A dazzling and dangerous job, foundry workers across the globe have long made up the backbone of many industries and daily life. Iron serves as the base of all new-made steel. Spewing from blast furnaces at over 2800 degrees Fahrenheit, it was once a sight to behold at the former Bethlehem Steel plant. While Iron hasn’t been made at the plant since 1995, it still flows once a year during the National Museum of Industrial History’s Steel Weekend. Thanks to the incredible artists working with Evolution Art Studio, molten Iron once again dazzled crowds in a fiery display.
Fueled by air and coal, cupola furnaces like this one act as miniature blast furnaces. Iron pellets, known as taconite, are dumped into the open top along with coal and any other minerals that will help produce the desired grade of Iron. The materials then melt and drip to the bottom, with the lighter impurities, known as slag, floating on top.
The furnace is then “tapped” by drilling through the clay that plugs the holes at the base. Molten iron and slag will shoot out into the crucible held by the workers. From there it is walked over to the molds to be carefully poured.
