Landships II

Tankcommander · Colonel

Is this the battlefield throne from the Kaiser??

Great War Truck · Brigadier

I think it is a portable blacksmiths forge.

Rectalgia · Legend

A four-man load - could be anything between 100-200 kg - a forge would be a good guess, there's some fairly heavy plate in that thing. But the idea of an armoured commode appeals - a captured gepanzerten Nachtstuhl (?), a future war trophy for some lucky burgh, shire or borough.

Roger Todd · Legend

Rectalgia wrote:
...the idea of an armoured commode appeals

The Kaiser's khazi!

Tankcommander · Colonel

GWT, I think You are right: Photo below shows an oval forge with two handles (blowing pipes for air?)

Photo from: http://postcard-heaven.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=44_51&products_id=1527

DJ

naval blacksmiths g&p 6003.jpg

Rectalgia · Legend

Looks good to me TC. Yes, there have long been little hand-turned turbine blowers (well geared-up) for such work. They wouldn't strictly require a very long handle, having actually lost a few hours of my youth turning one of the things in just that application.� Or maybe this one uses a much bigger blower (not needed, really) - or perhaps a bellows with some sort of rocker mechanism to work it. I see the ash tray underneath in your picture, that should be removable/loose and carried seperately when the forge is moved around, also the stand or tripod upon which it all sits.

There are enough "Kaiserstuhl"s around already I suppose. But Roger Todd's "Kaiserskhazi" is surely destined for greatness biggrin

-- Edited by Rectalgia on Wednesday 16th of November 2011 08:06:54 AM

kieffer · Commander in Chief

Rectalgia wrote:

There are enough "Kaiserstuhl"s around already I suppose. But Roger Todd's "Kaiserskhazi" is surely destined for greatness

-- Edited by Rectalgia on Wednesday 16th of November 2011 08:06:54 AM

�There's at least one khazi preserved, at Huis Doorn, the kaisers last residence in The Netherlands. A museum now and well worth a visit. His khazi is a special one with the flushing chain left (or was it right?): as we all know the kaiser had a troublesome arm, so the chain was at the proper side.� Throne: having other physical problems, I think a bad back, the kaiser had a chair which was actually a horse sadle. Further, the whole interior is a rather pompous collection with a lot of expensive kitsch, sorry to say. The thing I liked the most was his fork, made for one hand use, having a jagged edge so he could cut his food with his fork as well.

regards, Kieffer

Rectalgia · Legend

kieffer wrote:
The thing I liked the most was his fork, made for one hand use, having a jagged edge so he could cut his food with his fork as well.

�All vey well Kieffer, but was it a Splayd, sporf, spife, spadorkife, knork or something else?� I get so confused.� He may have had a spork or foon as well but I'm pretty clear on those, besides there is nothing yet in evidence.

Regards,

Steve

kieffer · Commander in Chief

Rectalgia wrote:

�All vey well Kieffer, but was it a Splayd, sporf, spife, spadorkife, knork or something else?� I get so confused.� He may have had a spork or foon as well but I'm pretty clear on those, besides there is nothing yet in evidence.
may be a mabel or a gesser (Gabel, Messer). By the way, blacksmith forges... Little Willie, he himself in The Netherlands too but somehow isolated on a little island, was a busy fellow. During the afternoons he was somehow permitted I think to do some work in the village. He helped the blacksmith as he liked that kind of trade. Don't know if the smith felt comfortable with his royal employee. Little Willie, quite a ladies man, must have had some other activities too, rumours say there must have been at least one Little-little Willie with a village maid. Senior liked too play the lumber jack. A few squares of wood near Doorn were axed down. Slices of wood were given as presents to visitors, the autograph of the Kaiser on them. There were always a few junior officers around to help him out with the saw, these guys came over from Germany, volunteered and sacrificed their own leave just to be in the neighbourhood of their beloved emperor.

�

Rectalgia · Legend

Here is a "modern" version of the portable forge, used to heat the igniter rod for an anvil battery in present-day New Westminster, British Columbia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYxVDW9SBOY

Incidentally, the "anvil battery" tradition is said to have been started in 1860 (some say 1870) by a company of the Royal Engineers who found themselves without an artillery battery handy to sound the 21 gun salute on the Queen Victoria's Birthday commemoration (24 May) but by no means limited to Canada thereafter. I have an account of the 1909 Empire Day commemorations (also 24 May) in the Great Southern region of Western Australia being similarly served by the local blacksmith (The West Australian, Friday 28 May 1909). The blacksmith, John Vagg, was a relative of mine, the last of many generations of blackmiths in that family up until that time - and I assume the tradition was well known in the trade at that time. Blacksmithing was an "Engineers" trade, long before the REME was thought of and long after then as well.

A charming tradition, I vote it be brought back into more general practice. If the authorities allow it, albeit reluctantly, in BC (a nanny-state if ever there was one) there is hope for all of us. The 2 ounces of blackpowder used by the New Westminster battery is only about 11 times the charge used in the 577-450 Martini-Henry rifle (1871), though that was deemed to be a pretty hot load at the time.

-- Edited by Rectalgia on Friday 25th of November 2011 08:19:21 AM