BlackSmithBear Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 A wooden box type forge would probably be just right for the time/situation you are looking for. The box is built, filled with rocks and sand around the fire pit with a piece of pipe coming in from the side, fed by a bellows on the outside. I could get dimensions and draw up a sketch if you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildlandsstudent Posted October 5, 2010 Author Share Posted October 5, 2010 The setup we would like is to have it look as authentic as we can but remain within our budget. We had intended to use the sink because one of the teachers at my school has one that he no longer needs and he is willing to donate. We have planned to disquise it in a way that would look authentic, although I am open to any ideas that anyone has, and a scetch with dimensions of a box forge would be great, BlackSmithBear, thank you. We had also planned on aming charcoal ourselves to save money, and so I could learn the process of making charcoal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Great!---Doing it authentic will probably be CHEAPER than doing it half-a**** (may take more time though, especially if you want to go all out and adz off rough sawn lumber for your woodwork---great place to learn to use an adz as it *should* look crude when you are done as this would not be an upscale item but one "crude but functional") The forge should cast *nothing*; the anvil should be smallish and not a modern london pattern so a hunk of steel that is free or at scrap price should be found, (or you might find a small colonial pattern anvil, unlikely but possible for that use)---might inlet it into a stump to hold it. I've built bellows before out of scrounged materials and so the cost was under US$1. For that time/place/use a fairly small double lung bellows or twin single lunged bellows would be spot on. Note that the twin single lunged bellows really needs to have a separate person to work it or a slightly tricky set up to alternate the pumping with one pole. Then you can forge your own tooling; some patterns of tongs have been in use for about 2000 years so far, you may be able to find or modify fleamarket hammers to the correct shape; etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildlandsstudent Posted October 5, 2010 Author Share Posted October 5, 2010 Then you can forge your own tooling; some patterns of tongs have been in use for about 2000 years so far, you may be able to find or modify fleamarket hammers to the correct shape; etc. That is what I would like to do. Although I have been unable to find a pattern for tongs or some basic instructions on how to make them, and I do not know whether or not the blacksmith that may be visiting my school will teach me how, so just in case he does not do you know where I can find a scetch of a pair of tongs or instructions on how to make them? If you could that would be amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSmithBear Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 That is what I would like to do. Although I have been unable to find a pattern for tongs or some basic instructions on how to make them, and I do not know whether or not the blacksmith that may be visiting my school will teach me how, so just in case he does not do you know where I can find a scetch of a pair of tongs or instructions on how to make them? If you could that would be amazing. Try the ABANA website, they have instruction plans for making tongs and quite a few other things.( http://www.abana.org/resources/education/chf.shtml ) There may also be some here in the Blueprint section. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Along with IFI's blueprints anvilfire.com has an I-Forge section with instructions on making a lot of things. Finding the appropriate shapes for a certain time/place is harder. If you can find examples of advertising they may have period blacksmith "clip art", also paintings of smiths from the time period. For remote areas you often have to go back a generation or so earlier as new modes took some time to propagate. Hmmm, Diderot's Encyclopedia comes in at the tail end of the 18th century; but in France. Did the fur trade still have a French influence where you are at? Any museums of that period with even one or two extant smithing pieces? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildlandsstudent Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 Thank you. Again the people of this forum amaze me with their kindness. I am checking all of those suggested pages and have saved copies all of the pdf files from the ABANA page, I hope that is legal. To answer your questions, Mr. Powers, to my knowledge the fur trade still had French influence in this area until it ended, but although I may be wrong the living musuem we are planning will be a French fur trader's cabin. And there is a living musuem in the area but, but it is a different time period. I believe it is an early to mid 1900's logging camp. I have not heard of Diderot's Encyclopedia, but I intend to google it and see if their is a copy online that I will be able to peruse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Diderot's Encyclopedia is the "go to" book for the late 1700's for technological info. It is one of the gems of the enlightenment where they tried to show how *everything* was done currently in France. Hard to find the complete version but easy to find excerpts. There will be a number of pages of engravings on jobs that are smith related showing the tools, clothes, equipment of the era in the "best and most up to date methods in France" So cutting edge of the last of the 18th century might very well cover remote/rural areas of the early 19th century. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildlandsstudent Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 So cutting edge of the last of the 18th century might very well cover remote/rural areas of the early 19th century. That does make a lot of sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildlandsstudent Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 We have come up with a final plan for the shack we are going to build to house our smithy. Although I don't know if anyone will be able to view this, it was made in Google Sketch up and can only be viewed in that program. Ok. Nevermind. It won't let me upload that file type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajajoaquin Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 That is what I would like to do. Although I have been unable to find a pattern for tongs or some basic instructions on how to make them, and I do not know whether or not the blacksmith that may be visiting my school will teach me how, so just in case he does not do you know where I can find a scetch of a pair of tongs or instructions on how to make them? If you could that would be amazing. Also check out the Vista Forge web page. Tongs are a lesson taught in the Basic 1 classes. Look for the "simple tongs" in the projects section ("very simple tongs" require pre-cut blanks). http://www.cbavista.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildlandsstudent Posted October 27, 2010 Author Share Posted October 27, 2010 Also check out the Vista Forge web page. Tongs are a lesson taught in the Basic 1 classes. Look for the "simple tongs" in the projects section ("very simple tongs" require pre-cut blanks). http://www.cbavista.com/ Thanks. That does seem to show the process of making tongs as well as explaining what I will need to do to achieve this. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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