I'm getting into knifemaking and I decided to build a little shop at my stepfather's cottage. I planned to make a forge around an old grill (Or whatever it was, you can see some rocks in a round formation on the right side and there was some old dish washing stuff around it.) Stepdad made some plans about how we should lay the bricks and they bought the fireproof bricks, cement, mortar and fireproof mortar yesterday. Last weekend I only got to clean the grill up a bit.
As you can see, it was in horrible condition and we had to tear down most of it once we got the bricks. We started building on the day that I was supposed to do my taksvärkki work. What the hell is that, you ask? Well, in Finland back in the 1800's, torpparis, people who worked their own crops and house on a landlord's land, worked for their landlords for one day, once a year. The tradition has been carried over to Finnish schools, where one day, once a year, middle school kids find work and bring 10 euros to the principal and keep the rest of their wage. Anyway, me and my mother decided that building the forge was to be my work for the day, but because I had no experience with laying bricks level, I only cleaned up the area, carried the bricks from the car to the grill and mixed some cement and stepdad did the rest of the work.
We were left a brick and a half short, but this is where we're at.
The hole on the front is where I'll remove all the ash from, and there is another hole on the left side where we'll put in an old hairdryer without a heating element.
Now all we need to do is make covers for the holes and a worktable on the left side. I've heard that there is an old anvil at my grandpa's place, and I'll buy a cheap belt grinder and a CD player (I'd rather work with my heavy metal songs playing from speakers rather than in my head.) Whatever else I need to do, I can do at the existing woodworking shop in the garage.
As you can see, it was in horrible condition and we had to tear down most of it once we got the bricks. We started building on the day that I was supposed to do my taksvärkki work. What the hell is that, you ask? Well, in Finland back in the 1800's, torpparis, people who worked their own crops and house on a landlord's land, worked for their landlords for one day, once a year. The tradition has been carried over to Finnish schools, where one day, once a year, middle school kids find work and bring 10 euros to the principal and keep the rest of their wage. Anyway, me and my mother decided that building the forge was to be my work for the day, but because I had no experience with laying bricks level, I only cleaned up the area, carried the bricks from the car to the grill and mixed some cement and stepdad did the rest of the work.
We were left a brick and a half short, but this is where we're at.
The hole on the front is where I'll remove all the ash from, and there is another hole on the left side where we'll put in an old hairdryer without a heating element.
Now all we need to do is make covers for the holes and a worktable on the left side. I've heard that there is an old anvil at my grandpa's place, and I'll buy a cheap belt grinder and a CD player (I'd rather work with my heavy metal songs playing from speakers rather than in my head.) Whatever else I need to do, I can do at the existing woodworking shop in the garage.
