This one has been on the radar for a long time but seen as it's in St Helens where there isn't much else, we are only getting down to it now.
Pilkington Sandwash
History from UrbanChemist's report which is very good and you can check it out here. The plant was used for processing sand destined for the Pilkington glassmaking factories in St Helens. Its function was to produce material of consistent quality, which meant getting rid of oversized or undersized particles, blending different batches, and washing off surface-bound iron impurities which would otherwise make the glass too green. The sand itself came from various nearby sandpits on the Lancashire plain. The plant closed sometime during the 60s.
We had heard some stuff about a horrific entry and we did see it but luckily we managed to get in a different way and stayed relatively clean. Inside all the machinery is left, now very overgrown, and if you analyse it all, the actual sandwash process isn't really that difficult to grasp. It's interesting how all that metal is needed to complete one task. In my video below I explain what different machines are for in terms of the process but if you don't fancy watching, I suggest you read chemist's report.
That's all for that. Hope you enjoyed my pictures, if only a few. I wasn't happy with the others. Here's a link to my documentary styled video on this site, covering it through cinematics and narration:
Thanks for reading
Pilkington Sandwash
History from UrbanChemist's report which is very good and you can check it out here. The plant was used for processing sand destined for the Pilkington glassmaking factories in St Helens. Its function was to produce material of consistent quality, which meant getting rid of oversized or undersized particles, blending different batches, and washing off surface-bound iron impurities which would otherwise make the glass too green. The sand itself came from various nearby sandpits on the Lancashire plain. The plant closed sometime during the 60s.
We had heard some stuff about a horrific entry and we did see it but luckily we managed to get in a different way and stayed relatively clean. Inside all the machinery is left, now very overgrown, and if you analyse it all, the actual sandwash process isn't really that difficult to grasp. It's interesting how all that metal is needed to complete one task. In my video below I explain what different machines are for in terms of the process but if you don't fancy watching, I suggest you read chemist's report.
That's all for that. Hope you enjoyed my pictures, if only a few. I wasn't happy with the others. Here's a link to my documentary styled video on this site, covering it through cinematics and narration:
Thanks for reading
