Redcar blast furnace

[@carlquartermain5501]

Thank you. Incredible footage. Unrivalled viewing platform on a good day in this borough.

[@AMDronephotography]

Thank you 🙂

[@stillightdrones]

Andy, I've just watched this again today, great filming. I filmed the remains of the PCI plant again this morning and wow, what a difference a year makes !

[@AMDronephotography]

Cheers, yes I got a shock. I think it’s because the explosive blowdown’s are fresh in my mind, but there’s so much more that’s be taken down by machines.

[@northstar1950]

The folly of governments, the steel industry should have been subsidised instead of letting foreign interests get their dirty fingers on it.

[@AMDronephotography]

I agree, I think it’s a strategic asset to be able to make your own steel.

[@gnescom]

Everything the government touches turns to shit.

[@richarddutchholland4780]

@@AMDronephotography the UK doesn’t have a manufacturing base to be able to use all the steel we once made. Im in Port Talbot and our plant is a 5 million ton maximum and it’s barely able to pump out 3 million ton when the majority of Chinese plant are around 10 million ton yield plants. We were once the kings of the steel industry but other third world countries have now grown into industrial giants

[@strongbowism]

We had No. 2 and No. 3 Blasts in Llanwern back in the day , I thought No. 3 was big but that Redcar Blast was one huge mother 😮 Such a shame it's no more like Llanwern and the forthcoming debacle that's happening in Port Talbot and Scunthorpe 😡

[@AMDronephotography]

I believe there were going to be 3 at Redcar, only one was built. It was once Europe’s largest blast furnace and stood 365 feet in height. Skyline looks strange without the steelworks, and there’s plans to bring steel making back in the form of an electric arc furnace. It’s a long fall from grace, Middlesbrough had 58 furnaces by 1866. I see what Scunthorpe and Port Talbot are going through and it’s sadly so familiar. I believe steel making is a strategic asset.

[@gomerromer7708]

@@AMDronephotography I am interested in your mention of 58 furnaces at Middlesbrough in 1866. At that time were they the simple ones that did batches and had to be shut down to tap the iron or did they run on a continuous campaign for months or years? And were the blowers for the blast powered by steam or water power?

[@rottenroads1982]

A relic from a bygone era. Amazing. Truly, industry is a sight to behold. I can only imagine what it would have been like, with trainloads of Iron coming in, and the blast furnace converting said iron into steel. The steel than to be poured into molds and made into ingots or other shapes, and then they are cooled and shipped off. A very remarkable process.

[@AMDronephotography]

@@rottenroads1982 it truly was a giant of its time, the largest in Europe when it was built and capable of churning out 10,000 tonnes of steel per day.

[@gomerromer7708]

The blast furnace separates iron from iron ore. It is the open hearth furnace, in this era, that converts iron to steel. EEarlier in England the Bessemer converter was important and some were still in use as late as the end of WWII, but the open hearth, which had been developed by Siemens in Germany, was used for nearly everything. Now there a basic oxygen furnaces and electric arc furnaces.

[@flamingfrancis]

@@AMDronephotography I can confirm the other comment here wherein it is advised that Blast Furnaces produce molten Iron from the 3 or four major ingredients, Iron ore, coke, limestone and usually sintered Iron materials. Steel in mostly produced in Basis Oxygen furnaces in modern times with Electric Arc furnaces playing a minor part. Most Integrated plants couple the steelmaking operation to Continuous Casters which makes production via the ingot route and slab folling processes outdated and very inefficient

[@flamingfrancis]

@@gomerromer7708 Just read up on this plant and the BF, BOS, power station and asociated structures were demolished 18 months ago and recent plans are for an electric arc operation. Used to work in Australia's largest OH shops with 8 + 5 OH furnaces the last demolished in mid 80's. Largest was 520+ tonnes. Now has 3 BOS furnaces.

[@rogerb5615]

Reminds me of home (Pittsburgh PA) some 20 years ago. Depressing, now the UK and the US have to rely on China for most of our steel needs.

[@AMDronephotography]

It is depressing, over 160 years of steel making in our area. Steel from Teesside has built famous bridges around the world such as the Sydney Harbour bridge. The price of world steel used to be set here. It is sad that a flood of cheap steel from the likes of China and India have devastated our industries.

[@lisk3822]

No two blast furnaces ever look alike.

[@flamingfrancis]

Main reason being that there would usually be decades of development in technology and construction between them. Each BF has a limited production life.

[@davidbarwick5319]

Very interesting for people to see the scale of it 🤔👍

[@stevezodiac491]

35 years of my working life right there.

