High-quality black-and-white photographs of large old machines and tools

[Toolmaker51]

......or very popular.

[Jon]

140" crew at shears. Carnegie-Illinois Steel Company. Homestead, PA. March, 1942.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...s_fullsize.jpg

[Ralphxyz]

Would not want to get my finger stuck in there. The sheet they are doing looks like 11/2 - 2". Amazing they appear to be doing lineup by eye.

Ralph

[Jon]

Coil preparation line. Tin Plate Department of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation’s Aliquippa Works. March, 1952.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...e_fullsize.jpg

[Toolmaker51]

'Coil Preparation' tells me this isn't paying out to feed punch presses or such equipment, it's actually rolling coils for shipment. When you see one or two coil loaded on a flat bed, you get a good idea what those weigh.
I've sure as heck never seen three at a time, in fact 2 must be so close to max, nothing else added to round up LTL (less than load).

[the harmonious blacksmith]

I retired, some years ago, from a coil coater plant, where we coated coils of mostly aluminum but some galvalume (steel) both sides with baked enamel finish. This meant some incredible tension to keep the metal suspended for nearly 150 feet from the paint coating rollers through four ovens to a hot water quench before wound onto the exit arbors. This happened in could widths from about 25 inches to 36-1/2 inches and up to 200 feet per minute. Those aluminum coils weighed anywhere from 3500 to 7500 pounds, so sometimes 6 coils could be shipped in one semi load. Often the coils were slit to desired widths and cut to desire lengths, mostly made into various building projects such as siding, window frames or rain gutters. The steel rolls weighed up to 10,000 pounds, give or take, so 3-4 coils made a "truckload". I don't know how these rolls compared to the rolls in the photo being, probably, uncoiled, I'm just giving this for comparison or conjecture.

[marksbug]

no they are making tin plates, it says so. tin plate dept. they lay also make tin cups for golfers. and possiably pan handlers as well as pan handles. but thats another dept.

[hemmjo]

I am curious what this guy is doing. He was moving during the shot, but there appears to be a guard in the way.
It also looks like he is close to the "break station" with a hot plate, coffee pot, a cup and some paper bags for ... donuts?

[jimfols]

Coil preparation line


This fellow does not seem to have much interest in anything.

[Toolmaker51]

Coil preparation line


This fellow does not seem to have much interest in anything.

Next day he did, when it was pasted on managers office wall.