2018 ethnographic weapon

[thomas hauschild]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Thank you for outlining your point of view Thomas.

In respect of forge work, I have always found that the use of coke and charcoal is far more satisfying than the use of a gas forge. Welding in a gas forge is not difficult, welding in coke or charcoal is a whole other world, and by using coke or charcoal, we position ourselves very close to the smiths of the past, even if we do use electric blowers.

I have used bellows instead of an electric blower, and what I found was that the fire (it was teak charcoal) was much more easily controlled with the bellows than with the electric blower. I've used a farriers hand-blown forge also, WWI vintage, and although for a number of reasons I find it fairly difficult to use, it also gives very good fire control.

I learnt to weld when the only fuel available to the smith I learnt from was coal, this meant that I needed to coke the coal before I could consider welding. Although I have found river sand to be a good flux for iron or mild steel, I have not found it satisfactory for welds involving high carbon steel, in a coke fire anhydrous borax is a satisfactory flux, but often no flux at all is necessary, especially in a teak charcoal fire. Use of a flux is very often the base cause of weld flaw.

I do appreciate your response to my question, Thomas, and I thank you for it, but the main thrust of my curiosity was not so much the forge work, which really is pretty simple and straight forward once the basics are understood, but rather, your approach to the bench work. I am curious to know if you use similar tools and techniques to the blade smiths of olden times for the actual making of the blade, rather than the making of the forging from which the blade will emerge.

A.G.

Yes I agree absolutly to 100 % . This is the way that I realy like to go ( in the future) Life is a compromise. The normal business as a production manager need more than 50 h a week, the neighboors say nothing when I will grind and forge on saturday( but they will not like the smoke of a coal fire ) Here in this area there are a lot of friends making iron in the 100 % traditional way. The Solingen museum is nearby and I have to less time to take part of all these kind of actions. Maybe in a decade when retirement comes by. At the moment I‘m happy with any piece that I finish and that piece above needed some month to finish. There were a lot things going to my mind while taking antique pieces in my hand and trying to do something like this ( unable to make it at the end ) I just want to share my grown respect for the former craftmen.

Best Thomas