ANYWAY
It was Iron Pore 2008! We gathered at 9 am for a day of long hard work. At the beginning... we had a good number of people helping. Towards the end... Heh... The girls rocked and the guys BAILED. Anyway....
I will tell the story of the almighty Last Pore Crew with pictures!!! And my story, of course!
Our teacher was late, I had to unlock the door for everyone.
It was dangerous, daring, and totally awesome. When the iron finally got going it reached temperatures of 2500 to 2800 degrees. Scorching. I got the bruises, scorches, singed hair, and cracked knuckles to prove it! Take that whimpy men who ran for their girly man lives....
Okay, anyway.
To do an iron pore first you must break up large pieces of iron into smaller pieces. Some girls couldn’t hack it. Large bits of metal go flying everywhere. As soon as they get hit they leave. I got hit on both legs... I forget how many times. My knuckles got cracked by the foot off of a radiator and one smashed into my face shield. I stayed out busting iron from 9 until 12.
The process is long and hard. Jeremy (My sculpture teacher) said we would start the pore at 11. It is now 1:30. I told my mom that morning that Jeremy said we would start poring at 11, but in Jeremy World that meant 2. Everyone is anxious.
My dad came to help out at the iron pore again. He came last year and loved it. It is a lot of fun if you don’t mind hard work all day. He can’t pore the iron yet, he’s not a student and isn’t qualified. Maybe next year. I’m dirty, can’t you tell I’ve been working hard? I look ugly, but whateva.
We had twice as many molds as last year. This is only half.
Geoff and I prepare the furnace for launch. Nickole and... I think that’s her girlfriend, watch.
I get suited up. Ready for the action. Jeremy says I’ve graduated from a Skimmer ( the person who scrapes the slag of the top of the potted iron). I’m “scared” to know what I have graduated too.
Apparently I’ve graduated to a job without a name. Or no one will tell me the name. All I know is I’m going to be the one that is fueling the fire with coke and iron. Coke is concentrated and powerful charcoal. Not the drug. Though, but the end of the day we all wished we had something to ease the pain.
Jeremy gives me the low-down on what to do. Can’t you see the look of complete confusion on my face? Mom just LOVED to take pictures of all my bad expressions that day.
Kasha gives me one of her bandana’s because apparently if I don’t wear one my hair is going to get singed off. I am going to be leaning over a furnace with about 2800 degree flames roaring out of it. I’m laughing because everyone says I look like a dirty German immigrant.
Five Minutes until launch its getting hot up there. I’m excited. Dying by fire is one of my worst fears, but boy do I love playing with it.
Launch!!!
And let the iron pore!
And pore...
And pore...
Finally the heat is too hot for me and I’ve breathed in more smoke than needed. Todd comes to take over for me. We switch out, like planned, and he gets his turn at breathing in gaseous fumes and smoke.
Then Nickole takes over for him after a while...
The iron keeps on poring...
Finally somewhere along the lines we started off with 3 pore crews. The men bailed... all that is left is Geoff, Todd, Jeremy, and a visiting artist and his awesome iron poring daughter Kasha. I give you me and two girls, who I don’t know there names. We stepped up to the plate, not fearing the fact we would be holding up 100-125 pounds of hot molten iron. We thought it was fun. And so, I introduce what we call... The Last Pore Crew!
After a long while our arms could barely hold up the ladels. So Todd stopped helping wit the furnace. He and the visiting artist took the ladels... and made a mess fiery mess.
The Last Pore Crew Stepped in for the second to last run.
Then we made our final run, and the iron was bubbling hot.
The Finale’!!
We dropped the bottom and the coke fell through.
No one got that hurt. We had a lot of bruises, and sore muscles. Jeremy got set on fire... six times we think. We lost count after six... Hehehe.... Got a couple of nice 2nd degree burns...
Anyway. This was what I spent my entire Saturday doing. Started at 9, shut off at 7:42
