Guys, there is a bit of talking about building forge on the next event. Personally, I'm not against this idea, but I'm against initiating the process and see it fail.
One of my main conserns are:
- I want to see people who are involved in this project to have COMPLETED outfits and armor if they plan to participate in battles.
- Person who is going to build the forge, would provide full schematics including sources that point to originals that match proper period.
- I'd love to see a blacksmith to work in that forge and make good quality items. This includes posessing all tools, anvil, giving masterclass on how to work with metal. Basically, the person has to know the traid in and out.
- and finaly, this forge has to be MOBILE. we do not want ot have it stuck to the same place unless we have our own lend.
The reason for my conserns is, that we are known to always deliver good results and exceed everyone's expectations. And it'd be nice to keep it this way.
Sash, thats a tall order and an interesting problem to solve.
Thanks for pointing some thing that I did not take into account. I did some more research, I am not sure that during the period we are reconstracting there were any MOBILE forges. At least not ones that could be moved intact. I am not sure if they had the tech to make one, becase any mobile forge that I saw on the web is made of steel (10-30 kg of it).
For now the scematics that I gave you (the ones on Facebook) were schematics of beginners/mobile forge made from modern scrap metal. That thing was the forge I was planing to start with. It defenetly does not fit the standats you are expecting
What I can give you in a near future is a schematic of a small forge that can be built without any modern materials, only stone, clay and mud (maybe with exception ofcouple of metal rods) in an hour or two. I am sure that even the nomads had those to make the horseshows and some other minor items. After an end of the event it can be taken apart and loaded into a track (somehow I think that taking it apart would take longer then building it).
Now what I can't promise is that what I will be making will be "good quality items" and showing masterclass skill right of the start. I will be improving my skills in the craft as I go along. Same goes for the tools, which will start from basic set (3-4 hummers of different weight and shape, a pincher, a poker, an anvil and a grinding stone) and will expend from there). With that set it is already possible to make nails, horseshoes, door handles, door hinges and few other simple and useful things.
How does it sound to you?
Sounds interesting and very promising. Besides, it'll be extremely usefull for our potential projects in the future, considering the fact that you'd be able to manufacture hinges and nails.
As for mobility of it:
to be honest, I'd love to have this thing staionary as per your images on FB, but we need some permanent location to build it, which we do not have at the moment, but plan for the future.
So, here is what I propose:
I'm very interested in this thing to be done, but we need to make sure we plan it properly and implement at the right time.
(refer to post by SS: http://www.scallagrims.com/content/scallagrims-land-castle-project)
Sure,
It will take me a week or two to gett all the info you asked and I will send it to you.