Birth of a Big Gun (1908) | BFI Archive

The manufacture of a new weapon in the pre-WWI naval arms race.
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A new weapon is launched in the pre-WWI naval arms race. This striking film illustrates the processes in the casting and manufacture of a 12-inch, 50-calibre naval gun - the kind of gun that would be used on battleships between 1914 and 1918. It was filmed in early 1908 at the factory of Armstrong Whitworth & Co., based in Newcastle-on-Tyne. The scale of the operation from 85,000 kilos of molten steel to the massive form of the finished gun is nicely filmed to showcase its impressiveness.
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[@jonfklein]

When the molten steel is poured into into the mold at 1:40 note the guy standing on top of the mold scooping slag off the surface of the liquid metal. Sparks are flying everywhere, he has no safety goggles or face shield on, just a flat cap with a small brim to deflect the sparkes. No leather smock either. He simply turns his head away for protection. Totally insane!

[@backho12]

Always the low man in the pecking order's job.

[@1179125]

back when the only safety equipment for those working with molten steel is their mustache.

[@IsaiahAmos017]

Mustaches where very important to back then

[@chrismartin6544]

Back when men were men and sheep were scared lol

[@IsaiahAmos017]

Chris Martin ?

[@SergeantAradir]

@@JC-jk3kl Lol. You are quite hilarious :D This is perhaps the whiniest defense of manhood i have ever heard.

[@cuatropolis2881]

Lol😂😂

[@johnshaft5613]

"We have worked ___0___ days without an on-the-job injury"

[@Damptarmac]

Any more than 0 days must have been due to lacking productivity and laziness

[@agapitometuerzo1506]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@FourRulesRacing]

How about Zero Hours?

[@mircoBGaia]

😂👍

[@brunoaleixo9828]

@@FourRulesRacing awwww man, joe got turned into a ingot this was the longest time we had without injuries, we were so close to 4 minutes

[@bradpotter6401]

Incredible engineering and manufacturing skills they had over a hundred years ago.

[@martinjelinek1382]

That breech mechanism at 5:40 is a work of pure genius. so simple yet thought out. Robust and working flawlessly.

[@TheDAT9]

He's stood on step ladder raking molten iron. It's like they are a completely different type of human to us softies.

[@jimlepeu577]

David Turver amen to that - it’s amazing how things have changed since I was a kid

[@alexiachimciuc3199]

Well David acording to some chanels that i wach on YT man of old had o protective lair of testosteron. Today some ov us have a protective lair of soy milk!

[@erichharding8777]

In the wonderful world without OSHA regulations.

[@mashbury]

Not a health and safety bloke in sight... happy days

[@BryanBeast13]

Speak for yourself

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

Imagine the guys going home after their shift and going one with theirs lives, maybe dying in the Great War, never coming even close to imagining we'd be watching them work in 2020.

[@bayareaartist999]

Well this is 1908 and the great war was 1915, if you were working in the armament industry they weren't going to throw you into the trenches.

[@HHHGeorge]

That breech closing mechanism was a precision piece of engineering. Seeing what the cannon did on the cannon range I am sure they wanted to make sure the cannon didn't back fire.

[@hughdanaher2758]

notice the extensive use of "safety squints."

[@dBREZ]

good one !

[@FourRulesRacing]

"Hey babe, welcome home, how was work?" "Oh pretty good, Hun. I only lost half my hearing, 2 fingers and an eye. Got a couple 3rd degree burns on my face but I soothed them with 200 degree cooling water."

[@tenaxxband]

I worked metal pour in a bronze foundry. i ran the crane with one hand and stabilized the crucible with the other, while the other guy tipped and controlled the pour. we used to pour at around 2300 degrees. insane heat. the cool side of the room was usually over 120 degrees in winter. summer was more like 140. near the kiln and furnace was MUCH hotter. it'd scald your skin. i also, unloaded the autoclave, furnace and kiln and ran the plasma cutter, etc. i remember walking outside on day and thinking 104 degrees felt like a nice cool spring day. guys shown here are no cupcakes. brutal, dangerous work

[@42lookc]

That breach closing mechanism is awesome.

