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19


Turning engines into 'art


COWLING foundry owner Tom Ashby takes old car engines . . . and


turns them into benches! His Freegate Foundry,


founded (excuse the pun) around 20 years ago, uses a traditional technique to turn out equally traditional Vic-


W


SUE PARISH meets a man who is recy­ cling old ear engines in a most original


way.


torian-style garden furni­ ture, House signs, lamp-


N o rm a l r e t a i l p r ic e . . . £599 + VAT


M0S9EE A N FA


IN A N


PHONE-INor 51 Standish Street, Burnley • Tel: (02S2) 50357 reader competition


All you have to do is say in no more than 20 words why this compact, stylish designed Fax would be of benefit to your business, and solve this simple anagram


PRESENT1RE


All entries will be examined by the judges - proprietor, David Toyo, and East Lancs Newspaper Advertising Executive, Maureen Whittaker


Entries can either he handed into Phone-In or posted to "FAX COMP', Phone-In, 51 Standish Street, Burnley, by first post January 4th, 1991


[The Sharp UX-100, G3 Compatible Facsimile! I would benefit me b e cau se : ........................................ I


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has offered us this SHARP UX-100 G3 compatible facsimile which docs not require a separate telephone line, as a prize in this one-oil


posts and decorative paraphernalia.


pub


nostalgia means business for Tom and his colleagues, who find buyers all across the country and abroad for their very special work. Tommy comes from a


The increasing trade in


family experienced in the tra d e . His g ran d fa th e r James Ashby worked in a Leicestershire foundry, and in the ll)20’s came north to establish the Ouzledale Foundry at Barnoldswick. Tom moved from the


family business some 20 years ago to set up on his own, and is as sisted by brother George. The only difference made


the metal, brought about a change from traditional forging to casting. “Cast iron was like plastic


is today. They made every­ thing out of it, from bridges to window frames — and e v e n c o f f i n s a n d headstones! “We now use aluminium


because it is three Limes lighter, easier to smelt and doesn’t rust. “We use an electric or gas


to th e t im e -h o n o u re d methods Tom learnt as a youngster is to work in alu­ minium, ra th e r than the east iron used by the first smelters. The eastings produced at


Freegate Foundry are still based on Victorian designs, and Tom is always on the look-out for in te re s tin g i t e m s t h a t c a n be reproduced. Old mirror frames, lamp­


. The aluminium comes in the form of ingots, recycled from car engines. So a state of the art twentieth century German mo to r can he reborn in the form of an ele­ gantly lacy English' Vic­ torian bench! The metal is heated to 700


furnace instead of the old coal or oil fired ones, and our castings are machine finished. But the moulding is done in the same way it has been done for over a hundred years."


degrees centigrade while t h e in o u 1 d s a r e b e i n g prepared. Metal frames are filled


posts, pillar boxes, and even a replica of Uncle Sam from the front of an old one- armed bandit are among the esoterica lurking in the cel­ lar of the workshop in case of future need. Says Tom: “The casting-


process developed because at Coalbrookdale th e re were all th e e lem e n ts needed — coal for smelting, iron ore, and sand for the moulds. “The invention of the


with Mansfield sand, which has a high clay content m ak in g i t p la s t ic and compactable. The template, i.e. metal


down by generations of foundry worke rs about making the moulds for a successful cast. It goes: “Ram 'em hard and vent 'em well, then they’ll neither blow nor swell.” Massive ladles are used to


transport the molten metal from the glowing crucible within the furnace and gen­ tly pour it into the moulds. It cools and sets rapidly, and the frames are then removed, steam billowing from the wet sand as the casting is revealed. The experienced team at


the foundry bring a winning combination of strength and delicacy to their work, using a steady hand to smooth the sand moulds and brute mus­ cle power to open the weighty frames. After cleaning up on a


grindstone, paint is applied using the lates t powder coating machine which cre­ ates a high voltage electrical field between the castings and the pigment particles, attracting them to the sur­ face in an even layer which is then fired into place in a heated chamber. Gilding may be added In-


blast lurnace. where a Ian could be used to raise the temperature enough to melt


original to be reproduced, is pressed into the mould to give an exact imprint. The second half of the mould is prepared in the same way, aiul the sand is skilfully packed and smoothed into place. Holes are made to allow for pouring the metal in, and the two halves are then ninned together, with great care being taken not to disturb the imprint.


There is a rhyme handed


band, if required, and the various sections of tables, chairs and benches are then bolted together ready for dispatch to the wholesalers. And they are driven there


by a septuagenarian lady of many talents — former tra­ peze artist Mrs June Read, or June Denaro to give her her performing title. She lends her varied talents to the work of the foundry under her traditional circus motto: "The show must go on.” □


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Subject to East Lancs Newspapers Ltd conditions'of entry and competition rules. waft**' 5 , v\, .K -" ."V-


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