[@davidbarwick5319]

Very interesting for people to see the scale of it 🤔👍😉Well done

[@AMDronephotography]

Thanks David! When it’s gone, it’s gone, I just wanted a record of it, it’s a massive site.

[@amdPeek]

Beautiful, my dad used to work as an engineer in the largest steel plant in Romania before ArcelorMittal bought everything. Thanks to our corrupt politician, we are now dependent of China and India..

[@AMDronephotography]

@@amdPeek I think it’s very shortsighted to close these strategic industries and rely on China to supply. We are getting an electric arc furnace as they are deemed to be the green solution to steel production, time will tell I suppose. Thanks for watching 👍🏻

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Was this shot near Birmingham, Alabama? Nobody seems to know!

[@AMDronephotography]

Hi there! This is the former steelworks at Redcar in the North East of England.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

@@AMDronephotography Thanks for setting the geographical record straight!

[@MandrakeRoots]

I was on a reline at Sparrows Point, USA...they dug deep into the furnace and found out they needed to replace the carbon block floor...just before the reline they sold the custom cut carbon block floor to China....to make this short...they had to buy it back sat a hefty price and fed ex it on planes back over...Sparrows Point is no longer.😕

[@AMDronephotography]

Yeah that sounds like a cock up. Cheap steel from China & India has been the death of many steelworks.

[@aaronyoung5797]

hi brilliant video of the whole site especially when u see it all gone now must be sad for all the people that work there for so many years. I think scunthorpe will go the same way in the not to distant future so sad

[@AMDronephotography]

Thanks Aaron 👍🏻 yes the local skyline has changed forever, bringing to a close of iron and steel making in this area for over 170.

[@aaronyoung5797]

@MrAndymc69 it's such a shame so many years of steel making all gone we are not so great Britain any more I work in a small brass foundry my self but times are getting very hard for us atm

[@AMDronephotography]

@@aaronyoung5797 sorry to hear that, seems there won’t be any heavy industry before long. My Grandad was a brass moulder, he worked in the shipyards on the Tees.

[@mattstarr8203]

that is a good size blast furnace

[@AMDronephotography]

Yes it’s 365ft tall and was the largest in Europe when built.

[@andrewzinner9178]

Do you know if there gonna leave it standing or tear it down. I really hope they leave it standing

[@AMDronephotography]

It’s all marked for demolition and redevelopment, but some want the blast furnace to remain as a historical landmark.

[@DavidHuber63]

Madness! 👍🏻 for as long as the money holds out

[@JohnDLewis]

Hi, I'm a musician from the Co Durham. I'm creating a music video for a track I've written and wondered whether you'd allow me to use a few seconds from your brilliant video. I would credit you in the video end credits. I should add that I make no money from the music. Thanks John.

[@AMDronephotography]

Hi John, thanks for asking, yes I don’t mind you using some of my footage. Good luck with your music 👍🏻

[@sparkdog44]

An amazing amount of steel went into building a plant to make steel.

[@AMDronephotography]

Certainly was, it will all be recycled again. 🙂👍🏻

[@xl_wraith_lx5595]

how easy is access in to this place... from an urbex point of view :-) any security or contruction companies in there yet ??

[@AMDronephotography]

There’s an interior security fence, didn’t see any security but I was outside on the roadside. I think people have already been inside the site.

[@xl_wraith_lx5595]

yes there has been many infiltrations to this site over the years.. there is actually a security patrol vehicle in this video if you look closely :-) 5:10 you can see it come in to view under the pipe on the left... i missed it the first time... its just nice to see a recent up to date view of it.. im just trying to work out whether any construction companies or demo crews have arrived in large volumes yet..

[@suzanneaufang4976]

This would be FANTASTIC, but why the nasty background noise!!!!

[@AMDronephotography]

@@suzanneaufang4976 yeah I can agree with that looking back now. It was one of my first videos and just selected a random tune in Moviemaker. I tend to select my music a little better these days 😆

[@parsuramgope9938]

Inside view

[@dDAMKErkk]

Tahk yuo

[@jonmunch3298]

This is what happens when you fail to change.

[@AMDronephotography]

It’s a sad casualty of not being able to produce steel as cheaply as the likes of China & India

[@geabea2806]

You'll get old 0ne day

[@MeaHeaR]

OMG é Power-Phull Orrrsé-Strâylêan 😲 😱 😟 😱 😲 😳 😵 😳 😵 😵 😶 😶 😶 😶 😵 😳 😳 😳 😲 😲 😱 😟 😱 😲 😳 😵 😳 😵 😵 😶 😳 😲 😲 😳 😵 😵 😶 😶