You are right, the real old guys with alot of old time knowledge are not chatting on the computer. Unfortunately many of them are already gone. There is a group here locally called Fort Allen Antique Farm Machine Ass. They try and preserve the old equipment. There are several shows a year, some stream tractors, mostly old tractors, plows etc. They do have a saw mill that they run off a wide belt with a tractor. There is also a wood shingle cutting machine, an old pounder well drilling machine, a large number of Hit and Miss engines owned by the members and brought to the shows. I love seeing the old equipment work. And where you hitch the load, and how you hitch it does make a difference in how well you can pull it. When horse power was limited you had to learn tricks about levers and pullys to get the job done.
They do have a forge there and the guys give leasons every Thursday for free in Black Smithing and metal working. You have to join the group , dues are $10 and you have to be added to their insurance, another $10. Other than that you pay for the coal you use and the metal you pound. I have really been facinated by shaping metal with a forge, but I do not think my shoulder will stand the pounding any more. Getting too old for such things, I did buy an anvil some time back. I also bought a Champion 400 blower for the forge, the Pat. dates are 1901 and 1902 on the blower. [ you can look them up on the net, it was a popular model back then ] I bought it for what I thought was a bargan, $50. I cleaned it up some, it had been repaired and it is missing the handle. The guy who sold it to me said the the guy who owned the blower could make a Handle,
so I bought it. Never used it yet, I still need a forge.
Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.