The following steel/iron spheres were found following groundworks taking place at the Manuel Works, Whitecross.
Charlie Sim states – ” those iron balls were for the Johnson ball mills there were 4 of these, 2 in each mill shed. They were the final process on the crushing lines and pulverised and heated the bauxite aluminium into powder-like cement for mixing. These were very hot and noisy areas to work in. The balls were about 3 inches in diameter and the smaller ones are used and discarded. These were stored on the right-hand side on entry to the site. The small balls are worn. That was the area where one of the mill sheds was. They were brought in steel oil drums. Once you recharged the mill the drum was left and all the small ones would go into the screeners and dumped into the drums.
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Below – 4 x 2″ diameter steel balls found at the Manuel Works, Whitecross.
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Below – 9 x 1″ – 1½” diameter steel balls found at the Manuel Works, Whitecross. The balls below range from a 1″ diameter to a 1½” diameter.
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Below – An interesting example found by Ian Suddaby at the same location.
Ian states – I thought this might be where it had actually broken in the mill but it’s a regular concave hollow and there are two small nodules on the outside too so this piece can’t have been used. It’s about 2½” diameter so less than the 3″ diameter new Ball Mill balls were supposed to be. Faulty balls would surely still have been used so i’m not sure what’s going on here. Nice find anyway.
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Below – How a ball mill works. Carbosystem
A ball mill is a type of mill used to grind and mix materials to be used in processes for mixing minerals, paints, pyrotechnics, ceramics, and selective laser sintering. It works by the principle of impact and friction: the size reduction is achieved when the grinding media characteristic of this equipment (balls or spheres) impact each other and against the particles of the material to be fractionated.
It consists of a cylindrical container that rotates on its axis. The axis of the cylinder can be both horizontal and have a small angle with the horizontal. The cylinder is partially filled with balls, which can be made of steel (chrome steel), stainless steel, ceramics such as silicon carbide, or even rubber. The inner surface of the cylinder is normally coated with an abrasion resistant material such as silicon carbide, manganese steel or rubber. The length of the mill is approximately equal to its diameter.
Factors that can affect grinding:
Found by John Barnard at Fitzroy, Falkland Islands. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire .
Many thanks to Vladimir Smirnov for highlighting this brick to me which was found in the vicinity of the St. Petersburg Region, Gatchina Region, Russia by a brick collector, Alexander Korolev. It was discovered the stove of a private house. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein &…
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire .
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire .
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire .
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. This is a ‘hanger’ fire brick. The last number is unclear but it looks like a 2 with the ‘bottom’ missing. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works,…
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire .
Found at the Manuel Brickworks, Whitecross by Ian Suddaby. This example is not in my possession. Ian states – This IVOR kiln hanger brick is damaged but it’s still the best by far I have ever found. I don’t know whether Ivor was a brand name or a company name, once again there’s a lack…
Found and recovered from the John Lysaght Normanby Park Works at Scunthorpe, Lincs by Jim Stevens. Now in the possession of Ian Suddaby. This example is not in my possession. It measures roughly 14″ x 10″ x 6″. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co,…
The following refractory castable test samples were found during ground works at the Manuel Brickworks, Whitecross by Ian Suddaby and myself. These laboratory test samples are cement-based and have been marked with a marker type pen. Below – The cut edge of each sample. Below – some close up photographs of the cut edge. ….
