Blacksmith Workshop - Smithy

dilna 1

Our smithy is somewhat larger than the typical small village smithy. Historically, this is proabably due to the closeness of the castle. The fireplace is also a-typical large. This was needed because the local blacksmith family was involved in making metal coverings for wagon wheels.

 

The workshop has been restored to its original dimensions and our Society and especially blacksmith Daniel Cerny collected the old and antique equipment to restock the smithy.

The lines of tongs on the wall above the fire place and the hammers lining the anvil blocks are not for show. A blacksmith needed many different tongs to have a firm grip on each and all pieces of metal he was working on, be it round, rectangular or square pieces, large or small in diameter, front or side grip. A one-type-fits-all did not work, the range of different tongs guaranteed a firm and secure grip on the metal during heating in the fire or working it on the anvil. The many different hammers were used to give parts of the metal its special form or inprint.

The larger equipment here historically does not really belong to this type or size of forge. The spring power hammer (buchar), drilling machine, press, and double-chamger bellows normally were found in different, larger workshops .

buchar 1  buchar 2

The anvils are amongst the oldest parts in the smithy. The youngest anvil is a Skoda-maufactured anvil from 1914. The second avil is probably around 150 years old. The smallest anvil is a special piece. During the restoration, it was found underground on the premisses. Its age is unknown, but is estimated anywhere between 150 years and eight centuries (or as long as the Old Castle stands nearby).

 

© The Bear (2022, all images and video's © Rozmberk Society)