Soulsmithing 4: adventures in hitech/lotech - building the fuigo floor

Building the fuigo floor at Pierre Nadeau’s workshop. Pierre spent several years working as a swordsmith apprentice in rural Japan and is ready to continue his research into traditional Japanese swords and historical crafting techniques in Canada.

Soulsmithing channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Soulsmithing
An interview of Pierre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNKymP1QF4M

The three major projects during this visit were focused on getting the forge itself ready for use. In this episode, creating a steel frame and wooden floor to support the fuigo and conceal the in-floor heating system and blower manifold.

For this particular project, the essence of "hitech-lotech" is to use available technology and equipment to overcome the challenges of swordsmithing without apprentices and assistants, in a cold climate, and still maintain the simple and peaceful environment of a traditional workshop. Pierre's solution was to use the space behind the forge wall which is out of sight of the smith and the area under the fuigo to locate and conceal equipment that does not need frequent accessing. An in-floor heating system and related equipment is installed under the back of the fuigo and the electric blower, valve, and manifold are located under the fuigo.

This series is a compilation of what footage I was able to collect while both of us worked morning ’til night but gives a good idea of what went on and will offer some valuable details for astute observers.

Pierre also specializes in making hempcrete mixers and custom wood-fired ovens on the side, the pizza was so good that unfortunately there is no footage!

http://soulsmithing.com