Vintage work crew photos

[Ralphxyz]

Whole lot of Banging threading potential, especially the sledge hammer with 12' handle!

Not sure of the device in the center might be some sort of forge or hot plate looks like a teapot embedded on the left.

Ralph

[skibo]

For the life of me, I can't even imagine waylaying that 12 foot sledge hammer!

[mklotz]

The "forge" in the center is a brazier for heating the rivets. The leather looking thing on the bottom of the brazier is probably a hand pumped bellows. The fellow with neckerchief standing behind the kneeling man to the right of the brazier is holding a rivet in his tongs. The kneeling man may be holding a bucking bar to back the rivet as it's peened.

It's possible that the long "sledge hammer" is also a bucking bar used on rivets in hard to reach places. That's a guess because, with such a long, thus flexible, handle, I would think the hammer head would just bounce away from the rivet as it's peened.

[IntheGroove]

One thing is for sure, they knew what they were doing and they did it well...

[Toolmaker51]

I think Marv is right about the 12' sledge, head looks to be twice the weight of a normal heavy sledge [~10/12 pound]. Perhaps one of the crew carried the head or suspended it with line, while the other kept it in place father away. Inside the vessel my have not been room to swing a handled tool.

[Jon]

Packaging line at a Hungarian fertilizer plant. 1940.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...e_fullsize.jpg

[Toolmaker51]

Different setting photographically, indoors among other issues, but I'm still impressed regarding striking quality, the detail of boilermakers photo in #954.

First thing I noticed here, why on earth the trucks for moving bags are built so low [or at least higher handle] allowing a man to work upright? The dispensing chutes must have been designed/ built first, trucks and tracks a mere afterthought.

[12bolts]

What looks to be a bag stitching machine, (far left) is set fairly low. Perhaps to fit under that?

[Jon]

Aluminum (or "aluminium", I am happy to concede, since this is a UK photo) casting furnace work crew. 1937.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...w_fullsize.jpg

[Toolmaker51]

re fertilizer bags. Closing them hadn't occurred to me until mentioned by 12bolts and Frank S. That case is likely. The frame has semicircular hoops to hold them upright and open, product fill bottom well enough, and top folds over for stitching. The frames open to remove the bag without lifting so high.
But ergonomics wasn't a thing yet, especially in factories.