Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How did they do this before modern tools

The spokes had to be angled in or out to flex when hitting rocks to keep from busting the wheel apart.
They used to made the wooden rim of the wheel from straight peices of wood that were soaked, steamed hot and then bent into the correct arc. They were held in that shape and dried for six weeks to hold that arc to make the wooden rim.
How did they "weld" the steel rim before welding machines?
Perhaps crossfire could shed some light on this.

Google forge welding. Blacksmiths have been able to weld for centuries.

Forge welding.

In fact my Great Grandfather was a blacksmith, and I have an old metal corn grinder handle that he repaired for someone using forge welding.

A family friend talked about welding in a forge, I'd like to try it.
Forges are not as common as they once were, and they need forge coal to work the best.

Most bladesmiths and many artisan blacksmiths have gone to natural gas or propane fired forges.

That makes sense, do I recall the carbon in coal as changing the steel when forging?

Yep, forge welding was used to make gun barrels as well, hammered around a mandrel.
That rim was expanded by heating, then cooled quickly to prevent a burn in. Hardest part is sizing it correctly. (Note the wheel gauge).
Hammer forging is used in folding knife blades.
You can raise the carbon level by incasing a blade in clay and baking it (so I hear) and adjust the hardness/temper by the temp, time, and how it is cooled. Also the temper will be different at different parts of the blade, if done correctly.
Metal working is an interesting subject in itself.
(I make armor and weapons as a hobby.)

The naturally aspirated propane forge you've pictured can LIQUIFY steel, if one gets careless,....BTDT.

GTC

The blacksmith shop we used for years used to, back in the 60's used to fire up the forge every morning. The torch replaced it over time.

another 50 years it will be forgotten

no one left to build a cathedral now.

Depending on how the smith handles the fire and the steel in the forge he can either burn the carbon out of it by oxidation, or add carbon in through carburization. That's one of the beauties of a coal or charcoal forge and a skilled smith.

Over time, the iron tires on a wagon wheel would become loose. Here is the gizzy that they used to "shrink" the iron tire to make it snug again...

Thanks guys. I wasnt aware of some of that. I knew they did it but didnt know how or for how long ago.

We have two of the old forges here yet.

Not too many years ago, people referred to as "Wrights" or "Smiths" were actually artists.

Nowadays, any American college student leeching off their parents or the gubmint teat can perform an act worthy of Josef Mengele and be called an "artist."

I'll inject, when the smiths could get generator arc welders, they did.

There are ways of combing arc welding, and hammering the welded area to shape, and do what is wanted.