Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 Some of you may have seen this chart before. It is S&Ls own flow chart of the production of the EK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 Here now, to go with this are photos from S&L showing some of the steps. First the graveurmeister at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 Next, the die being cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 The frames being stamped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 The frames halves being attached by means of the small eye which holds the suspension ring. so that the frame is open all round apart from this, allowing the core to be inserted later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 The cores being spray painted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 Cores finished and inserted into frame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 Final finishing of the edges etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 Silvering of the frame. Note these photos are in the correct order as provided by S&L, the frames are silvered after assembly as per the chart at the head of this post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 Final polishing/burnishing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dietrich Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 Gordon,thanks for the nice picture row!I have a question that bugs me for quite some time. I was stated in publications of the time, that the master graveur of S&L, Mr. Escher, did the initial die and ALSO all subsequent dies for the other companies. Can this be true and if yes, why are the dies different?What can you say or do you know about this?T.hjanks,Dietrich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal Williams Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 If they silver the whole thing at the end how is the black of the core maintained?????Best, Sal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus H Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 A finished productStrange to think this cross went through the above procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal Williams Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 A finished productStrange to think this cross went through the above procedure.←Show off!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Darrell Posted August 1, 2005 Share Posted August 1, 2005 Or this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus H Posted August 1, 2005 Share Posted August 1, 2005 (edited) Darrel thats not a S&L though is it, thats a 100 isn't it buddy ?I've only seen the Mothers Cross being made and going through the stages via pic's, it's nice to see the EK and the steps taken. I'm sure they were quick smart about it, but it seems a long old process, I'm sure there were heaters in the spraying booth etc Out of interest Gordon do you have any idea on the production daily or weekly and how many people they employed ?There just one thing wrong with the pic's, theres no pic of the guy popping them in tissue and envelopes Typical, the most important procedure missing KrMarcus Edited August 1, 2005 by Marcus H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dietrich Posted August 1, 2005 Share Posted August 1, 2005 Gordon,if one looks at a EK1 or EK2 one can see that there are two finishing steps, basically. One is the silver coating of the frame and the second one is the 'frosting compound'.Now I honestly could believ that the silvering was done with the finished cross since most likely the galvanic process had no effect on the painted core. But the 'frosting compound"? How could one achieve to frost the frame with this paint type without leaving ANY trace on the core? The full frame was frosted as can be seen under a microscope. The outer rim was burnished thereby removing the frosting.I really don't know how to reconcile all this?Dietrich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biro Posted August 1, 2005 Share Posted August 1, 2005 I'm staggered by this revelation as well... how literally are we to take the order of production set out in the chart?Really interesting information and pictures - thankyou Gordon - but you've rather left us with a cliffhanger!! regardsMarshall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted August 1, 2005 Author Share Posted August 1, 2005 Don't pretend to have the answers but I don't believe it is a coincidence that the last three photos - in the exact order that S&L provide them, follow exactly the last three stages in that order, of their flow chart. - "befeilen & verputzen" (filing the edges and general finishing work), "versilbern" , (the silvering of the frame) and "polieren" (polishing/ burnishing).Whatever detailed knowledge we lack today of the process, I don't think S&L would have got the process steps wrong in two separate publications. They must have known what was correct. Especially where the Iron Cross was concerned. This was their main product, in terms of status. S&L were not just another firm that made EKs it was the product of which they were most proud after all they made the original tooling. They were sufficiently proud of this that S&L at that time referred to themselves as the " Der Werkstatt des Eisernen Kreuzes" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dietrich Posted August 1, 2005 Share Posted August 1, 2005 Maybe they left out a step? "Versilbern" is not the same step as putting on the frosting. Somehow the frosting was applied to the frame without leaving any trace on the core. I surely don't know how they did it but I know that they did it soemhow. As a process related engineer I have no explanation whatsoever how this could be done with a fully completed cross. But okay, if there's no answer yet, there's no answer yet. It doesn't change the fact of the final product and has no impact on originallity. Just another puzzle to be solved.Dietrich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted August 1, 2005 Author Share Posted August 1, 2005 Maybe they left out a step? Dietrich←Most likely explanation. For the purposes of their advertising they probably didn't think it was that important that it needed including as a specific step in the manufacture. As frosting is on top of the silvering then by definition it must have come after the silver process and before the final burnishing/polishing stage they show.As you say , the fascinating thing is how they managed to do it with a completed assembled cross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted August 2, 2005 Author Share Posted August 2, 2005 The final product Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now