Posts Tagged ‘trades’
in Multimedia
May 17, 2011
New online: Historic Farming Slideshow
Historic Farmers grow corn, tobacco and cotton using 18th-century techniques at Great Hopes Plantation.
December 30, 2010
Brickmakers burn oyster rick
Colonial Williamsburg’s historic trades brickmakers completed the oyster rick burn, this year in the snow! Visit the brickmakers to see the burned shell, known as quicklime, and find out more about the 18th-century brickmaking process.
A Colonial Williamsburg admission pass is required for all trade sites.
Learn more about Colonial Williamsburg historic trade brickmakers.
December 7, 2010
See the brick kiln burn Wednesday – Sunday
Colonial Williamsburg’s historic trades brickmakers re-ignite the brick kiln Dec. 8 — the Historic Area’s second kiln burn of the year. The kiln fires require stoking for five days to push the kiln’s internal temperatures to nearly 2,000° Fahrenheit.
All of the bricks produced this year are for use in the reconstruction of the James Anderson Blacksmith and Public Armoury — perhaps wartime Williamsburg’s most important industrial site. Upon his appointment as public armourer in 1776 by the General Assembly of the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia, Anderson began to enlarge his small, commercial blacksmithing operation into an extensive and diverse public manufactory. The reconstruction of Anderson’s industrial complex will include an armoury, a kitchen, a privy, two storage buildings and a tinsmith’s shop — all located on the site of the present blacksmith’s shop.
November 4, 2010
The June cannon pour
This June’s attempt to pour the light three ended in disappointment. It is pretty obvious that the bronze “froze” at the inside end of the tap hole as it started to flow. It wasn’t hot enough to run—that was one problem at least. There might be others we have not yet uncovered.
We have begun to disassemble the furnace to see if we can determine what happened and what we need to do to correct the problem. So far, we have removed masonry down to the tap hole and sectioned the tap hole itself.
Over the next few weeks, we will be getting further into the furnace structure to see what else might be revealed and to figure out how to remove the 500-pound mass of bronze that remains in there.
We have not yet removed the molds from the ground—something we will have to do to prepare for the next pour. The molds were almost certainly damaged by an afternoon downpour the day of the pour, and we are not going to re-use them.
The founders are in the process of making a whole new set of molds while the weather remains good this fall. Much of this is an outdoor activity, and we want them to be complete and ready to use when we are set to make another attempt early next spring.
Over the winter, with new information in hand, the masons and founders will determine what modifications should be made to the furnace to increase its heating capability and any other problems associated with it. They will rebuild/modify the furnace next spring when weather and time permit, and another pour will follow shortly.
in Multimedia, What's New
September 10, 2010
Welcome the new webcam
A new webcam joins the quartet of views of the Historic Area. Watch crews of archaeologists, researchers, tradesmen and historians collaborate on the reconstruction of the Blacksmith’s and Public Armoury.
Begin this month with views inside the Blacksmith’s shop, and check back often as this roving camera changes locations along with the action.
August 31, 2010
Come out for the brick burn September 8
Fans of Colonial Williamsburg’s annual brick kiln burn can double the experience this year. The Historic Trades brickmakers will ignite two kilns several months apart this year.
The first burn begins Sept. 8 as they stoke the kiln fires for five days to push the kiln’s internal temperatures to nearly 2,000° Fahrenheit. The second kiln burn is scheduled to begin Dec. 8.
Learn more about the September 8 brick kiln burn.
Learn more about the brickmaker in Colonial Williamsburg.
Historic Triangle
iCitizenForum
