SilverDeck Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 While visiting family for the Memorial Day weekend, I had the good fortune of being able to visit the amazing Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop in the small town of Haverhill, Iowa. The shop was started in 1883 and actively worked until the death of the proprietor in 1940. At that time the family closed the doors but left the shop and contents largely intact for many decades until they decided to donate the property to the Iowa Historical Society in 1986. It was absolutely amazing to be able to this place, and even more amazing that it was preserved (largely through benign neglect) to give this window into the past. I took nearly sixty photos inside the shop, but below are a few of the highlights. The anvil was a 146 lb Peter Wright. The largest post vise in the shop had 8 1/4" wide jaws. Much of the mechanized shop machinery was operated with a belt-drive system powered by a gasoline engine, including a homemade trip hammer.If you ever get a chance to stop and see this place, it is well worth your time. The property is operated by the Iowa Historical Society and futher information about it is available here:http://www.iowahistory.org/historic-sites/edel-blacksmith-shop/site-history.htmlEnjoy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony San Miguel Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 WOW! Super cool! Thanks for sharing this. Wish I could see it in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 +1 Thanks for sharing this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Very cool, would love to work in such a shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Awesome bit of corbelling on that brickwork! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Very cool, would love to work in such a shop!I work in a vaguely similar shop, except it's 150-200 years older. Layout is a nightmare as there is not a single flat surface in the place.It is atmospheric, though. You never feel alone, in a good way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yves Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I work in a vaguely similar shop, except it's 150-200 years older. Layout is a nightmare as there is not a single flat surface in the place.It is atmospheric, though. You never feel alone, in a good way.Pictures please. Possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 He must have make a LOT of carriage or runner bolts, he almost has more headers than other tools on his anvil stand. Lots of punches, many square tells me he made a lot of bolt plates as well. Makes sense if he made sets say large barn door hinges and latches with custom made carriage bolts and backing plates.His swage block looks like it lived a lot of it's life with the round swages on top. I'll bet there was a rack with matching top swages close by. The I'd guess, hinge bale on the block would have had a matching fuller to get the ID right without having to drift. I'd be willing to bet the fuller is within reach.I'd love to spend time standing in the various working positions just to get a feel for how he laid out his tools and worked.Great photo spread, thank you.Dan: Where is the photo spread of the shop you WORK in?!Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I will take and post some photos soon.Need to give the place a tidy up first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Greetings Copilot,Thanx for posting your wonderful pictures of the shop.. Just like mine.. LOLForge on and make beautiful thingsJim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 (edited) I will take and post some photos soon.Need to give the place a tidy up first!No, no, NO! We wanna see it in normal operating condition. Not museum spiffy. Edited May 26, 2015 by LastRonin Autocorrect! Need I say more. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 He must have make a LOT of carriage or runner bolts, he almost has more headers than other tools on his anvil stand. Lots of punches, many square tells me he made a lot of bolt plates as well. Makes sense if he made sets say large barn door hinges and latches with custom made carriage bolts and backing plates.His swage block looks like it lived a lot of it's life with the round swages on top. I'll bet there was a rack with matching top swages close by. The I'd guess, hinge bale on the block would have had a matching fuller to get the ID right without having to drift. I'd be willing to bet the fuller is within reach.I'd love to spend time standing in the various working positions just to get a feel for how he laid out his tools and worked.Great photo spread, thank you.Dan: Where is the photo spread of the shop you WORK in?!Frosty The Lucky.Labor used to be a lot cheaper than materials - wonder if he purchased raw bar stock and made all his bolts to fit? A practiced man who was intent on the task could probably make a big carriage bolt for less than he could buy at the time - and it would be the right size every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Superb photos friend, well done. (nice shop too!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Beautiful pictures. Really appreciate them being posted. Anytime you want to share the rest I'm sure the rest would like to see them to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Labor used to be a lot cheaper than materials - wonder if he purchased raw bar stock and made all his bolts to fit? A practiced man who was intent on the task could probably make a big carriage bolt for less than he could buy at the time - and it would be the right size every time.That's the feeling I get Harold.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Labor used to be a lot cheaper than materials - wonder if he purchased raw bar stock and made all his bolts to fit? A practiced man who was intent on the task could probably make a big carriage bolt for less than he could buy at the time - and it would be the right size every time.Take into account that for the vast majority of blacksmithing history there was no such thing as scrap, only pieces of iron awaiting a purpose.Having said that, my initial thought was that all the headers had been put there by some museum-y people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Good Morning,I have had the pleasure of looking through the windows. Imagination times 10, might come close. The Blacksmith Shop was closed by the father because all the boys got jobs at the Factory. Which Factory? Probably John Deere in nearby Des Moines. (just a thought)The Blacksmith Shop is just a couple blocks away from where one of the Studebaker boys live.A definite example of what our lives would be like without a Hardware Store nearby.Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I would dearly love to have a shop like that nearby. The atmosphere comes through in the photos, but I can't imagine what it would be like in person. Glad to see it preserved for posterity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnJockey Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 That looks like an interesting helve hammer, anymore pics of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDeck Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 (edited) So as not to bog down this thread with nearly sixty images, I have decided to post a link to my Photobucket album where all of the pictures that I took can be viewed. There is even a short (27 second) video of a portion of the shop. I wish there was a way for me to have captured the smell of the place in these pictures. It was unforgettable; sort of mixture of musty wood, earth, soot and old iron.Enjoy! Blacksmith Shop Haverhill IA 5-25-2015?sort=3&page=1&_suid=143273325492608367677414147294 Edited May 27, 2015 by TheCopilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDeck Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 That looks like an interesting helve hammer, anymore pics of it?Unfortunately, the pic posted above was one of the better ones I got of that trip hammer. The hammer was in one of the darkest parts of the shop and getting a good image of it was tough.Here is another shot taken from further back of the whole trip hammer apparatus:As you can see, there is a leaf spring on top of the arm to store energy and return it with the downward stroke of the hammer.Feel free to look at the rest of the photos at the link listed above. It may show up in the background of some of the other images. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Copolit, bog down the thread. That way they are always with the discussion and do not go away when the photobucket is deleted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDeck Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Thanks, Glenn. Is the best way to post these images by using the "insert image from URL" option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 yes, works for me (grin) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Check out the compound leverage shear with intergrL clamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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