Madagascar Forging Videos

[Uglydog]

We've returned from Madasgacar where we were visiting our daughter.

While there I actively looked for and visited any/all locally made metal working stores and factories.

While iron is known and available to anyone all over the island, there are no facilities to convert it to steel.
Aluminum pots/etc are locally cast from recycled auto parts.
The video show how some of the local farming implements are forged from recycle auto parts.
New rebar is plentiful and commonly used in projects. I was told that new 1/8inch box tube steel is available in the larger cities.

One of the videos shows the 2cylinder bamboo bellows used at the forges.
The hammer honing is done on a rock after the initial shaping is roughed out by a hammer.

Machine tools are scarce. I identified a handful of vintage drill presses. Several shopmade screw-type arbor presses. Many shopmade AC stick/arc/shielded welders and a few imported AC/DC. I noticed one shopmade spotwelder, and multiple oxy/propane tanks and torches. One metal worker new of a single lathe on the island. It supposedly ran 24 hours a day.

The closest thing to PPE which I observed is one welder used a pair of sun glasses while welding.

All electricity is 220volt. Wherever electricity is available you can have 3phase or 1phase. While electrical supply is variable, near as I can tell electrical to your home or shop looks safely reasonable, once it gets to your structure electrical wiring gets scary quickly.

Hopefully, these videos help us all appreciate what we have to work with.
Daryl
MN

 

[Eddyde]

Cool! Thanks for sharing.

 

[12bolts]

Man thats a pretty tiring method of pumping the bellows

Cheers Phil

 

[xalky]

Show up there with a decent lathe and milling machine and you're the king! ) It's good to be the king!:jester:

The bright side is that they don't have a mortgage, car payments, or a 9-5 job.:thinking:

 

[MarkStephen]

What a wonderful experience you must of had. Thanks for the videos!

Mark

 

[tweinke]

Show up there with a decent lathe and milling machine and you're the king! ) It's good to be the king!:jester:

The bright side is that they don't have a mortgage, car payments, or a 9-5 job.:thinking:

I would think I could show up with my 3 in 1 and be busy for ever, those guys do a pretty good job with what they have and at times we should be thankful for what we have.

 

[core-oil]

Daryl,

Seeing how hard these folks work, & the results they achieve which is all the more remarkable, makes me wonder if in the Western world we all do not know we are living, & thus lots of folks are pretty discontented with their lot feeling "They are ill done by" because they do not have the latest labour saving tools.


The forge blower or bellows intrigued me, If one picks up the old Circa 1900/ish Foundry Practice books by The International Correspondence Schools, in the historical section they have an illustration of the old Chinese craftsmen operating a melting furnace blower somewhat similar.

Thanks for posting the videos Daryl.

 

[Terrywerm]

Welcome home, Daryl, good to see you had a safe and wonderful trip! Thanks for the videos, they certainly are eye openers for us with our modern machines and tools.

Yes, I believe if a person showed up with a fully equipped machine shop, he would be a busy man. Just not sure how much money would be made on the venture.

 

[Navy Chief]

Welcome home, Daryl, good to see you had a safe and wonderful trip! Thanks for the videos, they certainly are eye openers for us with our modern machines and tools.

Yes, I believe if a person showed up with a fully equipped machine shop, he would be a busy man. Just not sure how much money would be made on the venture.

You may not make much in cash, but in bartered goods and services I would imagine that you could live a pretty comfortable life.

 

[Uglydog]

Update:
After a year in Madagascar we picked Ellen up at the local airport (MSP).
All is well.
Thanks to all of you for your many thoughts and prayers.

Daryl
MN