Days of Old

Bruce Bump

Forum Owner-Moderator
Heres a couple pictures I had to show you dogs. I like this little power hammer and the grinder room is awesome too. Heres our heritage.

henckels_hammer006.jpg


henckels_wheel005.jpg
 
That grinder room is too much!
Those belts that transfer power were originally all buffalo hide. also you can see what looks like a dunk bucket three down on the right.

Great Pictures Bruce.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
GREAT photos Bruce !

Curious about these grinding fellas tasks ?

Perhaps the guys on the right are the rough grinders using their back rests and long bars for hogging leverage while the guys standing are the finish grinders ????

Boy how much fun would it be to make a knife with these tools !

Post some more if you got'em Bruce :)

Have a great day, Josh
 
Josh, It could be, From the way the fella in the left front is standing off center to the right of the grind stone I thought maybe one man grinds the fronts while another only grinds the other side?

Interesting??

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
It looks like the nearest guy is about finished with a massive Bowie. It doesn't look very comfortable to stand on the side of the wheel like that all day long. The lower guys all have a sit down job with a head rest. Can you tell if those are wet grinder wheels? I,ve heard the workers don't live long from breathing the silicone dust from those massive stones.

It llooks like a huge operation with that many full time men at task. Look on the other side of the room, isn't that more grinders?

These are the only pictures I have, if you guys have more please post them here.
 
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Yeah Bruce that's why I was thinking that they only grind one side apiece on the left at least.
It would be near impossible to do both sides standing on the right like that. Every man on the left side is on the right of those monster grind stones.

Those stones must be over 5ft across and 8" -10" wide. I think they are dry? Hard to tell?
I'm sure they died young breathing all of the dust.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
Bruce, neat pics, especially the grinding room. The "Scheiferei" is German for "grinding room". The name on the pic "Henckles" has make scissors/knives in Germany since early 1700's.
"On 13 June 1731 Peter Henckels registered the "Zwilling" (German for "Twin") logo with the Cutlers’ Guild of Solingen. This makes Zwilling one of the oldest trademarks in the world."
I played with your pic;
HENCKE111.jpg


The standing dude testing the blade, above and to his left...is that water or air lines? We can see the light and wire wrapped around them. Also the thing at the left side of the bent over guy, is that a water jet thing? Almost looks like a torch handle too. A large plus for the period is that forced heat duct in the center top of your pic. Practically unheard of to waste heat on the mill people..Good employer..

Here's one I've stared at for a while. Supposedly Civil War America farriers. Looks staged, awesome little staircase to the right..But of course the military would use any building available..The vices are awesome..Are they foot powered? See the pivot in the front. I like them!! And the legs are very stylized...Also the guy stage right is holding a claw hammer, but then again, you used what you had.
I wonder if this is an advertisement for the vices?.......

ott11z.jpg
 
Have a farrier museum South of me. They have several of the foot clamp vices out on the front porch. Both hands busy step down to hold the work piece.
 
Randy,
With the curtain back drop, It is staged! Just like people that have old West/Frontier pictures taking today.

That's my first reaction when seeing this pic. Still cool looking!

Lairence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
Bruce,

I was also curious about water and was thinking since the stones go below floor level they may very well have a trough underneath providing cooling water for the stone.

I remember reading somewhere that blade polishers would die quite young from a condition called "Black Lung" that was associated with the polish used.

Another thing I found interesting is they would split stag, remove the pith, then steam and flatten the halves. I always wondered how so many stag scales were used and never any pith showing.

COOL thread ! Take care Gents, Josh
 
Thanks Mike, I have seen some farriers vices that were called 'Caulk" vice, such as this one and also some made for the railroad but never with those wild legs.
foot vice.jpg

Lairence, I guess it is a backdrop......
 
Bruce,

I was also curious about water and was thinking since the stones go below floor level they may very well have a trough underneath providing cooling water for the stone.

I remember reading somewhere that blade polishers would die quite young from a condition called "Black Lung" that was associated with the polish used.

Another thing I found interesting is they would split stag, remove the pith, then steam and flatten the halves. I always wondered how so many stag scales were used and never any pith showing.

COOL thread ! Take care Gents, Josh

Josh,
Black Lung is associated with all we do and all they did back then!
The stone dust,Steel dust Polish dust. All and any fine dusty stuff will wreck your lungs in time.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
The pictures make me cough; my lungs aren't great and seeing these men working with no breathing, eye or ear protection; a lot of them dyed young.

I wear protection for all of these; I want to get as many years in the shop as I can. :s11798:
 
A good respirator not a paper mask, Makes all the diff.

I learned that all fine dust of any origin will mess up your lungs over time. Then it's what's in the dust that accelerates the problems.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
Bruce,
Just to be clear, in the first pic, which one are you? I thought you were the 3rd guy on the left, he had that "Foreman" look! But he looked a little too pudgy! Just to be clear, little help here!!!

Thanks Buddy, just love those old pics of great men workin! Rex
 
Rex, I'm the guy with the clubbed left foot. :)
Bruce,
Just to be clear, in the first pic, which one are you? I thought you were the 3rd guy on the left, he had that "Foreman" look! But he looked a little too pudgy! Just to be clear, little help here!!!

Thanks Buddy, just love those old pics of great men workin! Rex
 
Rex, In the Rockhammer pic I'm the guy with the clubbed left foot. :) note: if you hold the control key down and push the + key you can see me better. I was thinner back then.
Bruce,
Just to be clear, in the first pic, which one are you? I thought you were the 3rd guy on the left, he had that "Foreman" look! But he looked a little too pudgy! Just to be clear, little help here!!!

Thanks Buddy, just love those old pics of great men workin! Rex
 
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