Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    near Rockhampton
    Posts
    6,216

    Default Manual labour sugar mill video

    Just came across this on youtube. I found it quite interesting, although it is an hour long. Some metalwork in the workshop there as well.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtXM6XYQiTY

    I think anyone who complains about Emmanuel Labour in Australia needs to watch this. What a bunch of softies a lot of us really are.
    Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Cairns, Q
    Posts
    666

    Default

    Thanks for that - brings back memories. Sixty four ago when I started working in Australian sugar mills conditions were not a lot different from those shown in this film, though we omitted a few of the steps shown because we made raw sugar for subsequent refining, while the mill in the film is producing white sugar. Conditions have improved considerably in the lat sixty years!

    Frank

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    near Rockhampton
    Posts
    6,216

    Default

    I initially could not understand why they were processing limestone there and also why they were processing sulphur. Then I read elsewhere sulphur dioxide and milk of lime is used in the sugar manufacturing process.
    Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Cairns, Q
    Posts
    666

    Default

    The Australian refineries in the fifties did not use the sulphur dioxide process to remove unwanted colour from the refined sugar. Instead they used bone char filters. Bone char was activated charcoal produced by heating cattle bones in a closed retort and the resulting burnt bones were ground in a mill to produce the activated charcoal granules. I remember seeing open drays piled high with bones collected from Sydney butchers being delivered to the bone mill for processing. Everything in the bone char building was covered in a thick layer of very black carbon from the bone mill. It would compare well with some of the sites shown in the film.

    For some unknown reason - out of sight out of mind perhaps - the company chose the top floor on the bone char building as the archive to store old records. These were packed into large packing cases bearing inches of black dust and covered by a leaky roof. As a storage area for this material it left a lot to be desired!

    Frank.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Ballarat
    Age
    65
    Posts
    3,103

    Default

    Thanks for posting this Richard, absolutely outstanding. I reckon I could spend a week there just looking around.

    Phil

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    near Rockhampton
    Posts
    6,216

    Default

    I see they got modern with the steam turbine running an alternator.

    I wonder how many sugar mills in Australia still use steam engines. Or whether they all use electric motors these days, with the bagasse just used to generate electricity and heat the liquid sugar mix to grow the crystals.
    Gold, the colour of choice for the discerning person.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Emerald Central Qld
    Posts
    349

    Default

    Good video , no mobile phones in sight either just people gettin the job done.

    Michael

Similar Threads

  1. youtube video manual machining business
    By .RC. in forum METALWORK GENERAL
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 24th Apr 2016, 07:04 PM
  2. Hercus Mill Operators Manual
    By bwal74 in forum EBAY, GUMTREE, and other off forum sales sites
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 15th Mar 2015, 01:58 PM
  3. Have a CNC Mill but want manual lathe...should I swap?
    By bammo in forum METALWORK GENERAL
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 5th Oct 2014, 08:23 PM
  4. Mill Users Manual
    By haemish762 in forum METALWORK GENERAL
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 25th Oct 2011, 09:42 PM
  5. JAFO FWD32 mill manual
    By Graziano in forum METALWORK GENERAL
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 27th Mar 2010, 11:52 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •