http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog What's going on at the forge? Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:59:37 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We had a good day! We have almost enough front yard to do what we would like to. There's only room for two demonstrators, and not enough equipment, but we are making it work. It's still hard to work with groups arriving at different times. I'm working on that. Adding people to ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=21 The west wall appears to be done. There are photos of the original mortar, which is a surprising shade of bright red. The new mortar is a replica of this, it's quite neat looking. Shawn, the mason, assures us that the west side is the strongest wall in the building. It ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=20 Yesterday, the north half of the west wall got pointed. It looks amazing. Today, equipment will be shifted over from a member's home for the Weekend Journey. http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=19 Next weekend we will be hosting travelers at the http://www.schistoryweekend.com/ This is something we always look forward to. As we are under repair at this time, the shop won't be open, but there will be a portable forge similar to the one we used at the 4H fair, and the smiths will ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=18 The weekend brought rain, and challenges. The building's exterior was wrapped in plastic, much like a slip n slide, to channel water away from the foundations. Rain began to fall steadily, and gained power over time. Last night the water table had fallen slightly, but water was coming ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=17 Thursday September 18th, the Masons arrived at the shop. They removed the crumbled brick areas by the doors, and one section which was collapsing on the East wall. They then began to prepare the holes and the bricks for rebuilding. One fellow removed brick while the other used ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=16 Last Wednesday saw the Architect's Assistant, the Structural Engineer and the General Contractor onsite. The Structural Engineer got to see the foundation, and was more optimistic than expected. The General Contractor also had pleasant things to say, mainly that we are not in as poor condition as it seems, and that the ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=15  This past Sunday, I answered the call and ran to the shop to open. Against expectations, we had three visitors, 2 regulars and a new fellow who would like to have some forge time, when we again have a forge. The shop is unsettling to look at. The rubble, the loose ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=14 The shop has been cleared of equipment! The Champion tire shrinker has been moved to storage, it was quite some production. The steel rack is also there. It fit. It all moved, it all fit, and we haven't got more than a few square feet of unused space. Moving it took 5 ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=13 work has been continuing, with flooring being removed, machinery going into storage, and some items being pulled for repair. Rust mitigation is more of an issue with the complex machinery, but so far, we have been successful with all but one machine. It's currently on an engine crane, ... http://oldmillstoneforge.org/smithblog/?p=12