It's Over: The Last Heat (lots of images...)

[entropic remnants]

So, it's over.

The steel mill where I've worked for 22 years has closed the "melt shop" where now steel is made by melting scrap and refining it into new and better steel grades. No more.

I went in early AM to catch the last heat melted and followed it down the line.

Most photos taken with the Fujifilm X100S and some with a Fujifilm X-M1 and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4. If I hadn't bonded with these cameras before, I sure have now. The X100S continues to amaze me and now I'm starting to really dig the little X-M1 also. I heated the heck out of these cameras today -- unlike me they are were not dressed in heat reflective clothing -- and they just WORKED. Images are extraordinary and I can operate them with gloves on, wonder of wonders. Setting AF points is tricky in heavy gloves, but exposure adjustments are easy.

There's expository text in the caption of the photo over on flickr. Click through to read more about what you're looking at.

The Last Heat: Slag Pour by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Bringing up Dummy by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: The Penultimate Heat by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Add a Stick by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Add a Stick by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Add a Stick by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: EAF Crew by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Second Charge by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Retreat by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Third Charge by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Ladle Preparation by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Sanding the Ladle by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: The Condutor by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Getting Ready by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Casual Macho by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: The Melter Taps by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Melting Manager by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: With Bated Breath by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Reading the Results by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Metallurgiical Pondering by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

 

[entropic remnants]

The Last Heat: Coming up with a Plan by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Taking Readings by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Eye of the Dragon by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

There will be a few more from the caster, but I'm tired, lol. I'll work on them later. Many of these kind of photos simply don't work as JPG's out of camera.

 

[Isoterica]

Wonderfully documented John.

1. Since you have so many photos you should make a documentary book with them

2. Can you sneak in after the plant is closed and capture it all "cold". Not telling you to do anything illegal. I just know you like urban exploration and..

 

[Luke]

the word "incredible" falls WAY short here. WoW!

 

[entropic remnants]

Wonderfully documented John.

1. Since you have so many photos you should make a documentary book with them

2. Can you sneak in after the plant is closed and capture it all "cold". Not telling you to do anything illegal. I just know you like urban exploration and..

Thanks! Book will likely be done. As for getting in after... who knows? Anything is possible... ;-)

 

[NkedFatWhiteGuy]

Absolutely amazing images!

The "melt shop" shots are awesome, but the portraits really struck me... thank you for sharing these!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using SeriousCompacts mobile app

 

[Armanius]

John, amazing photos as always. I get a sense of nostalgia already when looking at the photos. And feel for each face in the photos. Praying and hoping they all find jobs elsewhere.

 

[kyteflyer]

Fantastic. A book indeed... theres a big story here and you should tell it

 

[porchard]

A simply superb set of photographs. It's just such a pity that the story behind them is so depressing.

Good luck to all those who are now having to seek their livelihoods elsewhere.

 

[ajramirez]

A fantastic set of photographs, John. The plant shots are impressive and wonderful, but the portraits are simply outstanding.

 

[biglouis]

Superb series, no other words for it. The human interest in the story comes through in the excellent portrait work. As others have stated it is a underlying the work is the pathos that the steel mill is closing.

LouisB

 

[Richard]

There are some amazing images here. Thanks for posting.

-R

 

[Ripleysbaby]

Plus one on everything everybody else said.
And a double wow for the portraiture !

 

[Steve Noel]

Can I add to what the others have said, that the last portrait in the first set, is magnificent. The faint blue catch-light in the eye, is like nothing I've ever seen.

Can I also say, that to my eye, your growth as a photographer over the last few months has been very noticeable. If you have the marketing skills and ambition for that sort of thing, I think that you have a very strong opportunity for at least a part time career, in commercial photography.

Great stuff!

Thanks,

 

[Isoterica]

Thanks! Book will likely be done. As for getting in after... who knows? Anything is possible... ;-)

It would be a wonderful record and tribute to american industry and the men who worked there.

 

[serhan]

Thanks for the excellent photos, well done!

 

[Fiddler]

Thanks for posting these beautiful and poignant photographs,.

 

[TheRubySusan]

These are as wonderful as they are meloncholy. As the others have said, the plant shots are riveting, the portraits really pull the viewer in. My best to you all as you move on from the closing. I'll go through on Flickr later - it's getting late and I've got to run!

My father-in-law isn't on the internet but I'm going to drag him up to the computer room this week and show him. He worked for Jones and Laughlin and, back in the 60's, was the first person hired to travel from Pittsburgh to the new plant they built in Hennepin IL (It's not the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from there) He'll be very interested in these.

 

[entropic remnants]

Some more...

Probably getting close to done on these. Here's some of the final ones I processed.

Thank you all for your kind comments!!!

To reiterate: all photos taken with either a Fujifilm X100S, or a Fujifilm X-M1 wearing the Fujinon 35mm f/1.4 lens.

The Last Heat: Furnace Operator by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Preparing the Ladle by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Preparing the Ladle by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Pushing in the Locking Pin by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: A Little Comfort by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Moving the Last Ladle of Steel by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Moving the Last Ladle of Steel by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Arrival at the Stir Station by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Observing the Process by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: On the Rod Again by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: At the Control Panel by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Metallurgist Observes by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: Blue Gloves by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: The Last Heat is Cast by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

The Last Heat: "Disconnect. We have Disconnect" by Entropic Remnants, on Flickr

 

[TheRubySusan]

I showed the first set to my father-in-law today, who used to work for Jones and Laughlin Steel. He sends his best. He's at least half deaf, I'm not sure he understood what photos I was going to show him when I asked him to come to the computer, but when he focused on the first one, his face lit up! He recognized all the equipment but the computer screens, and of course his final pronouncement was, "Those are good photos. He has a really good camera."