The tool factory was founded in 1828 by the Lagrange family and developed by the Philibert family from 1865 onwards, specializing in the manufacture of scythes. It was one of 48 tool factories in operation in the department in the 19th century, and the only one to have retained all of its equipment (hammers, furnaces, blowers, motors).
The old factory is located in a place called "La Doye," on the banks of a stream known as "l'Arcange," a tributary of the Lison, a little way from the village center.
The former tool factory and its mechanical installations were classified as historic monuments by decree on November 16, 1984
The tool factory is built alongside the stream known as "l'Arcange," which, with its steady flow, supplies it with energy via water wheels: an external bucket wheel, fed by a suspended aqueduct, drives two bellows located outside the workshop by means of a system of connecting rods and gears. This blower system, unique in Europe and dating from 1886, weighs over 10 tons, with the two bellows, made entirely of oak (2 tons each), suspended from the roof structure. These two bellows operate alternately (one sucks in while the other expels), and the air produced is sent through pipes to the forge hearths inside the workshop. Two internal paddle wheels, 5 meters in diameter, fed by the water reservoir located just above the forging workshop, drive four large hammers, whose 250-kg heads strike the metal at a rate of 150 blows per minute.
- 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Guided tour at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
- 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Guided tour at 2:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. / 4:00 p.m. / 5:00 p.m.