This simple tray made in the 1980s has the innocent look of a home craft project. But it was made by a prisoner at Maitland Gaol (in operation 1848-1998) where Australia’s most notorious and hardened criminals were locked away. Despite their crimes, many Maitland prisoners put their time inside to good use. To keep prisoners […]
Keyword: make do
Simple and Solid
In 1911, Headlie Taylor (1883-1957) was ready to build the machine of his dreams. Having taught himself the skills to make his famous Header Harvester, Taylor co-opted the family blacksmith shop to begin his work. This shed had been built by his father in the 1880s, about the time the family purchased their property near […]
Weighty Ideas
Along with the forge, the anvil was the most important tool in the blacksmith’s kit. Using the anvil, hot metal was ‘worked’. It was repeatedly hammered and shaped around its angled and conical edges. Imagine the loud clanging blow of a hammer forming the metal, while the whoosh of bellows pumped air into the forge […]