[@MikaelLevoniemi]

But impractical. Expensive to manufacture and not fast enough for automatic recoil powered operation.

[@SearTrip]

Mikael Levoniemi Which doesn't really matter as they were battleship guns.

[@42lookc]

Heavy caliber guns will never be even semi-automatic. The magazine is always in the bottom of the turret for munitions safety.

[@dundonrl]

42lookc what's your definition of heavy caliber, since the Des Moines class has automatic 8" guns.

[@thedesertfox8737]

It would be rather hard to make it automatic, as they load a shell and powder. There is no casing to eject if my memory serves right.

[@gangoffour6690]

Over 100 years ago. Incredible the precision they were able to achieve !

[@mrfrogg46able]

in a relatively primative factory by todays standards

[@cosmaninashiva6115]

Damals waren die noch präzise !!

[@Jan_372]

@@cosmaninashiva6115 sind sie heute doch auch. Undzwar noch mehr als früher.

[@gplito]

Guy with the rod standing on top of a step ladder...no gloves, no goggles. Pouring liquid molten steel, sparks flying, hod rodding the stuff into the casting. I repeat. NO GLOVES.

[@Skandalos]

And what most people dont realize is the infernal heat radiating from the white hot steel. This guy must be extremely resistant.

[@bryannoyce]

no goggles, blinding light, I hope that job paid well.

[@gplito]

Used to be a big old foundry here, very active, that eventually got surrounded by a neighborhood and was torn down. You could walk by in the early morning and the huge overhead door would be open and the giant pit and buckets would be in action. You could stand on the street and watch but after ten minutes it was just crazy hot....the guys working the pour were all dressed in fireproof suits and those heavy gloves with gauntlets. And hard hats and googles. And I imagine steel toed boots with that extra flap. These guys here? Bowlers hats and snap caps...bare hands. Collar buttoned up and a nice tie. A pair of old lace up shoes and hey , we're good to go.

[@Skandalos]

BTW when I was 18 I worked in a steelmill during vacation (Thyssen Edelstahl), directly at an electric furnace. The sounds, the lights, the heat sensations on the skin, an incredible experience. Quite trippy actually, and the crew was 100% alcoholics LOL. Every one of them had some hard booze hidden in some cranny. On night shift we grilled roast pork on the cooling molds. Half the crew were Turks and Maroccans, none of them didnt mind eating pork and drinking with us. But thats 40 years ago now.

[@Joshie2256]

If you look at pictures of the golden spike ceremony at the completion of the transcontinental railroad you don't see the Chinese either.

[@ShootAUT]

Wow, that crane ride at 4:50 over the assembly hall... with the camera... in 1908. Most movies of the time were not made with that much effort.

[@powerhouse1981]

Even through these grainy vids there's something special about the character of the buildings of these huge industrial spaces, the size, the simplicity and the lighting - but the incredible creations at MASSIVE scale.

[@neilreynolds3858]

I've been fascinated by old tech since I was a kid. Yeah, look at the size of that press! There's a Victorian era machine shop hiding in Pasadena where they still use the gear cutter that cut the gears on the 100 inch Hooker telescope. It's there with the old lathes and the high windows and the guys using them the way they were intended to build parts for some of the highest tech telescopes in the world. Those old machines never wear out.

[@clark9992]

There's a similar video of the Vickers gun factory in Britain in 1915. Guys in bowler hats supervising guys in flat caps.

[@westonscheer1532]

Back when quality was incentive for pride.

[@cerrystyle]

So much more interesting and educative than most tv channels.

[@Fastbikkel]

I completely agree with you.

[@pyromaniac354]

Soon to be banned on KZbin in the near future

[@larryslemp9698]

And all that......with NO sound!!

