Roman military blacksmith

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Mushrooming being perhaps too extreme a word.
I mean as you bang on metal, especially a corner, it can some time
cause a similar effect....as seen in the picture above. See the ridge on the corner facing the viewer of the picture? As in the other corner you can see?

[Hibernicus]

GICaesar: Mushrooming.. I understand what you mean. But I believe that the shape as depicted on the vase and on the painting are deliberate.

Tapered tool for pilum collet.. I think its a great idea Demetrius... we've been using three sizes for several years now with much success and there're mounted in stakes for use in a vice or with the modern anvil. They are also a nice tool to chisel crennelations against.. redhot collet.. three strokes of the hammer per cut out... tada!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

GICaesar: Mushrooming.. I understand what you mean. But I believe that the shape as depicted on the vase and on the painting are deliberate.

!

Yes, I didn't say I thought it was not, but added it as a possiblity. I f you read what I said first...... :roll:
I actually have a picture of a small wedge shaped anvil myself.... :lol:

[Hibernicus]

I am anxious to finish our blacksmith kit. Better tools, better anvils, better bellows... oh yeah!

[anytime]

someone on the Armourarchive posted this link...

Roman blacksmith tools

[Carlton Bach]

I just checked, I have pictures of Roman blacksmithing tools from the Augsburg Museum that probably belong to an Augustan era military context. PM me if you're interested.

[Robert]

I have recently taken up forging as a means of creating replica's of Roman spearheads, arrowheads and blades. I have found a modern anvil is no great help in pounding iron, it's often the edge of the solid sqaure part that I use to shape the metal and set the sides of the spearheads. Also, a stake with a horn, fixed into a block, should be great for rounding the shaft ends on. Even a single bellows, if placed right, should get you sufficient heat for the more ordinary smithing. Now forgewelding is a different ballgame and a specialised art.
Duco, many happy hours hitting metal, peraps we can exchange some smithing gossip and who knows, perhaps someday there may be a job opening in the park (if it ever lifts off at all, man , I hate politicians and bureaucrats).

[Gobae]

Hmmm.... I've seen these tools in a couple of books listed as "Celtic". Given the time range I can understand why they could be either "Celtic" or Roman, but I wonder if they really know what the providence is.

[Carlton Bach]

Hmmm.... I've seen these tools in a couple of books listed as "Celtic". Given the time range I can understand why they could be either "Celtic" or Roman, but I wonder if they really know what the providence is.

The Augsburg ones? The sheer volume makes it fairly unlikely they come from anything other than a Roman military depot. But bearing in mind the long time Roman armies spent in Celtic territory, the importance of Northern Italy - Gallia Cisalpina - in arms manufacturing and the frequency of technological exchanges (Celtic metalsmithing was not inferior to the Roman tradition and likely borrowing went both ways), there may be no difference whatsoever between the two.

[Robert]

Check the Curles Newstead book at http://www.curlesnewstead.org.uk/platelxiii.htm
Very Roman, very blacksmith. Use the page back feature for some text on additional finds.

[Carlton Bach]

Found it again! I was sure I had it lying around somewhere:

Martin Trachsel: Ein tragbarer Giesserofen aus dem Legionslager von Vindonissa in: Experimentelle Archäologie in Deutschland: Bilanz 1997, Beiheft 19/1998 der Archäologischen Mitteilungen aus Norddeutschland, Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg 1998, pp. 141-155 (ISBN 3-89598-508-2)

The article describes a portable pottery forwantofabetterword furnace that could be used to melt small quantities of cupric alloys 'in the field'. It's about 20cm x 20cm and they managed a temperature of 1,100°C in experiments.

If you can't ILL it, I can make photocopies. But it's mostly dense academic German, so it may be a tad hard going.

[anytime]

Please Carlton,

I like to see that document.

My address:

(address edited)
thank you.

Hi Duco,
I'm not sure if you want to be posting your address up on the internet for the world to see, so I've edited it out and sent it directly via PM - Dan

[Gobae]

I've got to dig into my books, but I know I've come across a relief carving of a Roman smithy. I stumbled across it when I was doing research for our Celtic smithy.

Only took me nearly two years but I DID manage to locate the image I was remembering way back in 2008. As it turns out it was not in one of my books but on a printout from a webpage that is no longer in existence so I had to scan my printing, thus the poor quality. The top of the scan has the bibliographic info and a general description.

[anytime]

Well, you are a man of your word indeed!

I do not mind how many years it took, it's there!

Thank you.

[Robert]

Hi guys,

Note the offset hammer in the lower picture. This type of hammer is also used by Japanese bladesmiths. Could be an artistic licence, but the similarity is striking (no pun intended).