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"Viking" style shop set up help/advise


hunter

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Hello, as I mentioned in my introduction post (if you read it) I am a 16 yr old aspiring businessman. I currently do wood carvings and leatherwork. But my intention is to have a business entirely dedicated to authentic norse and celtic works. And I wish to add blacksmithing, among other things, to my works. (Back to my post topic) I already have an understanding of forge, bellow, and anvil set up/construction. And from what I understand, the actual shop is a medium sized, 3 walled "barn". With the forge and anvil in the center or off to the side (and under a chimney to allow any smoke to escape). But what I would like some help on is the actual tools. All I can find on the Internet is a bunch of picture if a couple tools, but not of a full set of tools. If you can help me find a picture/list or if you already know and could tell me, I would greatly appreciate it. Then I could make a shopping list of tools and some books to begin my journey of learning the art of blacksmithing. Thanks in advance!!!

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Do a search on IForgeIron for The Mästermyr Project. 

 

In 1936 on an island off the coast of Sweden a farmer plowing a recently drained swampland was stopped by something buried in the ground. He found his plowshare entangled in an old chain. As he dug deeper he found the chain wrapped around a chest that contained many old tools. Subsequent investigation by Sweden's archaeologists revealed that it was a tool chest from the Viking era of about 10 centuries ago. They were blacksmiths and carpenters tools over 1000 years old!  There were about 200 objects in the chest. You should will find something of interest there. 

 

Pack a lunch and a cold drink and read IForgeIron cover to cover. Dig into the archives. Start with a subject of interest from the forum page and follow the information trail and your interests from there.

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http://warehamforgeblog.blogspot.com/?m=1
As well as Warehamforge.com
Mästermyr chest, some were in the ware harehamer blog is an arress were you can lay hands on a copy of the archaeological catalogue. But several smiths have taken on the task of reproducing the tools and chest. Its a mix of smithing as well as wood working tools.
Almost any hand tool is on the table here. But remember, the anvil alone represented several man/days work to produce. Look at the experimental smelts, to get an idea of what it took in terms of man/days work. Gathering, roasting and grinding the ore, producing the charcoal, building the blumadary furnace, running the smelt, consolidating the bloom into wrought iron. Then forging it into an anvil. Or into money bars. Iron was worth its weight in gold at this time, so the absolute bare minimum of kit is appropriate. A couple pairs of tongs, a couple hammers, a sledge, a hand full of punches, chisels and drifts, a nail header, a rivit header and a few top tools. If you cant fit it all (including your bellows) in a 16"x16"x 32" chest you have to much stuff.

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Glenn- That does sound like a good story, I will surely be reading it, and many more! I am homeschooled/uschooled so I have nearly too much time on my hands haha. Plenty time for reading. Thanks alot for the tip!

Charles- Although I would like to be as close to traditional as possible, I do not think I will be making my own anvil haha. Sure does sound like a good challenge though! I was thinking of making it out of a section of railroad track, or purchasing a pre made stump anvil. Along with the basic tools you mention. Then make the chest myself, as I have some wood working experience as well as books. Thank you very much for the advice!

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The railroad track anvil would not be an appropriate anvil for what you are trying to do.  See if you could find a bick or stump anvil.  Or if you are planning on making your anvil, try to make something on those lines.  Railroad track is a fairly modern invention starting in the mid 1800's and refined into modern steel rain that we know today.

 

Also, if you post your location, you might find other IFI members nearby who could lend a hand, or tools.

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The book Mastermry Find is available as of this AM on Amazon. I just ordered one. I visited Gotland Island where this chest was found a few years ago. The Walled city, cobble stone streets, and burned out churches are striking. It is known as the island of Roses and Ruins.

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Just remember the average viking owned les than a pound of iron, an axe, sword or helm were valuable! Any one with a car owns a ton and a half or more steel.
As to track anvils. Viking era anvils were small. A 3" section of heavy guage rail with the flange cut of and the web forged to a square is a fait aproximation, a slightly longer peice can have awasp stinger shaped horn, pritchel holes are not unknown.
Google viking anvils and iron age anvils. You will get some junk, but you will get some good reproductions and some rusty old ones in museims. The real ones are usualy shown with tools. Most are very small.
Seriusly check out the websight i referenced, he did all the reproduction iron work for the canadian goverment when they set up the museim where the vikings landed in newfandland.

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Njanvilman- I suppose I should have specified about the anvil. I would have cut the railroad into a small horned stump anvil of about 10lbs. But i know a blacksmith I met through instagram and will be asking him how much he would charge for an anvil of that type.

John an Notoenkid- I will be checking out those books, thanks.

Charles- Yes I spent the night looking at pictures of anvils. Now I have a very clear concept of how they look. A low weight square shape of usually 3" or up to 6" with a spike to go in a stump. Or something like a 4x4" flat surface and short,small horn with a spike in the base. But as I said to anvilman, I know a blacksmith and will be asking him if he can/would make a viking style stump anvil, and what it will cost.

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Hunter: Putting your general location in the header is what was suggested, just putting it in one post isn't going to help beyond a couple posts into this thread.

 

If you're going to do Viking reproduction work, forge your own darned anvil on a boulder. From my reading most Viking smithies like you describe used a largish boulder as an anvil, not iron, they sold iron. Once you have a proper Viking anvil forging a piece of an old broken axle into a portable, stake anvil is just a matter of sweat.

