Old Anvils

The 1827 Peleg Field Blacksmith Shop is lucky to be so well-equipped with anvils.  They are the fundamental, cornerstone tool of the shop.  

Our oldest anvil is probably much like one that Mr. Peleg Field would have seen and used during his apprenticeship in the 1780’s.  It is an English pattern “5^th foot” anvil.  That nickname comes from that fact that it has 5 feet, not 4!  Chunky and squat, this style of anvil was made by teams of trained smiths working to forge the anvil from up to 11 pieces of wrought iron and then forge welding a steel plate onto the face.  While often only around 120lbs, this would have been a blacksmith shop primary anvil in the 19^th century.  This style with the 5^th foot harkens back to features found on anvils in the 17^th and even 16^th centuries.

This Vulcan Works anvil from Sheffield is a transitional anvil (below).  Probably made in the late 18^th or  first third of the 19^th century, it bridges the gap between the small and squat older style and the larger and longer London or American Pattern.  This anvil still has the small horn of the earlier style but also has the thinner heel of the London Pattern.

The Peter Wright anvil below was made in London, England in the mid-19^th century.  It is the shape that most people recognize in the United States as a modern anvil.  It is around 155lbs.  The larger horn and long thin heel of the anvil face makes this a versatile tool.  This is the anvil we use at the front forge in the Field Blacksmith shop.

At the back forge is a larger anvil made in the same style as the Peter Wright at the front forge.   Larger than the previous anvil, it is around 180lbs.  You can feel the benefit of that extra mass when using it.  It provides a very solid surface for larger work like hinges and wagon parts.

Anvils were such common tools in daily life and last such a long time, that there is a surprising amount of diversity among old anvils.  Unlike other items that are 150 to 300 years old, anvils are generally considered tools rather than antiques.  With good care, these anvils will be in use as we work and demonstrate to the public for decades to come.  

The Weathervane Project, Part II: Forging diamonds.

Our Weathervane Project has several different shapes as part of the design.   C-scrolls, tulips, and diamonds are repeated themes.  Let’s look at how the diamond forms are created at the forge.

They are formed from low-carbon steel bar that is ¼” by 2” by about 5” long.   The first 3" will be used to form the diamond shape and the rest formed into the tail approximately 5/8" thick and 2.5" long.

The diamond shape is forged out of the bar over the edge of the anvil.  This takes several heats and goes faster with assistance from a striker with a sledge hammer.  This one is half done:

The finished diamond then is forge-welded to the crossbar.  That is done by two smiths working together to hold and weld the pieces together into a finished bar.

The welded bar is quenched in water and cleaned up.

The diamond is then framed by two scrolls to create a form of a Fleur De Lise.  This one doesn't have the final collar yet but is still quite striking in silhouette.

Happy Holidays 2010

As we head through December toward the New Year snow has been falling and the days are getting shorter and darker.  The wood stove in the Blacksmith shop makes a cheerful smoke plume in the morning.

Each day we light the wood stove and also the coal forge.  Here the coal fire is just starting to burn well. 

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a safe, happy, and prosperous New Year! 

Weathervane Project: Part I

The Peleg Field Blacksmith Shop at The Farmers’ Museum is building a Weathervane. This isn’t our first weathervane project, but it will be the largest and most detailed.  A Weathervane made in the Field shop sits atop our own roof! The weathervane features a running horse of copper held by a forged steel armature. With a flowing mane and tail held high, it is a good mascot for our shop. This weathervane is not an artifact from the past.  It was made in the last decade by a highly skilled Blacksmith and volunteer at our shop.

An ongoing project has been to make a Weathervane based upon the original on the New York State Historical Association Research Library. The NYSHA weathervane was made in the late 1960’s. Its signature element is the beautiful copper quill that is the vane.  The quill is all made of worked brass and copper.  It shows a masterful touch with detail.

At the Peleg Field shop we have been working on a reproduction of the NYSHA weathervane. It is a formidable task due to the detail and size of the project. As the project continues we will have more installments on the Weathervane Project!

Weathervanes were a specialized item made by skilled craftspeople.  If you appreciate the artistry and whimsy present in weathervanes then check out the blog from our sister institution, the Fenimore Art Museum.  There are some amazing weathervanes shown in discussions on American Folk Art.

“T’was the Night before Christmas” –Making Christmas in the 19th Century.