[@eddiejones4001]

What a beautiful piece of machinery that breach opening was amazing the tolerances would have been so tight

[@carabela125]

I used to work with an old Brit who worked on those breeches during the war. The guy smoked incessantly.

[@martinprince7728]

If you want HD footage of it there is this video of an older model: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3-UpYKMr6uljbs

[@birddog9708]

carabela125 I'm not surprised the poor fellas probably still white hot

[@ArieteArmsRAMLITE]

No. Inclined plane means it can be loosy goosy. In other words think wedge. Or clamp, it actually clamps down thru the use of the inclined plane for super tight sealing.

[@theskip1]

how refreshing not to have that anoying backround music. well done

[@jeremytheimer7443]

they didn't have background music back then.

[@stanrogers5613]

Well, apart from the fact that it puts most powered speakers into sleep mode, so you'll miss the first couple of seconds of audio in the next thing you watch, sure.

[@fr-tigerfangs7039]

Outstanding video!! So many thanks for uploading it! This is unbelievable: how crude was the whole manufacturing process! The guy with the rod, standing on the edge of his position a few inches away from molten metal with no protection whatsoever! I imagine the production manager of that long-gone era checking his KPIs and reporting to his own boss: "sir, the last gun I delivered was pretty good: I only lost three guys in the making of it!".

[@fuzzyscot01]

actually, the Manufacturing process hasn't changed very much in the past 120 + years. whether building big guns or giant maritime engines, the actual process of doing it is pretty much the same. computers may push the buttons instead of people, and electricity has replaced steam engines, but the guys running the machines can trace their work directly back to even the 1800's. also, in regards to your "I only lost three guys making it" comment, very few workers actually lost their lives in these factories, sure, plenty got injured, much like today, but with their experience, very few actually died. honestly, most of these jobs seen in the video were not very hard, much of the grunt work was taken over by the machines that supported the work.

[@RockinRedRover]

agreed great upload. But no, not crude at all, bluddy cutting edge then and now. But yes it was ruddy dangerous with a scant regard for H&S. The chap by the cupola did have his protective trousers on tho...

[@waynehasch5978]

At least he had dark glasses to be able to see through the glare. Had long sleeves too. We wore asbestos clothes in the sixties but got close to the HEAT.

[@TheSRBgamer63]

And so what ?,we're nearly 8 billion and rising,few extra deaths here and there is not noticed even a bit.We die more from cigarettes we smoke,alcohol we drink,and many other 999 times stupid ways than accident at work.

[@fr-tigerfangs7039]

@@TheSRBgamer63 True. But the fact remains that, although these guys had an amazing job (who on Earth can tell his wife in the evening: "hey, honey, I just finished building a new gun today!"), their life expectancy must have been rather short (hazards of all sorts, fumes, extreme heat, stress etc.). Not complaining, just trying to understand, is all.

[@Mathias_Young]

Here is the translation for all of the word cards that are in German to English: (Title Card) The manufacture of a giant cannon. (Card One) Pig iron, the main component of steel making. (Card Two) The Siemens melting furnace is filled with pig iron and fried iron for steel production. (Card Three) A cold steel bar weighing 85,000 kilos. (Card Four) Pouring a 20 ton steel ingot. (Card Five) The gun barrel under hydraulic pressure. (Card Six) Before hardening the pipe is immersed in in oil basin. (Card Seven) Drilling out the jacket. (Card Eight) Winding up of the 30.5 cm .50 caliber barrel. (Card Nine) Place the jacket around the pipe. (Card Ten) totalView of the factory, the cannons on the swivel. (Card Eleven) The complete locking mechanism opens and closes the same. (Card Twelve) Trying out the finished 30.5 cm cannon on the shooting range. Timestamps for the Cards: 0:00 0:03 0:22 0:24 0:48 2:49 3:43 4:11 4:27 4:44 4:50 5:40 6:10

[@christopherrogers303]

Thank you sir, I was looking for this! Let's make this the top comment!

