Thursday, May 17, 2012
Iron Show at Liberty Arts
Tomorrow, Friday, May 18th, as part of the Third Friday Durham Art Walk, Liberty Arts non-profit artist collaborative will be hosting a show of Iron works at their new location in the Golden Belt district, at Cordoba Center for the Arts, #923 Franklin Street in Durham.
Scraps of melting cast iron
photo credit Caperton Morton Andersson
Many of the works that will be exhibited and for sale were produced at a fantastic iron pour held earlier this month in Moncure, NC. The iron pour was a spectacular, dramatic scene, May 5th at the Moncure Museum of Art. Don’t be fooled by the high falutin name. This was serious work.
Liberty Arts, a socially conscious, ethically focused, non-profit, collected old scrap cast iron that might have been otherwise discarded to melt down for this pour; old boilers, bathtubs, sinks, radiators and more were transported to Moncure, just south of Pittsboro. Then the real fun began… Because before this scrap iron could be turned into molten metal, it had to be smashed (literally, with sledgehammers) into approximately one inch by one inch pieces. Fun, fun, fun turning scrap to smithereens.
From there, these tiny pieces were loaded into what looked like a thick walled oil drum, technically a Bessamer furnace, and heated to a molten 3000o. It is a methodical and precise process, a ratio of 35 lbs. of metal to 6 lbs. of coke/black coal has to be maintained throughout. When the mixture is ready, a stopper at the bottom of the furnace, called a “butt” is removed and the metal pours out. The “butt,” itself, despite the bemusing name, is a highly technical device made out of clay, sand, sawdust and water. This conical shape plug is holding back super hot liquid metal under pressure.
Butt removed
photo credit Caperton Morton Andersson
The pour itself is a multiple person job. Two kneeling iron casters poke a hole in the butt as a third person, “the butter” stands at the ready with a new butt, prepared to reblock the spout at a moment’s notice. Super intense heat sweeps across the room, even beneath goggles one imagines one’s eyelashes melting, one’s eyebrows being singed off the forehead. The molten iron pours into a crucible, fifty pounds at time, two workers muscle it across the room and begin to pour it into molds. Another iron caster, scrapes the floating detritus like enamel and other waste products from the molds.
As Liberty Arts own Jackie MacLeod puts it, “It is a well-choreographed and supremely serious ballet.”
A serious ballet
photo credit Caperton Morton Andersson
The results are amazing. Come see for yourself this Friday at Liberty Arts main facility, #923 Franklin Street, Durham in the Cordoba Center of the Arts. You won’t be disappointed. You will be able to take a bit of repurposed metal, crafted into a unique piece of art home with you.
Artists’ works featured include Tim Werrell, Leah Waller-Foushee, Mike Waller, Robin Holmes, Tripp Jarvis, Elijah Leed, GeorgeAnn Greth, Mike Lupa and more.
Majestic results
photo credit Caperton Morton Andersson
Scraps of melting cast iron
photo credit Caperton Morton Andersson
Many of the works that will be exhibited and for sale were produced at a fantastic iron pour held earlier this month in Moncure, NC. The iron pour was a spectacular, dramatic scene, May 5th at the Moncure Museum of Art. Don’t be fooled by the high falutin name. This was serious work.
Liberty Arts, a socially conscious, ethically focused, non-profit, collected old scrap cast iron that might have been otherwise discarded to melt down for this pour; old boilers, bathtubs, sinks, radiators and more were transported to Moncure, just south of Pittsboro. Then the real fun began… Because before this scrap iron could be turned into molten metal, it had to be smashed (literally, with sledgehammers) into approximately one inch by one inch pieces. Fun, fun, fun turning scrap to smithereens.
From there, these tiny pieces were loaded into what looked like a thick walled oil drum, technically a Bessamer furnace, and heated to a molten 3000o. It is a methodical and precise process, a ratio of 35 lbs. of metal to 6 lbs. of coke/black coal has to be maintained throughout. When the mixture is ready, a stopper at the bottom of the furnace, called a “butt” is removed and the metal pours out. The “butt,” itself, despite the bemusing name, is a highly technical device made out of clay, sand, sawdust and water. This conical shape plug is holding back super hot liquid metal under pressure.
Butt removed
photo credit Caperton Morton Andersson
The pour itself is a multiple person job. Two kneeling iron casters poke a hole in the butt as a third person, “the butter” stands at the ready with a new butt, prepared to reblock the spout at a moment’s notice. Super intense heat sweeps across the room, even beneath goggles one imagines one’s eyelashes melting, one’s eyebrows being singed off the forehead. The molten iron pours into a crucible, fifty pounds at time, two workers muscle it across the room and begin to pour it into molds. Another iron caster, scrapes the floating detritus like enamel and other waste products from the molds.
As Liberty Arts own Jackie MacLeod puts it, “It is a well-choreographed and supremely serious ballet.”
A serious ballet
photo credit Caperton Morton Andersson
The results are amazing. Come see for yourself this Friday at Liberty Arts main facility, #923 Franklin Street, Durham in the Cordoba Center of the Arts. You won’t be disappointed. You will be able to take a bit of repurposed metal, crafted into a unique piece of art home with you.
Artists’ works featured include Tim Werrell, Leah Waller-Foushee, Mike Waller, Robin Holmes, Tripp Jarvis, Elijah Leed, GeorgeAnn Greth, Mike Lupa and more.
Majestic results
photo credit Caperton Morton Andersson
Labels: Art, Durham, Pop Culture
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