Pleasant Surprises
Steampunk Porn
It had been too long since my last adventure. So, on Saturday, my partner-in-exploration and I hit up an old site for a second visit. On our first trip we saw one blast furnace, but left early when we were spooked. This time, we made sure to see what else was in store, and boy were we surprised.
Most steel factories operate multiple furnaces, the large volume helps keep their operation economical. Carrie Furnace, in Braddock, used to operate at least 7 different furnaces…our target today had 4. The first one we explored, #4, was nothing new. A standard rusted out furnace, with the tap hole drill and mud gun lying around somewhere. We took some shots, and headed down under the high line to see the lorry cars that ferry materials up into the blast furnaces. We headed over to furnaces #3 and #2, only to find that they had been completely gutted. Luckily, the last one, furnace #1, was completely intact. Not only were the tap hole drill and mud gun (used to open and re-seal the tap holes) present, but they were still attached. This was a first for us. We were so excited, we didn’t want to leave.
-aigulf
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- Steampunk Porn
From the pump house of an abandoned blast furnace. Valve assembly near the condensers.
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- Steam Pipes near the Stoves servicing Blast Furnace #4
Pipe assembly by the stoves feeding an abandoned Steel blast furnace.
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- Stockhouse Larry Car
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- A look inside one of the hot stoves servicing Blast Furnace #3
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- Tuyeres on Blast Furnace #1 (used to inject air into the blast furnace)
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- Blast Furnace #1, Two tap holes. Tap hole drills and mud guns still installed. I did not want to leave.
Subject for scale. Dual-tap hole setup in a modernized blast furnace. The two hoods sit atop the tandem tap holes, just to the right of myself there is a tap hole drill, used to open the hole and allow slag/steel to drain. In the bottom-right corner is one of the mud guns, used to plug the tap hole.
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- Mud Gun attached to Blast Furnace #1
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- Blast Furnace #1, tandem tap holes
I'm an engineer by trade, and a photographer by hobby. In the fall of 2007, I bought my first digital SLR, a Nikon D40x, and haven't looked back yet. The majority of my photographic expeditions involve abandoned structures in Western Pennsylvania, but I'm never without my camera while on the road or at a Pirates game, and I have been known to take the occasional photo of a plant.