unimog Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 I am new to this forum. Used to work in a black smith shop many years ago as a teen apprentice. There was the master black smith and one other smith and 3 teen apprentices. I worked on ag equipment over the road trucks and also in the black smith when needed. The black smith work was mostly repairs to equipment, horse shoeing, steel tire replacements etc. There were no power hammers but the black smith would use us to get the most out each heat. He would line us up at the anvil with sledge hammers and set the tempo with his smaller hammer to work the hot iron. If we were slow to hit it there would a lot of "comments" from him. Started out when I was 15 and worked for room and board plus a very small salary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Good Morning from the left Coast, Welcome!! There are an awful lot of people here, with different backgrounds. All with the same focus, how to get a little knowledge, continually. I worked with a Danish fellow who worked in Chain making Shops in Europe, Logging Camps after coming to Canada, had his own Blacksmith Shop for a lot of years. He was a quiet man, even quieter when you made a mistake!! Sure full of ability though!! Enjoy the journey. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 Neil, thank you for your comments. Small world I grew up in Denmark and worked at the black smith shop in the mid 1900's. After my apprenticeship I studied to be a mechanical engineer and worked for a few years in Denmark as an engineer before immigrating to the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Ah HAH! I'm glad I took some time before replying, I mistakenly thought you served a real apprenticeship in Maryland USA. It was taking me some thinking time because I didn't think anybody offered real apprenticeships in America. Mid 20th cent. Denmark fits nicely in my thinking of current smithing. Do you have any pictures of your old Master's shop? Any stories you'd like to share? Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 Sorry I don't have any pictures of the shop. The shop was a separate building about 50 ft by 50 ft with the forge located in the middle of the shop. The anvil was huge perhaps in the 400 to 500 lb range. There were work benches with several post vises and an area with overhead pulleys and belts driving drilling machines and grinders etc. The upstairs had room for storage and there were racks outside for lengths of steel bars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Bummer, we LOVE pics. Oh yeah, that sounds like a working blacksmith shop alright, a real town smithy. No need for power hammers if you have 4-5 experienced teenage strikers. Was it a place local people gathered to talk and gossip, perhaps cold winter days? Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 The customers were mostly local farmers that needed repairs made to their farm equipment and that was how the blacksmith shop was established in the late 1800"s. Later when cars trucks and tractors materialized a second shop was built to repair those as well and that was where I worked mostly except when they needed help in the blacksmith shop. The farmers were always there to complain about the weather and gossip and make deals on new or used equipment. We worked 6 days a week with Sundays off. Also we did repairs in the field for tractors and trucks as well as complete overhauls in the shop. I was able to overhaul a Diesel Mercedes truck engine by myself when I was 16 starting Friday afternoon when the truck was dropped off and having it roll out the shop Monday morning. Completed my apprenticeship when 18 but had a severe motorcycle accident. After getting out of hospital I was not in good shape so I decided since I could not work anyway to try to get an engineering degree instead. That turned out to require a lot of work initially since I had left school at 15 but 4 years later I graduated. Over the years here in Maryland I have collected some blacksmith equipment but never had the time to do anything with it. Between raising 9 adopted kids and a heavy travel schedule for my job it was hard to find time. But now I am retired I should be able to set it up. On the farm where we live there is a building 20 ft by 30 ft that I think will work for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 Here is some of the equipment collected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Nice Columbian and Hay Budden anvils, the rivet forge looks like it is ready to go to work. We look forward to more of your stories (almost as good as pictures). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 So, do you have a Unimog? Or just memories of repairing them? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 yes have a 1968 ex military Unimog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 You need to come out here where you can give it a good workout! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 agreed your area is ideal for Unimogs and off roading We lived in Texas for 17 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Where, TX is a moderately large place... Here in New Mexico I've used google satellite and have not found a house or a paved road for 60 miles behind my place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 19, 2018 Author Share Posted November 19, 2018 yes Texas is a huge place. We lived in Houston at the time but I was doing some large scale construction projects in the West Texas area ( Permian Basin ). Also was working on a Power project in the Four Corners area of New Mexico so I am familiar with the wast distances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Well compared to Alaska; Texas is only moderately large; but it has environments from swamp to desert; seashore to hills. NM is smaller; few swamps and much taller mountains. I can see the Magdalena Ridge Observatory at 10000' from my front door down in the Rio Grande valley. While Houston has the Space center we have the first atom bomb test site---and a spaceport. Did you ever get a chance to see the mal pais ? Lava flows that would test the mog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Wow, That Unimog is superbly restored and looks like it will see service for another 50 years. It would love Australia! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 I have long admired Unimogs, if only from afar. Nice vehicle, and welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!!* *Although this is mostly geared towards newbie-blacksmiths, it does have good suggestions for getting the most out of the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unimog Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 JHCC thank you for the tips for the forum. The Unimog is a unique off road truck with a very flexible suspension that allows all four wheels to touch the ground under most circumstances and coupled with the ability to lock up all four wheels for traction it can travel where others can't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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