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- Nov 26, 2001
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Yesterday I visited an old mountain forge. It's placed (obviously) along a small stream. Downhill from it, another 4 forges were placed along the same river, in the XIX century.
The first peculiar thing is how the anvils were fixed. They seemed to use small anvils, 40 pound or so, even for very heavy work, looking at the tongs that were in place. The fact is that the anvil was placed, much like a stake anvil, in huge rock lumps projecting from the ground. Basically, each anvil was permanently and solidly affixed to the mountain itself, making pointless the use of a larger anvil.
The waterwheel was connected directly through its axle to a big gear, with teeth affixed singularly with pegs, so they could be easily substituted.
A secondary gear connected the bellows and trip hammer. Everything could be operated by the sitting place in front of the forge.
A second gear connected the mill on the second floor. A weight was placed in the wheat hopper, and was connected through a piece of string and some pulleys to a small wheel on the forge floor: when the hopper was empty, the small wheel reached the top of its travel, signalling the smith to add some more grain in the mill. This way the whole forge + mill arrangement could be handled by a single person.
Another peculiar thing was the water blower: it's a stone box, about 3'x3'x3', with three holes on the top, a big square hole in the front, which was closed by a wooden hatch, for maintenance, and under this a smaller, rectangular hole.
Water mixed with air was collected by a wooden pipe from the stream and entered from the bigger hole on the top. The water level inside the box was slightly above the exit hole, in the front wall. This way, water exited the box, but air could not exit the same way, and was forced out of the two smaller holes, to be sent to the tuyeres of the forges along the stream.
All these places were originally reached via small stone slabs affixed in the side of the mountain, like stairs. The slabs were about 1 square feet...
The first peculiar thing is how the anvils were fixed. They seemed to use small anvils, 40 pound or so, even for very heavy work, looking at the tongs that were in place. The fact is that the anvil was placed, much like a stake anvil, in huge rock lumps projecting from the ground. Basically, each anvil was permanently and solidly affixed to the mountain itself, making pointless the use of a larger anvil.
The waterwheel was connected directly through its axle to a big gear, with teeth affixed singularly with pegs, so they could be easily substituted.
A secondary gear connected the bellows and trip hammer. Everything could be operated by the sitting place in front of the forge.
A second gear connected the mill on the second floor. A weight was placed in the wheat hopper, and was connected through a piece of string and some pulleys to a small wheel on the forge floor: when the hopper was empty, the small wheel reached the top of its travel, signalling the smith to add some more grain in the mill. This way the whole forge + mill arrangement could be handled by a single person.
Another peculiar thing was the water blower: it's a stone box, about 3'x3'x3', with three holes on the top, a big square hole in the front, which was closed by a wooden hatch, for maintenance, and under this a smaller, rectangular hole.
Water mixed with air was collected by a wooden pipe from the stream and entered from the bigger hole on the top. The water level inside the box was slightly above the exit hole, in the front wall. This way, water exited the box, but air could not exit the same way, and was forced out of the two smaller holes, to be sent to the tuyeres of the forges along the stream.
All these places were originally reached via small stone slabs affixed in the side of the mountain, like stairs. The slabs were about 1 square feet...
