This film is part of Free

Men of Iron

The ancient art of sand casting using an iron mould is the focal point of this industrial film made at Steander foundry in Leeds.

Amateur film 1960 19 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for Yorkshire Film Archive

Overview

This detailed short film made in Leeds presents a thorough step-by-step guide to the process of sand casting using an iron mould. The narrator calmly talks through the artistry behind the process as workers carefully and skilfully perform the necessary labour. The camera remains tight to the action throughout and marvels over the intricacies of the trade.

Although he was not the director of this particular film, the director of the Steander foundry, Frederick Dyson, was an avid amateur filmmaker. Frederick began making films in the 1920s and many rolls of film were still stored in his house upon his death in 1965. Sand casting is one of the simplest and most popular forms of metal casting in the world. It has been in use for centuries and experts believe that it originated in ancient China over three thousand years ago.