[@Mathias_Young]

@@christopherrogers303 sure thing

[@Don_ECHOguy]

Working with suit coats, ties, & bowlers.... now these were true men!

[@rockabyebaby6111]

And they weren't English 😄

[@bellerophonchallen8861]

Although a lo of battleships had twelve inch guns during WW!, the main fleet were armed with 13.5 and 15 inch, as it was recognised that the heavier wheels had greater accuracy. Ships with twelve inch such as Belerophon, Vanguard, Neptune and the earlier battlecruisers did take part at Jutland, the majority of ships had larger calibers. This perhaps contributed to the loss of three battlecruisers as protection had been sacrificed for the heavier armament. The additional weight of larger shells, more propellant and heavier barrels and associated machinery. Even German battlecruisers performed significantly better and sustained much more punishment compared to British battleships, and their eleven and twelve inch guns did all that was required of them. Some commentators state that German eleven inch was a weak armament and it had disadvantages over the 13.5 at long range, but at Jutland ranges it was a devastating gun, backed up with a heavy protection. The German battlecruisers came nearer to the true idea of that cklass of ship than some British, even the Lion and Tiger.

[@__shifty]

i got a guy at work who complains about having to take out the trash at the end of his shift....

[@raymondj8768]

hes a little bitch ha ! i used to cut up steel boilers in new york city and hump all the steel out talk about busting your ass !!!

[@jackfrost2146]

I hope he was wearing his flouro jacket, safety boots and safety glasses!

[@kimchee94112]

Was that Fredo Cuomo?

[@anathema771]

hahahahaha

[@raynic1173]

@@raymondj8768 I did the same thing in early '80s. Our company was out of Plainview L.I.

[@davidmartin6474]

The English version can be found at the video entitled, "Making Armstrong Gun (1920 -1929) Better quality video too.

[@68jeffrey72]

Thank you for posting this!

[@glenstg]

Amazing footage. They appear to work with unimaginable weights and enormous workpieces with absolute ease. I can't help but admire the people of that era

[@Lets_play_games135]

One of the first videos of CNC machining, (Calculator N Chalk)..

[@kiwitrainguy]

My guess is that this film was made in Britain and given German subtitles for screening in Germany. The subtitles must have been done in Britain which is why we don't see German lettering. Here's a translation from Google Translate: 0.00 Die fabrikation einer riesenkanone = The production of a giant cannon 0.04 Roheisen, der hauptbestandteil der stahlfabrikation = Cast iron, the main component of steel fabrication 0.47 giessen eines 20 tons schweren stahlbarrens = casting a 20-ton steel bar 2.47 der geschuetzlauf unter hydraulischem druck = the spout (barrel) under hydraulic pressure 3.43 vor dem haerten wird das rohr in ein oelbassin getaucht = The pipe is dipped in an oil basin before hammering 4.12 ausbohren des mantels = Drill out (reaming) the mantle 4.27 aufwinden des 30.5cm 50 kaliberrohrs = winding up the 30.5cm 50 caliber tube (barrel) 4.43 auflegen des mantels um das rohr = Put the jacket around the pipe 4.49 totalansicht der fabrikraeume die kanonen auf den drehbaenken = total view of the factory premises the cannons on the turntable 5.37 die vollstaendige verschlussmechanik oeffnen und schliessen derselben = the complete closure mechanism opens and closes it = the completed breech being opened and closed 6.17 ausprobieren den fertigen 30.5cm kanone auf dem schiessgelaende = Try (testing) the finished 30.5cm cannon on the shooting range

[@emilyohara531]

You're absolutely right -This was made by a British film company based in Croydon that specialised in short docs about British industries. I reckon this film (shot in Newcastle) was a part of the pre-WW1 arms race; sending films of British arms factories to Germany as part of the 'propaganda machine'. Thanks for the translations. You can find more info on the film here if you are interested: www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/514098/index.html

[@Firebrand55]

Well done on the translations.......a credit to you and KZbin!

