Just a spot of PS

[PeterW]

Hi,
I really liked the picture that Dave (davesworld, Tasmania) posted of his Great Grandfather's blacksmith shop, and as I like playing with restoring old pics I spent about 15 minutes or so on it last night. Didn't do a great amount of work. I could have done more, but I didn't want to over-restore it and lose the period character.

I played with the contrast in Levels, cleaned it up generally and brought out the lettering on the weatherboarding a little with a spot of local burning and dodging. Then, to see what it would look like, I changed it to RGB and gave it a light sepia tint. I thought it might suit the age of the picture.

I did it for my own interest and wasn't going to post it, but I sent it to Dave, and he liked it and asked me to post it here. So here it is, with the original for comparison.






Any comments welcome - and if you think I've buggered it up please say so.

PeterW

[John Parry]

Peter - No I think you've enhanced it.

But Dave - I meant to ask what the chimneys/stacks in the background were?

Regards - John

[PeterW]

Thanks, John.

I don't want to pre-empt Dave but I would imagine they're for the two hearths, one for the general forge and one for the farrier's shop. When the bellows were going there must have been a pretty fierce heat with lots of sparks flying up, and it looks like an all-wooden building.

The stacks may not be anything for Fred Dibner to go into raptures about, but they're pretty tall for that type of building. When I saw them I wondered about the fuel they used in the hearths. I don't know if there was much coal or coke about in that area, but if they used wood and charcoal the sparks must have been quite a fire hazard, and maybe they wanted to carry any hot ash and sparks well away from a wooden roof?

A restored Victorian blacksmith's I went to see some years ago in Gloucestershire had a corbelled brick canopy over the hearth as well as a chimney stack - and that was a brick building with a tiled roof. Perhaps Dave can confirm, or come up with another answer.

Actually, I've got a question too. Anyone know what that is behind the buggy on the left? I wondered perhaps if it was some sort of detachable hood, like a Cape Cart hood, for it

PeterW

[davesworld]

Peter, You have done a fantastic job and indeed you are a "super slueth" again! The only source of fuel in that area is Murray river red gum, a excellent timber that indeed produces lots of cinders and chimney sparks. Chimneys needed to be high as the surrounding countryside was so incredibly dry. I'm afraid I have no idea what the object on the left is but I think the implement on the right under the Forge sign may be a single row mulboard plow that was popular in that era.

BTW does anyone think that in a hundred years our decendents may be looking at our images and trying to work out what we were up to and why the hell we dressed that way-- (I'm hiding my 80's shots)

Dave

[Randy]

That's a great photo, and for all intents and purposes looks like the Old West.

[galenk]

Peter,
your work definately improved the foto, Great work!!!