The Farmers' Museum reopens to the public on Saturday, December 11th for Candlelight Evening.  Since we are preparing to celebrate the season in 19th century style, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit the poem that helped to define Christmas as an American secular holiday.

Clemet Clark Moore was a scholar, a published author of literary translation, and a poet. He seems to have been a serious and scholarly man of wealth, privilege, and influence. It is intriguing that this man of gravitas and serious mein is attributed the poem that helped solidify and define the American Christmas tradition of the 19th century.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc'd in their heads,

And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap —
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below;

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:

"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen,
"On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Donder and Blitzen;
"To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
"Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys — and St. Nicholas too:

And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound:

He was dress'd all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnish'd with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys was flung on his back,

And he look'd like a peddler just opening his pack:

His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples: how merry,

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face, and a little round belly
That shook when he laugh'd, like a bowl full of jelly:

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laugh'd when I saw him in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And fill'd all the stockings; then turn'd with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

—Clement Clark Moore

The poem was first published in 1823 in The Sentinel newspaper of Troy, NY, and was immensely popular by 1845. There was even debate over whether Moore was really the author. That stems in part from the initial publishing being done anonymously. Moore included the poem in an anthology of his work published in 1844.

The light and cheerful poem is quite different from his more scholarly and serious writing. He noted that it was written for his children, and only published at their insistence. Not only does this poem provide a glimpse into the development of American conceptions of Christmas as a secular holiday, but also an unexpected glimpse into the home life of a scholarly and private 19th century gentleman.

Warm holiday wishes from all of us at The Farmers' Museum.

Mending Farm Tools at the Blacksmith Shop

Every tool that is used at the Lippitt Farmstead can wear and need mending. Some of the agricultural tools used with our horse and oxen at The Farmers' Museum have been in use since James K. Polk was President! At the Peleg Field's Blacksmith Shop, we use the same traditional metalworking methods to repair the farm equipment as was used in their original construction.

Recently, the seed roller was brought to the shop by our ox team Jigs and Buckwheat.  It had a broken metal bracket.  We removed the bracket and began repairs.

The broken bracket had new steel forge-welded in place.  Then the bolt holes were punched, and the bracket bent to the proper shape.  That should be as good as new!

Horse drawn farm equipment often had parts that deteriorated throug use and were designed to be replaced.  Unfortunately for us, sometimes the company that made the replacement part has been out of business for a century!  We can usually figure out how to make the needed part at the Blacksmith Shop.  Over the course of a year we have done major repairs on the plow and the seed roller, and smaller repairs on the spring tooth harrow, ox cart, and ox yoke.  This illustrates to us how necessary the Blacksmith would have been to a farmer in the 19th century.

Draft Power: Fall work for the oxen.

Fall is a busy season for the farmers at The Farmers’ Museum. The last of the late summer crops are cleaned up and cleared from the fields. Our draft animals get used for a wide variety of work. Cutting corn stalks and hauling crops to the barn for the winter is one large job.

Oxen hauling corn:

Our oxen have also been busy hauling other crops. They have hauled the fall pumpkin and mangle wetzel (fodder beets) to the barn for winter cattle feed. The oxen also played a major part in our Tractor Festival in October to haul oats from the barn to the threshing machine, and then take the straw and cleaned oats back to the barn.

Oxen hauling oats:

Another essential task is to clean up the fields, plant fall crops, and prepare for the future. The ground in the fields needs to be plowed and harrowed to prepare for the next spring’s growing season. These activities plow under and composts crop stubble and prepare the soil for the next crop. Jigs and Buckwheat (the oxen) have pulled the plow and the harrow to condition the soil and make a smooth seedbed.

This fall our main field is planted to winter wheat. This hardy crop sprouts quickly in the fall and develops strong roots before the arrival of winter snow. It stays alive but dormant through the winter.

In the spring ,when the snow melts, these winter cover crops grow quickly. They can be grown to full harvest before any other crop is ready. The oxen will be used then to haul shocks of wheat in from the field, and to again plow the field for the next crop.

Jigs and Buckwheat at Field's Blacksmith Shop:

Jigs and Buckwheat have been put to hard work this fall.  They are now fully grown, and are learning to do real work.  They have plowed, harrowed, and rolled the fields and have done their duty hauling crops to the barn.  You could say they have been pulling their own weight around the farm!  Our next blog will look at the repairs we have done to the farm equipment at The Farmers' Museum in Field's Blacksmith Shop!