The Iron Foundry by JeffG7BRJ
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Small jobbing foundries like this were common in many towns in late Victorian Britain. Products ranged from statues to door-stops. Larger and more specialised foundries such as The Coalbrookdale Company, begun by Abraham Darby I, produced high quality castings, particularly in the mid Victorian era, when statues and art castings were extremely popular. Other foundries specialised in massive castings needed for industrial machinery.
Pig-iron is produced from iron ore smelted in a blast furnace. This iron, remeltedand poured into moulds, is know as cast-iron. Cast iron is a brittle metal that is strong in compression. The Iron Bridge was cast in open sand moulds in 1779, using 384 tonnes(378 imperial tons) of iron. Cast-iron can be repeatedly melted and cast.
The process at Blists Hill is called 'Greensand casting', although the moulds are neither green nor made purley of sand. They are made on a moulding bench then placed on the floor which when full, is ready for casting, normally done once a week.
In a fully staffed commercial foundry, casting would take place sever times a day. Iron is melted in the tall cylindrical cupola at the back of the foundry. From there the molteniron is collected in ladles inside the foundry and poured into the prepared moulds. When the iron is cooled the moulds are broken open, the casting removed and the whole process begins again.
If any of the castings are rejected for any reason, they can go back into the cupola and be melted down again.
Thanks for stopping by for a look and for any comments you care to make, all are appreciated.
May the sun shine down on you, where ever you are.
Comments (22)
very interesting history and an exceptional capture of the action. one must have a high tolerance of heat to do this job.I always wanted to do it on a small scale but never lived out away from the city where one could have what they wanted without the restrictions of building codes
Wow, really fantastic!! Haven't seen this before :)
Very special mood and the smoke and atmosphere is just wonderful. So grateful for the big support about my work. Hugs. Luis
Superb image Jeff! The colour and lighting are fantastic! 5++
great working shot jeff and again excellent info mick
Very interesting history and a beautiful capture. Exelent photography.
Nice one. It should be very warm to stay so close...
Ohhh Jeff, very interesting! I had a friend who made this work... I adore! A great shot my friend!
This is an excellent subject. One that you don't often get to see and so that is the first reason this is great. The second is that it is a really good photo. :-)
fantastic work ...The light and textures ...excellent capture...Happy Halloween....
Excellent shot, well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!5+++
Wonderful shot.... what incredibly hard, hot, dangerous work this is!
Really great shot, not something you see every day. The info you give makes it even more real, can't imagine working in such heat. But it makes for a stunning foto!!
Great shot of this Jeff, before coming here with you, I'd never seen this in action (live if you know what I mean). And I'm the jellous one this time. Most of my shots of the work here in the Foundry were through the dusty windows. I think you found the only window that opened to get your camera through. you've captured just the right moment here. Excellent Narative. I enjoy reading them. Bravo!
EXCEPTIONAL shot!
good to see how the do it. cool shot
Cool shot indeed; interesting as well. Thanks :)
This is a very beautiful capture Jeff! Superb picture! Bravo!!!
O_O EXCELLENT CAPTURE & COLORS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutamente fantástica! Maravillosa fotografía, Felicitaciones! Un millón de estrellas de mi parte!********************** Bendiciones Luminosas. Ludy
Well, well! You have brought back a lot of memories for me, my friend. Years ago I worked for a foundry supply company, buying all the things the foundrymen needed to do their work. I bought tons and tons of greensand! (And silica, and bentonite, and gate tile, and refractory sleeves, and and and . . .) It was a great job - I really enjoyed the whole industrial thing. Foundaries are just amazing - it was a pleasure to be involved in the process! Sorry for going on and on - your photograph is wonderful, and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed it! Thank you, my dear, for this trip into the past.
Superbly capture Jeff!