European forges and water power
 

Hopefully this topic is fine for this part of the forum. I'm fascinated by water powered tools within European forges, which started from a pretty early period as I understand it and were heavily used by the 14th century.

While a main application was for crushing ore with trip or drop hammers, forges also used them and water powered grinding wheels.

I find watching videos of these tools fascinating and though forum members might enjoy a few.

Brescia, Italy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96ED...I&noredirect=1

Belluno, Italy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp_A0HSEjbI

Arbesbach, Austria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M24nZbhKkdU

I am certainly no expert in this topic but Agricola's De re Metallica is a great resource into these processes.

Perhaps others will know of more sites with surviving water powered forge tools? I am not sure how far back the examples I posted go, but I think show the general principle quite nicely.

://www.facebook.com/eduardo.fontenla/videos/t.1478273380/4057733412971/?type=2&theater

Hello

Klighenthal

Fernando K

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=L26MV_pCBwg

Thanks Fernando!

The oldest Portuguese facilities for the making of weaponry were established in the village of Barcarena by King Dom João II in 1487. The next King Dom Manuel installed in this arsenal a workshop with a mill for the making of gunpowder. Later in 1621 Leonardo Turriano proposes a millstone system for the crushing, mixing and hardening of gunpowder, to be powered by the water that fell from a watermill placed in the stream situated by the side of the building. This first system only had one millstone, made of limestone. In the 18th century the system was improved to two millstones. The next and impiortant improvement was changing the plates and wheels to those of wood, coated with bronze. This was a significant evolution, as the risk of fire was reduced and so was the weight of the equipment. Apparently this complex hidraulic system, fed by the nearby stream and underneath running waters lase until the end of the 19th century.


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... and if you don't mind, Iain, this interesting thread would be better placed in the Miscellania section ;) .

No problem, I knew it was on the edge. ;)

Thanks for the details on the Barcarena setup. I find it odd how little the average person realizes the variety of water powered machinery in use from an early time. While everyone knows about windmills or water mills for flour, wood etc... every movie of someone forging a sword is still a lonely smith whacking a piece of iron with a hammer by hand. :D