Blacksmith Shop

[Philip]

My attempt at scratch building the old builds of Masterpiece Models and Stoney Creek Designs.
It looks like Stoney Creek borrowed Thomas Yorke's original design.

I'm currently working on the drawings. Let me know if these PDF are viewable.
Philip

[deemery]

I'm no expert, but that basic architecture doesn't look very "blacksmithy" to me.  ("Free Outhouse" - now there's an incentive you don't see every day!)  

Think about where the actual forge would be in this structure.  That includes the fire pit, the bellows and the smokestack.  The full-length clerestory makes sense if the structure is a single story, but the dormers wouldn't be much use and would be expensive to build  

At least the Stoney Creek structure sits directly on the ground, the Yorke design on piles would imply a lot more work for the forge and for the anvils, etc.  

By the way, Sierra West sells a -great- 3D printed blacksmith set, I think it's available in both O and HO.  I used parts of the HO set for my machine shop.  

dave

[jbvb]

Modern "internet search for what AI feels like showing us" found only this photo, though I'm sure there are thousands on photo sites:

https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/491/images/Railtown%203-1-23%20(Merritt)%20(23).JPG

The building is at ground level, though there might have been a slightly-sunken loading area on the RH side.  The prototype's big dormers and gable window are clearly there for interior lighting.

[Philip]

Dave, I can tell you any extra outhouses in a kit helps. Especially the 2 story ones  

And here I am thinking about placing it on stilts. I can see where addition pilings and a joisted floor would be essential. Gads! More work!

I'm looking at what I have so far and the framing isn't to my liking yet. I have the non gabled walls laid out wrong. They are off by 12". Easy enough fix (I think) I may balloon frame the gabled ends

Thanks for the photo James. I agree the dormers were for natural light. Was this the prototype Tom Yorke based his kit on?

Thanks for the comments as I gather information!
Philip

 

[deemery]

Of course, the facts supersede opinions.  And yeah, it looks like that Jamestown blacksmith shop was the inspiration.  The dormers there are pretty big, and they're probably 'strategically located' as far as the shop layout is located.  The far one is located directly over a wall window, letting in a lot of light in that part of the building.   Video of that area here, starting at the 8 minute mark.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3pa0LBQomc

dave

[jbvb]

Thanks for the photo James. I agree the dormers were for natural light. Was this the prototype Tom Yorke based his kit on? 

I just fed what Mr. Yorke put on the cover of the box to Goog. My only visit to the general area was driving from San Jose to Yosemite via Merced.

[Philip]

Thanks for the photo James. I agree the dormers were for natural light. Was this the prototype Tom Yorke based his kit on?

I just fed what Mr. Yorke put on the cover of the box to Goog. My only visit to the general area was driving from San Jose to Yosemite via Merced.

 

[deemery]

The late Don Ball and I kicked around the idea of a '19th century modelers meet' in the general vicinity of Jamestown.  We figured we could get may 10-20 people signed up, enough to justify some special tours, etc beween the California RR Museum and the Sierra RR.  sigh....

dave

[Philip]

Of course, the facts supersede opinions.  And yeah, it looks like that Jamestown blacksmith shop was the inspiration.  The dormers there are pretty big, and they're probably 'strategically located' as far as the shop layout is located.  The far one is located directly over a wall window, letting in a lot of light in that part of the building.   Video of that area here, starting at the 8 minute mark.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3pa0LBQomc

dave

Of course, the facts supersede opinions.  And yeah, it looks like that Jamestown blacksmith shop was the inspiration.  The dormers there are pretty big, and they're probably 'strategically located' as far as the shop layout is located.  The far one is located directly over a wall window, letting in a lot of light in that part of the building.   Video of that area here, starting at the 8 minute mark.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3pa0LBQomc

dave

Thanks for the link Dave!

[Larry C]

Philip someone mentioned about SW's blacksmith kit. I bought one quite awhile ago and it went together well, but a little fragile, and you can't beat the detail. It comes in a small or larger version; I bought the larger one.

[Philip]

Larry,
I actually have all the forge details for a blacksmith kit from my old kits. Some were from Bill at Western scale models and Aspen Models. Still have a stash of castings.
thanks for looking in!

Philip
 

[deemery]

The HO scale Sierra West kit came with an amazing amount of tiny tools, which matches the pictures I've seen of blacksmith shops.  Painting them without losing them was a bit of a challenge.

dave

[Larry C]

Larry,
I actually have all the forge details for a blacksmith kit from my old kits. Some were from Bill at Western scale models and Aspen Models. Still have a stash of castings.
thanks for looking in!

Philip

Looks like you're all set if you have all the details. Looking forward to your build.

[Philip]

Here is a old photo of the open air shop.

[Philip]

Better Shot