Wesley Chambers Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 So I built this in a rush for a living history event, its not done but it worked very well. Had a few requests to see it setup made this video thought some here might enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willway Forge Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Cool Rig, simple and effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Very nice, thank you for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOC Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Way cool Wesley. An excellent experiment in living history, thanks for sharing. A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Chambers Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Thanks all, just found another photo someone snapped, different view Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 very nice :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Seems funny that when you first start it can be so hard to build a forge that works; but after some experience it seems to be hard to not build a forge that works! Have you given any thought to twin single action bellows as were used in the middle ages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Chambers Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 I would like to run a twin but I dont want to keep the wife working them all day. Some of the shows I attend and would like to join I'll be working solo and this is about my only option. This event covered 1066-1400+ I was lucky enough to go with the great bellows, my research places them as far back as the 1200's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Can you share that research with us! Just provide the cite and I most likely have the book or can access it through the university library next door. (My research indicated the 1400's with it's use with the gold smiths gradually leaking over to the iron smiths. Theophilus in the 1120's still showed single action bellows and the ones shown in De Re Metallica were also single action---though being water driven are a special case.) As for twin systems many medieval illuminations show them being worked by one person with a single handle set up to alternate with a sort of rocker system. "Cathedral Forge and Waterwheel", Gies and Gies, has a couple such. (and people wonder why laurels get such a persnickety reputation...) Now the early systems like shown on the Heylstadt stave church panels do require a bellows thrall to be effective and wives are notoriously resistant to the suggestion... I've been sourcing soapstone from old laboratory benchtops and sinks that make good bellows stone and easily carved if you want to duplicate the norse examples... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Chambers Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 I built this setup in about two days and was in a rush to get it ready, the Old West Fest had just ended and I didn't have much time to get it the way I wanted before Days of Knights. My first stone was a decorated portland cement creation that refused to setup over night in the 35º weather I guess, so I had to go with what I had- a busted garden paver lol. Ill try to hunt out the info again I had a few links from friends so Ill try to dig those up if I didn't delete the email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 My gravestone is going to be a garden path stone according to my wife. Of course it is, sandstone, large and was carved with the Heylstadt carving of the smith Regin and the text of my laurel award in the SCA. Just the thing to stub your toe on in the dark... The carver got a high priority request and went out and yanked it out of their garden path. *His* wife was not too happy about that I understood... Thanks for hunting down the information; *always* ready to learn more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bionicarm Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 How did you make the...uhh...tapered pipe on the outlet? Sheet metal and a wooden form? Seems to have too uniform a thickness to be forged (could just bee angle though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bionicarm Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 It's called a nozzle dummy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Nozzles: back in the early 1960's it was popular to make kitchen tables with tapered thin steel pipe legs. when found at the scrap yard or dump they make quite nice nozzles, just cut each end off at the size you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Nice rig Wesley. I like that a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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