Produced in 1946 for Martin, Black and Company, makers of wire rope, this film is about how steel cables came to existence through the work of ingenious minds. Ingenious minds can thrive and measure; with expert judgment and knowledge they select the best raw material available. The film describes the making of steel ropes for mining cages, excavator work, overhead tram wires, and more in the steel works and rope making premises where strands are bound together. At mark 0:44, strands of ropes are seen from which steel cables were formed. Slender strands upon slender strands, the rope grows before your eyes. Each skill possessed adding more to its sturdier strength. Every bend, every twist is a test of perfection as seen at mark1:11. Satisfied at last they throw their life line. It’s a rope, a rope with the strength of steel. At mark1:33 is the steel rolling mill, where the history of the rope begins. This is Colville steel rolling mill one of many sources of the rod which forms the basics of the whirl rope. At mark2:10 is the white hot rope which is been taken by the craftsman. It struggles over; the steel is subdued into orderly coils of steel on a railway wagon. Coil after coil is loaded on the wagon and dispatched to the wire works as seen at mark2:55 where the real business of stranding begins. At mark3:07 is Speedwell Wire Co Ltd. The materials arrive and piles up by railway with tracks leading into the company, each coil ranging up to 400pounds in weight. There are two tacks in the site which prevents traffic. At mark4:03, the rods are unloaded and wheeled off to the store. The destiny of the wire rods are been planned upon inside the planning and production office as seen at mark 4:32. Inside here, an order for an excavator rope just came in one of many. To make the rope, wire as to be produced on the exact mathematical lines. Planning and production office selects the raw materials. They decide on the wire reduction and many; they then hand over the complete data to the mill as seen at mark5:18. As seen at mark5:38, the machines are now loaded and the steel rods make its way into the heat burning furnace of about 1000oC temperature. The coils are layed in a hydrochloric acid bath as seen at mark7:07. At mark7:45, the steel is been showered. Then it goes into a lime bath at mark8:07. This neutralizes the effect of the acid and also coats it from rusting. They are then wheeled into the baking room to dry up the oxygen imparted in the picking process and any moisture as seen at mark8:56 for 10 to 20 minutes. It is then taken out as seen at mark9:10 and transported to the drawing mill. Its thickness is then reduced as seen at mark9:55 and passed through dyes for lubrication. It passes through 6 reducing machines as the coils are being tied up ready for testing at mark10:48. It then passes through a welding process as seen at mark 11:15. At mark11:50, is another treating. The wire proceeds on its way through the exit bar, the water spill, flux bath, into the bath of molten zinc. It emerges from the scepter into a charcoal white as seen at mark12:25. Then to the winding for reduction. At mark13:20, a girl is submerging the dye into the wet solution. The dyes then go to the dye making shop as seen at mark13:37 where they are examined and polished. Before it is let out, the wire undergoes many tests as seen at mark14:40. They are tested for tensile, elongation, gauging and standard specification of galvanizing. At the rookery, the wire is also tested on its arrival as seen at mark15:28 to make sure it’s up to standard. They make the corrosion test, tensile test, tortion test, ductility test which is then recorded and also the wrapping test as seen from mark14:51 – mark17:12. At mark18:00, the wire is now ready for the stranding process and all care must be taken. It is whined and then sent for stranding at mark 19:05. At mark19:50, the wires are loaded for the twisting process. At mark21:50, the clear picture of the fundamental of the machine is seen. It also has same principle as the snake machine. t mark24:00, the strands are been controlled unto the reels where a man controls it to avoid damage to the rope. At mark24:20, the rope is completed and now set to be delivered. At mark25:40, the rope goes through the splicing operation. On the finished rope, a destruction test is done at mark 28:40. At 29:10, it is packed and off it goes to fufil its order. At mark29:30, the rope is used in the escalator. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com

• published: 22 Apr 2016
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