[@MaximKretsch]

You're correct. There are some typos in the titles (e.g. Mantles instead of Mantels), they also didn't use umlauts and no commas as decimal markers. I hope the Germans with their compulsory work accident insurance supervisors were at least shocked about the poor work safety level in Britain.

[@waynehasch5978]

Thanks for your great effort

[@hiashias8742]

ist schon eine Britische Kanone 30,5 cm passt auch nicht ins Metrische System Krupp baute zur damaligen zeit eine 42 cm Kanone (Dicke Berta ) ist auch eine Süße .

[@warlordenslaver666]

It´s so soothing to know, that humans are able to use their highest technical and engineering skills, when it comes to cutting each other throats with highest efficiency.

[@Liamnesque]

This bloke must’ve saved millions in safety equipment. Well done sir, you are a legend

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

Wow. That is pretty impressive manufacturing for 100 years ago.

[@stefanblack3909]

Somewhere a safety officer is watching this video and they are having a heart attack.

[@falrus]

Did that safety officer take measures preventing heart attacks?

[@gumloon]

This whole video is awesome! Thank you for sharing this!

[@p.oneill6943]

Absolutely Fantastic Video Archives, the skill is breathtaking.

[@dodgydruid]

Its a sobering thought to consider the Hood's 15 inch or the Rodney's 16 inch guns would have been considerably larger and more difficult to produce. The Rodney and Nelson despite their odd design were absolute citadels of destruction, bristling not only with 9x16 inch monsters but secondary armaments that many heavy cruisers couldn't match and even one of the pair had the strange torpedo tubes up front O.o

[@chasebh89]

beautiful, the things they did back then to get the job done. wish i could go back

[@duncandmcgrath6290]

Quite impressed with how quiet they work

[@janvisser5850]

Incredible what they were already capable of in those days. Fascinating to watch the whole process from crude casting followed by forging the barrel then fine machining of the breech mechanism. Pity the riffling manufacturing is not shown. Thanks for uploading.

[@shamrockshore6308]

I remember seeing a documentary in Britain, in the 1990's, about the decline of shipbuilding in Newcastle. One segment showed how, many 'Geordies' went to work in German shipyards, and their German employers loved them because they were highly skilled craftsmen with work ethic, and were cheaper than German labour.

[@96Duelfuel]

And now Brexit...

[@ChaplainBobWalkerBTh]

notice that none of these workers were from Africa. all technology came from europe or America. some from Asia. nothing from Africa.

[@joandar1]

@@ChaplainBobWalkerBTh I do not understand your comment as tech has come from all over the Globe. I might also mention that this is about iron/steel work in this video and the African people were doing this a long time before we Caucasians went there, as in working with iron! Some from Asia, they invented GUN POWDER while we were still using pointy sticks. Have a think Bob, John, Australia.

[@kc4cvh]

@@ChaplainBobWalkerBTh What new technology came from Asia, after gunpowder but before the blue LED?

[@ChaplainBobWalkerBTh]

@@kc4cvh dining china? the first oldest chinese mummies were white that were found. the mongols invaded and killed all the males and likely the chinese are all part white and part mongol. face it whites invented almost everything in the modern world.

[@thomasjefferson1457]

Can you imagine anyone today pouring molten metal like that without any safety gear what so ever. No safety glasses or shield or any special clothing of any kind and watch all that slag flying out around him during the pour. It looks insane by today's standards.

[@angmhalp]

They were probably safer on the battlefield.

[@deadfreightwest5956]

China.

[@timmayer8723]

Thomas Jefferson sure , in China.

