Tuesday, July 24, 2007

My Female Dog Leaks Clear

La Forge AIZTONDO


JURISDICTION OF FERRON, 1328



of Aranzate
The foundry was one of the most important of Irun and the last to silence his hammer in the first half of the nineteenth century one of the first records we have of this foundry dating back to 1476 date listed as the owner D. Pedro de Urdanibia whose lineage represented one of the most influential families Irun. Years later, the exploited and Aranzate, along with the mill of the same name, working under the adjoining tower house. The Aranzate, represented a line of attachment and privileged economic position at the time, today however, is a name missing from Irun.

Our city has always involved a benchmark in the steel industry, both in its extraction and its later transformation. This has led him at times to stay ahead of the mining towns and forgers of our province, always kept a large number of active mining concessions some, even of considerable importance: Belbio, Meazuri, San Narciso, etc. They are excellent samples galleries, Roman, medieval and modern, whose holdings have lasted until the mid-century XX. Were extracted mainly oxides, iron hydroxides and carbonates and sulfides: argentífera Galena (lead ore with silver), Blenda. (Zinc mineral) and chalcopyrite (copper ore) Scattered

different mining districts on the banks of their race, Irun always had a good number of foundries in the iron was forged excellent, as was amply proven reputation. La Villa came to have, at different times, up to ten of these industries they represent, to some extent, the rate of development, industrialization and trade of a village, it impinged directly in their way of life, and that there were several guilds that one way or another were directly related to their work.

economy dependent on these industries, not only affected employees own a foundry, also the master forger could have up to half a dozen workers "major" depending on the size of it, the number of hammers and Wheel etc. There were other associations directly related to it, as they were: the menaqueros or miners, loggers, coal miners and herders who ultimately were responsible for transport. The pig iron ingots and bars, or the final product, were traded with other provinces such as Castilian, Navarra and France. Blacksmiths were also a major union that relied on the foundries to receive the raw material in the form of bars and rims with which then, they, in their workshops would develop different parts and tools.


Mainly from the Middle Ages, the growing demand for tools, hardware and other items made of iron and steel production multiplied by the metal, adding a new industry and economy, which provided a boom to the development of Irun . An important reference which led the industry in our region attests ironworks granting of "Law of the Forges," document of capital importance to safeguarding the rights and privileges of [...] tenants and lords of the forges of Oyarzun and Eranzu Irun (sic) [...] that they were saved their rights and uses and customs]. Granted by King Alfonso XI in Burgos, May 15, 1328, was the first letter appraised the King gave the forgers Gipuzkoa.

Some of the most renowned were the forges and Aranzate Urdanibia, whose remains still show proud. The importance of these industries had to be fitted with home-tower façade highlighted the ancestral shield that gave the place its name, denoting the relative importance and prestige. These towers were used for the protection of industrial installations that in addition to the foundry, had, in this case, also with the mill, as well as channels, dams and other infrastructure specific to the bringing of water, representing the liquid element driving force of the forge.

In the case of Aranzate, in addition to showing the well preserved remains of what was the foundry, can be seen from the canals, the millpond and gift bows waterwheels were located, also a few feet away stands lofty tower house in which is seen in the foreground the keystone of the entrance arch and him his coat of arms representing the family lineage Aranzate. Also appreciate various defensive elements, as are several loopholes or arrow slits and a brocket.

is worth noting that both the shield bears the tower houses the forge of Urnanibia, located in Jaizubia, like that of the old hospital Urdanibia Sancho, located in the plaza of the same name are identical to that of Aranzate heraldically. Aranzate tied to shield always appears Urdanibia name. In any case Urdanibia Aranzate and are among the oldest surnames Irun, were the owners of several tower houses, represented some of the epic events recounted in the history of Irun and were cited as builders foundries, mills and houses, very active part in social and industrial life of that time. Current forges

had their origins in the "haizeolak" rudimentary buildings that shaped small ovens Cuba, for the reduction of the mineral in which barely reached the right temperature foundry offering resulting slurry casting . They settled in the woods, where they got the coal, and close to the race and mining concessions, maintenance was completely manual from the bellows used to fuel combustion, to the forging of the pasty mass of reduced ore. Its use gradually became extinct, around S. XIII, with the final implementation of hydropower.

was in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when it introduced the use of energy from the river by the waterwheel. This new technology that through different transmission lines are powering the various components of the iron works, relieving the efforts of the forgers and increasing the yield and quality of their work. The use of water power was a genuine industrial revolution, comparable to that which led, centuries later, the application of steam. The location of new ironworks on the banks of rivers, involved the construction of large structures complex ashlar stone buildings, which together with the dam and water conveyance channels, by gravity, supposed real engineering work for the time.

