What is this?

[msmetalundead]

I saw this -

in Sheffield outside an ice skating rink. I have no clue what it is. Does anyone know?

 

[smileysal]

Would it be near the new ice rinks? It could be a relic, now a statue, from the Steel work days. there's a few bits and pieces dotted around the Sheffield area.

 

[jonney]

It's a steel ladle from one of the steel works in Sheffield http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1367439

 

[msmetalundead]

Yes it is that one. I thought it must be steel production related. Does anyone know where there are more of these?.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

Does anyone know where there are more of these?.

The odd few that were scattered around the derelict furnace sites have long gone to the scrap furnaces, and apart from the large one pictured I personally know of no other large ones on public display. By the very nature of their use in the steel making process, there were not vast numbers of these lying around the furnace yards - 20 plus tons of cold, solidified steel sitting in a ladle is somewhat of an embarrassment.

The large ladles were constructed to specifically fit the handling machinery installed at a particular furnace complex - thus they only got re-used at other sites when the handling plant was the same, or the whole handling line was transfered to another site.

The large ladle pictured is obviously of a specific size and whilst relatively modern, must have been impossible to re-use. For those interested, the two hook pivots at the rim were used to lift the empty ladle onto the handling machine. The rectangular plate and its associated steelwork (the Geograph link picture shows the one on the opposite side also) engaged with the tilting mechanism that controlled the pouring of the molten contents into the billet molds.

 

[Locksley]

Yes it is that one. I thought it must be steel production related. Does anyone know where there are more of these?.

yup, there's at leats one at Kelham island, along with a Bessemer Converter, and quite a few scattered around both inside and outside Magna in Rotherham

 

[mexico75]

The odd few that were scattered around the derelict furnace sites have long gone to the scrap furnaces, and apart from the large one pictured I personally know of no other large ones on public display.

Theres one outside Kellam island idustrial museum.

 

[oldscrote]

Theres one outside Kellam island idustrial museum.

this a Bessemer converter not a ladle but still a well impressive bit of kit

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessemer_process[/ame]

 

[mexico75]

Oh sorry wrong pic, I meant this,