[@earlware3051]

Dead Frt West - India

[@SuperCholdi]

Pffft! I did it the other week. I was all like 'I'll pour that, step aside', and everybody else was like 'If he pours that metal dressed like that, with no gloves on, he'll get killed'. So I started pouring anyway and all sparks and stuff were flying around and people were all 'well he's definitely dead now'. I finished pouring, a big gun came out and I said 'Dunno what you were worried about'. And I work in an office.

[@medhist2006]

amazing precision on the breech

[@kuribo1]

That thing is beautifully well made...

[@brontologos]

The most amazing thing is, as people have mentioned below, we have people here working in a foundry, pouring molten steel into a mould. There are no safety gloves, hardhats or fluoro vests as there would be today. They are wearing flat caps and bowler hats with vests and white shirts and in some cases even neckties. Even the guy being showered with sparks from molten metal at 1:52 is just in his shirtsleeves with a woollen vest and cloth cap. How tough were people then?

[@hpoels851]

They were ordered to show up for work in civilized attire or else they would be sent home.

[@brontologos]

Yes, there was a kind of implicit dress code. I have photos of my grandfather, a carpenter and builder working on-site in the 1920s wearing white shirt, black vest and a tie. This, while sawing wood and hammering nails all by hand - no power tools then. It seems quaint today but they built entire cities 100 years ago.

[@pauleohl]

Ian McFadyen Definitely were circular saws in the twenties. The worm-drive portable circular saw was invented in 1923 by Edmond Michel. In 1924 Michel formed a partnership with Joseph Sullivan, and together they started the Michel Electric Handsaw Company, with the sole purpose of manufacturing and marketing the saw invented by Michel. The company later renamed itself Skilsaw Inc., Portable circular saws are often still called Skilsaws or Skil saws. Its successor is still sold by Skil as the model 77. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_saw

[@jeredhersh789]

@@pauleohl They were in production, but they had nowhere near the popularity that they do now. One must also imagine how expensive they were back then.

[@herauthon]

they just lived a bit shorter.. that's all

[@rickhigson3881]

Never underestimate what a hard working man can achieve!

[@2serveand2protect]

Do you know you guys got here? This video is a real "MASTER-JEWEL" about early XXth century military industry techniques (...and not just "military", afterall...). That deserves a "sub"!

[@gregparrott]

The listed size (30.5 centimeters) corresponds to a 12 inch gun The model T Ford was also released in 1908. Pretty impressive manufacturing capabilities for a time when gasoline and Diesel engines were still something of a novelty.

[@LCA1443]

I too work in a steel mill and wear suit and tie while working on a furnace.

[@guyski666]

1:51 - "I don't need no stinkin' safety glasses"

[@maksimiliankiefergregl]

Truly amazing, incredible workmanship. And this more than 100 years ago !

[@johnbovay8353]

'Nice to see the protective headgear and safety tweed.

[@MrQuijibo]

It's obscene how our finest minds and best technology are so often used to just find better ways to kill each other

[@scottmcintosh4397]

The "How it's Made" T.V. show has NOTHING on this vid! 🎥📺 Well done 👍👍👍 Release a second version with technical narration to give the images context. 👍

[@jackking5567]

Quite rare to see footage of how larger barrel guns were made. I know the British during WW1 were making ships guns which had the inner barrel which was then wire wound - literally wrapped in tight layers of hard wire. We see that process in the footage. Wire wound guns often had a problem - the inner barrel could stretch due to the gas tight ring on the shell gripping the barrel during firing. It was so bad that where the inner barrel extended out from the outer windings they'd literally cut it off and keep using the gun!! There are stories where the shell detonated inside the stretched tight barrel and distant ships were sprayed with the remnants of the shell. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL_12-inch_Mk_VIII_naval_gun Thanks for sharing the video. There are a lot of people with a love of old lumps of metal :)

[@benjaminrichey278]

It’s amazing how far production outpaced saftey. Like the welder came before the welding glove lol.

[@alexiachimciuc3199]

KRUPP STAHL!! acording to Jules Verne this was the place captain Nemo ordered the ramming prow of Nautilus!