The proper location of an industry of this type required, in addition, good communications to facilitate transportation, three considerations necessary to consider such as: being close to the mining concessions that provided the raw material melt near the forests where charcoal was produced for combustion, as well as the rivers of which took advantage of the water flow as motorized forces.

The water current was obtained from one or several rivers, being conducted through channels that would reach a small dam through which regulated the flow of water rushing from the top of the millpond on the waterwheel. This wheel was fitted around the circumference of a blade against which hit the water, which in its final tour was ejected with a force jets pointing directly to these blades, thus the rotation or continuous motion, causing it to move camshaft or main shaft which drives, through ingenious multiple transmission mechanisms, how they were connected elements to it, such as: Barquin or bellows, the heavy pack up to five hundred kilos, which was more than sixty beats per minute, etc.

forges remained active until the first half of the nineteenth century. These industries were divided into ironworks "older" and forges "minor" or tiraderas, The largest reduction was in charge of iron ore into metal, forging then into the deck and turning it into thick bars, which were used to prepare large pieces. The children started from the billets and iron bars stretching the work to turn them into long bars and tires that were used in the development of tiny tools, hardware, etc.

Aranzate The one was a mixed forge, as available two water wheels, the "higher" triggering the deck and "lower" than moving the pile, allowing both ore reduction and the development of the final product, thus less large pieces and utensils. The owners of these factories were great lords of the leased premises that the forgers for exploitation by a certain time, they worked all year if the summer months were not forced to stop due to lack of water. During the work the forger kept the foundry only on Sunday morning to attend mass. You could not leave the oven turned off, and be put to point was an expensive job.

systems and smelting reduction obeyed, technically, the process known as direct or "Catalan Forge." The mineral used, generally, were the iron oxides and hydroxides, such as hematite, iron-rich or Goethite 70%, respectively, both abundant mineral in our mining concessions. For the preparation of some special orders are needed for iron smelting prepared from alloys with minerals usually brought Vizcaya. The intervention was done in the "home" where he prepared the right mix of ore and charcoal in layers and through the jets provided air applied Barquin or the bellows, with which it got the necessary inflation, providing increased oxygen in the combustion, thereby achieving higher temperatures to get placed above the 1,300 degrees that are obtained with a wash that gave an iron without liquid, if it was less and less doughy, but required subsequent treatment of the forging hammer. The casting operation required a chemical part, held in the furnace and other mechanical or iron, carried out with the mallet. Through the application of new methods that are copied and imported from distant latitudes, is getting to evolve and improve techniques and production reduction.

The Aranzate Ferreira had a special network of canals that ensured a plentiful water flow, water power needed is supplied with water brought through three channels connected to as many races. The first, collected the waters Belbio race, bringing them for the same boundary that separates the villages of Ibargoyen and Ola. The second started from the vicinity of the village Berroa, collecting water from the race of the same name and giving a wide berth to the driving Irugurutzeta, which overlapped with the third channel that brought the waters brought Aiztondo regatta, which provided, stream above a dam that regulates flow. The waters were cunducidas to forge, to the top of the millpond. The length of these channels exceeded the two miles in length. Today one can still see part of their paths.

After the cessation of activities of the foundry in 1842, took advantage of all its facilities to convert the mill with the name "Olako Errota" while Aranzate mill that was still active in the vicinity was renamed "Errotazar" , a name which has survived to this day. This old mill ceased operations in late S. XIX, while the new had a meager existence as in 1870, was granted permission to the French mining company "The Bidassoa" to make it a mineral washing, using the waterfall. Facility that did not last too long, it does not appear cited in the inventory of the mining report was written in 1901.

Aranzate The ironworks, it is estimated that was active throughout the four years since the s. XV until the first half century XIX, in which after the setbacks of the first Carlist War, ceased operations, recovery is not viable as competition and drive of the new casting techniques made it impossible to survive. Had started emerging modern foundries, precursor of the first blast furnaces were implanted in (Boucou-Bayona, 1882) and (Bolueta-Bilbao, 1883). RICARDO


Berodia Gordejuela
IRUN, 2007

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