Popcorn, Sand and Molten Steel

Here's a few interesting clips:
Oxygen Lance
www.youtube.com...

Bad day
www.youtube.com...

There are three places I have been that are considered the most dangerous places to work.
Night flight ops on an aircraft carrier
Coal mines
Steel plant

There are others, but mistakes or situations in these places can get you killed before you know it. Falling into a ladle of steel will get your widow an ingot to bury. Part of you is in there somewhere.
In the 1950's, I used to watch the slag being dumped near route 51 south of Pittsburgh to make the biggest man made mountain at the time.

about time i learned what the popcorn thing is about.

a reply to: pteridine

Yep, that's the stuff!!

People have never seen "heat" like that until they see a steel mill. It's like being on the surface of the sun! And everything is mammoth!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

When steel was king.......

www.youtube.com...

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Tarzan the apeman.

To be honest, I don't know the details of what all they tried exactly. I just know these were some pretty smart engineers, and they knew how to build big stuff, and this problem wasn't one they could easily solve.

I was about 0.5 years old at the time. All I remember is the story...and the shelves and shelves of popcorn. I ate so much popcorn as a kid I got sick of the stuff. I think Mom thought it was one of the food groups!

for only being 6 months old at the time you remember a lot

Not really, I remember going down the block in my baby carriage and looking up at trees.
OP, yes, I grew up not far from you and many times ate O.R. pop corn, all the way through Engineering School.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

This thread illustrates what a distant, foreign country USA is to a Norwegian like myself. I've never even heard about Orville Redenbacher before - despite his fame.

For all I know you have 100 brands of everything that we not only don't get over here, but that we've not even heard of.

No wonder a lot of Americans have no idea what goes on in the outside world - you're not fed OUR movies to much extent, and you have so much stuff going on over there that you really don't have to care.

I guess it's no different from none of y'all having any idea about local brands over here.

a reply to: Uberdoubter

Well, as a person who has pretty much traveled around the globe (work), and even lived outside the US in SE Asia, China and Australia for years, I don't live in the bubble you speak of. Quite honestly, I've always been fascinated with places like Norway, but unfortunately Norway is not one of the countries I've traveled to (though I very much would love to). In any case, I've studied your culture, your economic system, your food and lifestyle. It is immensely interesting to me. I feel like I could probably live in Norway if I would be allowed to do so.

It's disappointing to read posts like yours. I actually am here on ATS because of all the cultures, not just the US, and their different perspectives. My observation is actually quite different from yours. I wish people from Norway and other cultures would make MORE posts about what daily life is like in their part of the world. I would certainly read every one of them with great interest. I'm certain many others would read them as well.

And yes, sadly, you're right I don't really have any idea about local brands (with some minor exceptions) available in Norway. Perhaps you could spend some time telling us about them, and your world! In fact, I'd bet a well written thread entitled... "What my life is like in Norway"...would probably rise to the front page in short order! I know I'd be giving it stars and flags!

Not all Americans are the way you suggest, and I would say it's a lot less than you may be lead to believe. Yes, I'm sure there are some who live inside some insulated "Murica" bubble, but I don't, and many others like me don't. Sometimes I think people outside America are coached into their beliefs by media and so many other influences without really knowing us. Frankly, it's no different here with our media and influences. The big difference is, many of us don't pay much attention to those people and instead look out at the broader world at large. I am one of those.

So, in closing, please DO tell us about your version of 'Orville Reddenbacher'. It might not be popcorn or anything even like it, but it would be interesting all the same.

Cheers!

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Uberdoubter

Well, as a person who has pretty much traveled around the globe (work), and even lived outside the US in SE Asia, China and Australia for years, I don't live in the bubble you speak of. Quite honestly, I've always been fascinated with places like Norway, but unfortunately Norway is not one of the countries I've traveled to (though I very much would love to). In any case, I've studied your culture, your economic system, your food and lifestyle. It is immensely interesting to me. I feel like I could probably live in Norway if I would be allowed to do so.

It's disappointing to read posts like yours. I actually am here on ATS because of all the cultures, not just the US, and their different perspectives. My observation is actually quite different from yours. I wish people from Norway and other cultures would make MORE posts about what daily life is like in their part of the world. I would certainly read every one of them with great interest. I'm certain many others would read them as well.

