have invested in. Are you trying to be accurate or would any setup just do? Some clay in a wooden box might be more likely than a sink. Bellows are pretty easy to build yourself.

One way to start building a charcoal supply is to get some folks that use wood stoves to sift their ashes and throw the charcoal into a metal bin with a tight sealing lid. I do that out here and am building up a pile to use in a bloomery run. You do have to be very careful that the stuff is OUT as charcoal can start back up from even a small spark.

When I use wood I generally burn it in a separate fire and then rake the coals onto a shovel and dump it onto the forge as needed. This keeps some of the heat off your face and can be arranged to keep the smoke away from you too! (I was doing an Y0K set up for a local church's Bethlehem drive through last December and it was a cold one and my charcoal producing fire was *very* appreciated by the other participants.