[@allanpower1263]

Tough, tough, tough, no safety equipment, no protection, just expertise, knowledge and huge ability, damm!

[@thegreenerthemeaner]

Allan Power And what I like to say, presence of mind. Everyone knew the next move, who was doing it, and where not to be. These days between OSHA, Facebook, and equal rights, we are lucky to even press a sack of farts. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely about safety for everyone, but can we find anything else to slow down the making of a paper airplane?

[@crazy71achmed]

Thanks for uploading this interesting film. :)

[@heterodyne1]

who the fuck would dislike this , it's a piece of history.

[@stewartellinson8846]

These are probably 12" BL Mk XI guns being manufactured for the St. Vincent class dreadnoughts at somewhere like Elswick by Armstrong-Whitworth. All the ships of the St. Vincent class were equipped with the 50cal BL MkXI and were laid down in 1907, so manufacturing the guns in 1908 would make sense. All were engaged at Jutland and all survived the battle. Hms Vanguard was lost to a magazine explosion, possibly caused by old cordite and the others were scrapped post ww1.

[@orangelion03]

Thanks for that information. Just finished Massie's Dreadnought and started Castles Of Steel. Are you aware of Drachinifel channel?

[@stewartellinson8846]

@@orangelion03 very much so -he does an excellent job

[@stewartellinson8846]

@i. rob The LMS had a special gun barrel wagon dedicated to moving these things. I think it was originally built by the Midland railway, although I think the LNWR also built one. The MR one can be seen here: 4.bp.blogspot.com/-M5HsX8Nv5-4/WWuhtDfb0aI/AAAAAAAASsY/fc9FWSRcAJ89igHLyhwigjwX1-3EvgqLwCKgBGAs/s1600/MidlandRailwayTransportingGunBarrel.jpg

[@joebledsoe257]

love the foundry guys in suit and tie!!!

[@spaceman081447]

@Joe Bledsoe RE: "love the foundry guys in suit and tie!!!" Those guys were obviously bosses, not workers.

[@4vndd]

Superb.. thanks for sharing!

[@ichabodon]

Oh my, oh my. That pouring of the ladle at 2.03. Incredible

[@ralphaverill2001]

If anyone is interested in looking further into German arms manufacturing up to WWII, Highly recommend the book "The Arms of Krupp" by William Manchester.

[@SearTrip]

Ralph Averill That is a good book. Now, do have anything that might talk about British guns being made, like the one in the film?

[@cc9z]

I read and own that book and it is very good

[@dunemetal67]

Great read.

[@WelshRabbit]

I, too, will second the suggestions of reading "The Arms of Krupp." I have read it twice. On my last visit to Europe, I made a special trip to Essen to the Krupp estate, Villa Hügel.

[@radioboys8986]

Arms of Krupp is a must read

[@Quadflash]

Love the leather overhead belt drives for lathes

[@danielburgess7785]

I can't connect with the canon making process. My great-grandfather and grandfather did work making steel in Pittsburgh for WWI and WWII. My father was a master precision machinist shaping steel, he said he would rise from the dead if any of his sons went into the mills.

[@nikolai502]

That breach was nicely made!

[@edmil1616]

Vendo esse antigo vídeo, fico espantado com a engenharia da época. Uma época que tudo era calculado à mão, todo o ferramental ainda era algo bem rústico e ainda assim o processo de fabricação era muito bom.

[@armandoferreira8]

Especialmente os bem projetados EPI

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

can't beat the germans at hammering metal.

[@dac545j]

@@bcn1gh7h4wk Dude, they were British. See the blurb at the top. " [...] It was filmed in early 1908 at the factory of Armstrong Whitworth & Co., based in Newcastle-on-Tyne. The scale of the operation from 85,000 kilos of molten steel to the massive form of the finished gun is nicely filmed to showcase its impressiveness."

