This movie is the first thing I ever saw about early iron production. And it fascinated me completely. Literally combining the four elements in the process to make something.
Earth + water make cobb
Air dries the oven
Fire breaks down the earth and removes moisture from the iron ore, while fed by air.
Little did I know that a couple of years later I would meet the people in the movie, and even work with some of them, learning the process. The location of the second part of the movie is the Dorestad farm in Amersfoort, almost a second home to me.
Today Thijs van de Manakker released the following on Facebook;
Schothorst shears. / De schaar van Schothorst.
In 2014, at the request of Natuurmonumenten, we carried out an iron smelting furnace on the edge of the historic iron pits in the Bergherbos in Montferland.
Part of the wolf iron that came out of the furnace was forged on the yard of the Bergkamp Sibbe to a plow shears.
Jan den Ouden from cultuuramersvoort filmed everything and put the film on YouTube.
Now a few thousand more to go and then this video has been viewed a million times.
I estimate this will happen a week or two, but if you’d all be so kind to share it, maybe it could happen this week?
Let’s make that happen!
The Dutch Luthier 