Just For Andy...

Looks like I'm going to have to go back for more given Andy's interest. Don't know how much longer this site will look like this - when I arrived the new owners were repainting the outside of the 1919 buildings, doing a major cleanup of old boilers and whatnot lying around outside and had plans to clean up inside too. Apparently, according to one fellow who has worked there 57 years!, the site has been used in movies in the past to represent Chicago warehouses. Unless you live in Calgary, all I can suggest is that you check out the older, more industrial parts of town and ask nicely and give prints, promptly. These people need to know that you have no political agenda, don't represent the law or government or an interest group and are a fine art photographer. I didn't take prints with me but it might not be a bad idea to carry along a small portfolio of images (protected by plastic - these people work for a living!).

I found this small box of 'parts' on the floor near an industrial lathe capable of turning metal 8 feet long and a foot in diameter, pieces so heavy they have to be loaded into the lathe by crane. The box contains what appear to be chucks but also a variety of other parts I can't identify but they had a lovely patina. I was careless and didn't note the bottom left corner was shaded from the light and if I get a chance I will rephotograph the box. It looks good here through some pretty heavy cloning and print manipulation but....

The heat exchanger pipes below were next to an old boiler. The shop makes new exchanger tubes from very thick walled copper pipe, with the fins lathed out, every 1/8 inch, on a continuous spiral.