Source: Wikimedia Commons
In 1960 a glassworks ran a furnace that had not been out for years, worked molten material at over a thousand degrees within a few feet of men…
Source: Wikimedia Commons
In 1960 almost every town had a watchmaker, and he was the person who kept the most precise machine most households owned in working order.
He stripped watches…
There is a reason haymaking dominated the rural year to the extent it did, and it is not simply that animals needed feeding.
The requirement was absolute. Livestock kept through…
One fire, one anvil, and everything metal for a mile. Here are twelve.
1. The Fire Was Not Hot Because It Was Big
A forge fire is small and concentrated,…
Source: Wikipedia
Heavy, loud and operated by exactly one person. Here are twelve.
1. The Weight of It
Source: Wikipedia
Cast iron and steel in a case with a handle, carried with…
Almost everything that makes a chair comfortable or unbearable was decided by a handful of measurements, and they interact. Here are fifteen.
1. Seat Height Decides Everything Else
The distance…