[@jensswales]

6:55 "wait, we forgot something..."

[@davidmartin6474]

I'm guessing the primer cartridge designed to touch off the main power charge

[@donnyo65]

I love the foundry workers tools and safety gear - a bent piece of metal rod, a flat cap and a wooden step ladder!!!!

[@anthonysantiago1999]

Amazing footage!

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

3:25 now that’s a big ratchet wrench!

[@historyrestored1054]

We have spent many hours adding color and restoring this video, check it out on our channel here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGK0c6SBjNSbrdE and please give us feedback.

[@timmcguire2741]

Beautiful breach movement

[@joeclarke9782]

Great footage!

[@aestradarespeto]

What a beast!!! How many time and how many tries would had to play before making a a good one gun?

[@stephen9869]

Imagine one of these with a suppressor.

[@xiro6]

not so big,but for tanks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqezlniJi9F2naM

[@bipolatelly9806]

Amazing! On so many levels.

[@user-kw6ox2sv3p]

Great video!

[@robertofrank5163]

R.I.P. Headphone users. Especially at 7:20 ;-)

[@Rickster5176]

So much for workplace safety.

[@stefannegler2314]

at least he had medicalinsurance

[@Rickster5176]

In 1908? No such thing back then. You get hurt, you were on your own.

[@stefannegler2314]

yep in Germany the statutory accident insurance kicked in 1885. Till Today!

[@gplito]

That was about the time they got Universal healthcare that the Kaiser thought was a good idea. Single Payer, was improved continuously even during both Wars. They had better healthcare in the Third Reich than most Americans do right now. Comparisons should be made. Although, to be fair, it was only open to German citizens, just like gun permits and driver permits.

[@Rickster5176]

Thanks for the education. I had no idea they had insurance that far back.

[@PemaDorjiTsherinikovIII]

To think that this was made over a century ago.... its just , wow.

[@steves5172]

I don't think we could do that again! The lack of protective clothing is glaring and shows how the shop floor simply did the job and took the risks! Thanks for uploading!

[@donaldduck8499]

The shop floor new the risks, they knew their job and Bismarck was the one who implemented an insurance system that included disability. Apart from that men were men.

[@aleramone23]

Im was really surprised for the big forge. i tought they were developed later

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

5:00 talk about being in accident land, wow.

[@tonyromano6220]

This is an amazing video.

[@kenbobca]

Cool video, I like all the Safety equipment - the Fire Suits and Heat shields.

[@eddielung31]

4:52 at the age before GoPro

[@markbozz153]

Way back when I was in the army, they used to make me carry a gun like that on my back.

[@Lets_play_games135]

Uphill and with a 30mph headwind...

[@logotrikes]

Bloody luxury. You think you had it tough...

[@stuartcookie133]

The safety equipment that the workers used was top notch.

[@dmcalut]

It was inside their head.

[@johncook8729]

the breach was a wokr of art

[@ftrfajrikun]

When you've grew great mustaches and no need safety suit anymore

[@GeorgeMonet]

It's not that they didn't need it, it's that they weren't offered it.

[@siliquaesid703]

Big Naval Guns ROCK.!

[@richardyoung5217]

For those who are not metrically oriented 30.5 cm is 12 inches. The Germans did not use 12 inch guns untill their second class of drednaught battleships. Their predrednaught battleships, their first class of drednaught battleships, and their first three classes og battle cruisers used 28 cm / 11 inch guns.

[@jtbell2408]

What craftsmanship! Not a computer in sight. Building firearm on that scale back in that time is astonishing.

[@Catjack4512345]

That guy is wearing a glove with a arm clover the one closest to the heat,,,,,the right hand with no glove

[@birddog9708]

I bet you couldnt hear yourself scream in most of that factory

[@neilpuckett359]

Incredible machine work.

[@tombrown6628]

Never to late to add subtitles or narration in English!👍👍. Very rare film.