Locksmiths with a history

Here comes the title

Michael (left) and Wolfgang Fisch at the air hammer in their workshop.

(Bild: Peter Bernthaler)

The disappearance of traditional businesses is omnipresent in Styria. The brothers Wolfgang and Michael Fisch, who successfully run the locksmith's shop founded by their grandfather in Mariazell, prove that things can be done differently.

Over 100 years ago, Max Eder founded the locksmith's shop in Mariazell that is now run by his great-grandsons Wolfgang and Michael Fisch. Some of the huge and impressive machines that he purchased between 1922 and the 1960s are still in operation today. For example, next to the old forge (the fire is rarely lit nowadays, but the countless tongs make it clear that everything is ready) is the showpiece of the mechanical equipment: an air hammer made by Joseph Anton Maffei from Munich. The mighty machine has been in place since the workshop began. It is a cast-iron colossus around 2.6 meters high, with an impact hammer called a "bear", which alone weighs an impressive 80 kilos and can exert around 30 tons of pressure on the workpieces to be shaped.

In the end, the cent piece is pretty flat.

(Bild: Peter Bernthaler)

Michael Fisch watches the "bear" at work.

(Bild: Peter Bernthaler)

The "bear" flattens everything
Later, Michael Fisch demonstrates the massive impact force by placing a coin under the "bear": After a few blows, the piece of metal appears as if it has been thinly rolled and enlarged to almost twice its diameter. In principle, the system, which has been electrically driven for decades (via a belt), is "a real forging hammer, but it is only fully functional with air! It sucks in air at one point, lifts the piston up and pushes the piston down again with further air. You can set the hammer pressure exactly how hard you want it to hit," says Michael Fisch, explaining how today's electric air hammer works, which is operated by a foot shaft located in the base area.

Machines are "not for sale"
According to the brothers, the hammer is "built to last forever", but of course the mechanism must be tight and there must be a sufficient supply of normal motor oil for lubrication. Speaking of seals: That's right, they are made of leather, several millimeters thick, there would be no rubber and "replacing the seals - I don't really have to do it," remarks Michael. There have already been many enquiries about selling this particular machine, as Wolfgang Fisch explains: "You wouldn't believe what collectors turn up for!" Even if the "Maffei" is not in use all year round: "It's here to stay!"

There are many historical machines in the workshop in Mariazell, all of which still serve their purpose.

(Bild: Peter Bernthaler)

However, the workshop also has a huge press brake from 1955 and a radial drilling machine from 1918. At the moment, the orders for the construction and machine fitting shop mainly come from the private sector (such as restorations) and provide plenty of work for the brothers' team. 

Incidentally, Wolfgang was a passionate carriage driver for many years (brother Michael prefers to sit in the "saddle" of his motorcycle). In 1993, for example, he drove Francesca and Karl Habsburg to their wedding. "But the biggest thing was actually the Central European Catholic Day in May 2004, when I took the statue of the Virgin Mary from the church to the airfield and back again," recalls the Styrian.