File making is a less known branch of smithery, the production of which can be divided into two basic typologically distinct groups - files and rasps. Handmaking of a range of files and rasps included a number of special operations, which led the metal processing sector into becoming a specialized and independent area. The fundamental task of file-making was to create a cutting edge on a prepared forged piece of a file or rasp item. The oldest method was
hand crafting which survived from ancient times until the 20th century in almost unchanged form. Independent areas with a strong concentration of file manufacturing were established thanks to some specific conditions. In the Svratka region, a significant part of archaic technologies referring deep into the past of file manufacturing all the way to the 1950s was preserved due to the prosperity of file making.
Equipment of file manufacturing handicraft workshops.
The traditional handicraft form of file manufacturing required the creation of aspecific workshop environment. The disposition breakdown of file workshops was not too complicated and it reminded of a smithery in many aspects. File making required highly specialized tools focused on forging and grinding of items, cutting of blades, annealing and tempering. With the narrow specialization, small home-based workshops were established in the Svratka region, in which craftsmen and home-based workmen attended to partial tasks. A strong professional layer of residents also brought the professional language of file makers to the countryside. It did not disappear until the second half of the 20th century. The traditional handicraft manufacturing in the Svratka region disappeared quickly in early 1950s. Hand crafting file makers either entirely ceased their activities or moved on to factories in Jihlava and Hlinsko.
The paper discusses handicraft production in Bulgaria from the 19th century until now. It uses a model case of the area of Eastern Rhodopes which is located in south-eastern Bulgaria. In the field of handicraft production, Bulgarian ethnology traditionally distinguishes domestic production and specialized craft. More recent literature also characterizes domestic production. However, in the Balkan folk culture, these forms of handicraft production were not strictly separated. The paper focuses on the most important manufacturing sectors which are typical for the region: breeding of silkworms, processing of wool and goat hair, wood, natural netting, coal and pottery. Traditional production has been declining in the territory of today’s Bulgaria with the penetration of European factory products since the 19th century, but in a greater extent since the beginning and mainly mid-20th century with the development of
factory production - that means it was relatively later than in our country (particularly with regard to textile production). Until 1960s and 1970s, crafts and homemade manufacturing in the researched region basically disappeared. However, homemade production maintained its importance to this day - even if in a modified form.