Kentwell Hall Bronze Foundry

The Kentwell Bell Foundry is in the grounds of Kentwell Hall in Long Melford, Suffolk and can be seen working during some of their re-creation days depending on someone being there to run it. This section of the site chronicles the past, present and future of the foundry at Kentwell Hall.

Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk.
Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk.

Bronze Foundry, October 2005 The bronze foundry was originally built by Mad Jack Greene and Tom (AKA Sean Jones) based on works suggested in a book called Pirotechnia by Vannoccio Biringuccio (ISBN 0486261344).
Bellow supplying air to the furnace The foundry has a pair of bellows that blow into a fire pit or furnace where the metal is melted. The bellows work on an oscillating see-saw mechanism and are normally operated by one or two persons but can be operated by as many as six persons although it is very rare to need this many people.
The Furnace The metal can be melted directly in the furnace and poured out through an opening below for large jobs or in a crucible placed in the fire for smaller ones.
The Dividing wall Between the bellows and the furnace is a wall. This wall is partly for safety and stops most sparks from the furnace getting to the person/s working the bellows. It also supplies some support for the furnace and bellows.
Casting pewter into a plaster mould Moulds are made from a variety of materials and using various techniques. Here we see molten metal being poured in to a gypsum (plaster) mould during a previous event. Loam has also been a favorite in the past although this can take several days to process from start to finish so is not so useful from the publics perspective as they would not normally see the whole process .
Completed bell casting of limited quality During events bells have been cast as have cauldrons, ornaments, needlework implements, water drainage components and a variety of other items.
Casting in front of the foundry Some of the lower melting point alloys can be cast in fairly close proximity to the viewing public. Most of the casting however takes place behind a barrier for the safety of onlookers.
Crown around the master founder Here we see a founder discussing the process involved in casting the cauldrons you see on the ground with a group of younger school children.