 

Also many Viking smithies were NOT dedicated three sided structures, they were far too practical to waste space effort or heat. Many smithies were front rooms or sections in their homes.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

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Frosty, i doubt his parents will go for turning the family room into a smithy ;-)
Good, so your young, ambitius, willin to do your home work. You will find plenty of help here, just pay it forward.
My sugjestion is to make a demo kit that is period. And a working smithy that is just that. Remember you will only heat 4-6" at a time

Oh, and dont forget you need a cuple of thrals, one to pump the bellows and one to act as a striker and to hold the tongs when you need a vise

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Frosty- Thank you very much for your imput. But one problem, it would most likely be much harder for me to get my hands on a boulder, than a stake or stump anvil. Not sure if you've ever been out near Hobbs nm/Seminole tx, but there is likely no boulders bigger than a football, nor a place willing to let me have it haha. Though I would love to make an anvil, I think I will purchase one, either online or from a blacksmith I know. And use that to also create anvils I could use/sell.

Charles- Yes that is exactly my plan!Ill more than likely have my smithy outside, under a "tent". Untill i move out on my own. I purchase my tools, I'll begin saving as much as possible. So that one day I can have a fully traditional style viking house and smithy I plan to build. Thanks again!

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The most important part to get an accurate set up is the 3 to 5 *OTHER PEOPLE* you would find in such a smithy.  Have a single person in a historical smith is about as accurate as portraying a heart transplant operating room with just the surgeon in it.

 

May I commend to your attention the door carvings of the Hylestad Stave church for a nice example of an appropriate set up.

 

Steve Parker has forged some very nice early styled stump anvils---I use one of his in my Y1K forge kit.

 

As for celtic will you be focusing on Northern Spain, Austria, Turkey, Italy, Urumchi?  Celts got around a *lot*!

 

There is a notable museum in Hallstadt Austria for example.

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Hey Hunter, 

 

I actually got into this as a result of spending time with a smith at a historic education centre. 

 

Having actually done a good bit of forging on a reproduction anvil that was very small indeed my advice would be to not bother. 

 

Get yourself a real modern anvil and use that for your day to day forging. Its a very romantic idea to forge the way they did but theres a good reason anvils evolved into the larger more complicated lumps of iron/ steel we have today. 

 

The reason is the MASS and as such REBOUND. - those tiny anvils have barely any rebound and as such they are hard as hell to work on. A significant portion of your energy is absorbed rather than sent back at you, so you have to work a lot harder to achieve the same results. 

 

- I speak from experience when I say you are far better off with a modern anvil for the majority of your forging. - You will also find that this is much more versatile as a tool. 

 

 

BUT - I also whole heartedly recommend you do get yourself a small - period style anvil for shows and demonstrations. Seeing how things were done back in the day is beneficial to your average Joe public. - then you can get them talking about how modern anvils are better than they used to be - explain the various different types. and if you haven't managed to bore them to death with your excited geeky chat you might just persuade them to buy something. 

 

 

The anvil is the main tool I would change. Your forge can and should remain the same. A google search for "viking forge" will bring up the design you should be looking at - i.e. side blown. 

The actual tools they had (as seen from the Mastermyr find) are no different to the ones we use today. The tongs are the same - they had hack saws and chisels and drifts. Very very little has changed tool wise. Except for easier access to much better quality steels. 

 

 

Electricity isn't a dirty word and if you can use it then it will make your work faster. Which at the end of the day means you can produce more and thus make more money. 

 

 

I look forward to seeing your posts of what you make. If you stick at it and really take the time to do things properly you will be a very talented smith indeed. 

 

 

All the best 

Andy

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I thought I'd take the liberty to post a few pics up that might be of interest or help.

I was lucky enough to go to Stavanger in Norway last year and I visited one of the museums there.

IMG_2547.jpg

This image is of a Viking anvil. It's a rather interesting design as it is supposed to be iron topped with steel. As you can see it's very small. Easily fitting in one hand. You can also see some tongs and a hammer head.
Numerous hammer heads were on display there - all different shapes and sizes.

It is also worth noting that a very small (1/4" or so) pritchel hole is present. Note also how the body is a tapered "V" shape. -This taper was in both directions. sort of like a knife blade - thick on the spine - thin near the edge - thick at the base of the blade - thin at the tip.


IMG_2551.jpg



The following pictures are not mine but they are interesting. This one is a collection of dogs head style hammers and a more chunky anvil.


IMG_2389.jpg


This is a modern set up with various tools set in a stump. You'll notice the log splitter set up as a hot cut. - the tools to the left and right of the anvil look like they're for forming curves and scrolls. - I would not be surprised if this is the kind of set up they would be familiar with - using multiple different shaped anvils for different jobs.


IMG_1837.jpg


Hope these give you some ideas.

All the best
Andy


this is the reproduction

IMG_1782.jpg

Cheers
Andy

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That part of Texas is a bit flat, but boulder's aren't too far away. Just go to San Angelo and look anyplace I tried to dig a hole when I lived there. There'll be a boulder or caliche, garaunteed. The old joke about that part of Texas is it's so flat you can see 20 miles in every direction. 30 if you stand on a tuna fish can.

 

I've played with them some, but will say be careful. The wrong stone will chip from heat or send chips flying from an errant hammer blow.

 

Something else nice about those parts, with all the oil around it's easy to get sucker rod at the scrapyards. Might be able to find a decent hunk of steel as a "stake anvil" too.

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