And yes, sadly, you're right I don't really have any idea about local brands (with some minor exceptions) available in Norway. Perhaps you could spend some time telling us about them, and your world! In fact, I'd bet a well written thread entitled... "What my life is like in Norway"...would probably rise to the front page in short order! I know I'd be giving it stars and flags!

Not all Americans are the way you suggest, and I would say it's a lot less than you may be lead to believe. Yes, I'm sure there are some who live inside some insulated "Murica" bubble, but I don't, and many others like me don't. Sometimes I think people outside America are coached into their beliefs by media and so many other influences without really knowing us. Frankly, it's no different here with our media and influences. The big difference is, many of us don't pay much attention to those people and instead look out at the broader world at large. I am one of those.

So, in closing, please DO tell us about your version of 'Orville Reddenbacher'. It might not be popcorn or anything even like it, but it would be interesting all the same.

Cheers!

I'd say one big difference between a country like Norway and USA is pure SCALE. Watching programs like Mythbusters, it's apparent that it's really not hard to find a store where you can buy 30-40 of ANYTHING. My point here is that few Norwegian stores have e.g. 30-40 toilet seats in stock. I was reminded of that watching a YouTube video exploring how many toilet seats it takes to stop a .50 caliber bullet (I think he tried both .50 AE and BMG).

Small pockets of Norway are very influenced by USA - to the point of greased hair, 50's muscle cars and coffee shops lifted straight out of an old American movie is the norm.

In Scandinavia in general, we often find American "norms" a bit superficial - we often tend to mistrust people with obviously whitened teeth. To us that looks like a deceitful person - someone who is less than truthful - like a used car salesman.

A funny sidenote on that, is that while we do have something very close to free healthcare (e.g. getting an X-Ray for a broken toe cost me something like $30, DENTISTRY is NOT anywhere near free. Nope. It's the stupidest thing ever.

My experience with Americans is that there is a very open, polite and welcoming outer veneer, but it's only half an inch thick. I find that to be preferable to the way we Scandinavians have an impenetrable outer shell of 2 feet of concrete. When you somehow make your way through that concrete shell, you are sort of "BFF".

Like that time I went on a "Rolling Stones concert package thingy" - There were as many Norwegians as Americans there (Stockholm), but I had NOTHING to do with the other Norwegians. I hung out with the Americans, a couple of Swiss people, etc. Not because "Oh, exotic people?", but because the Americans were very easy to be around.

While Americans never quit, us Scandinavians are more "cautiously realistic", with a tendency to follow the Danish "Law of Jante" - A code of conduct that goes along the veins of "Don't think you are anything special". Quite the opposite of the Gung-Ho American way of grabbing life by the ears. I guess dark winters tend to do that to people.

Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Icelanders and Finns are of course not 100% similar - Swedes are very polite, cautious flock animals, while we Norwegians are a bit more "rude individuals" in comparison. The farther north in Norway you go, the bigger the chance of us seeming rude to people from other countries.

As for popcorn, I'd say the typical microwave popcorn comes from a company called Maarud (pronounced Mawrude): Maarud Micropop

a reply to: Uberdoubter

Thanks for the response!

I'd love to hear more!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

First and foremost...Gary Steel? sounds like a character from a pixar movie.

Secondly I've known about these sands crops but not of this Redenbacher character, but it takes genius to come up with the idea, i'm intrigued by this 'sand corn' I like me some corn on the cob and I wonder what it would taste like, would it be juicier or drier? nobody knows.

Finally I have a story of my own, my father may or may not have met Erwin Schrodinger

Liquification.

The weight of the cars caused the unreinforced sand to shift because it became like water. Same happens on sandy soil during an earthquake (been reading up on the topic for some reason!)

OR’s claim is every kernel pops, so, it makes sense!

I vote for you as the new Paul Harvey!!

You’ve done/seen/experienced so much... we are blessed to have you here!!

Merry X-mad!!

a reply to: pteridine

Oh ya, this kind of stuff happened all the time.
Oxygen lancing, meh, not a big deal. We did something similar when I was a second helper on the open hearths. You had to gear up and use a air hose to blow out the dolamite from the furnace "plug". If you were paying attention, you could hear the plug give way and get the lance out of the hole before the steel ran out. If not, let go and jump back. The steel stream heading thru the runner to the ladle would just take the lance and hose with it.

The second video, had lots of things like that in the pit when teeming ladles. The worst was when you'd get an "open stopper" on a ladle, so the casting men couldn't shut the stream on and off, it would just keep running. Literally you'd just have to tell everyone to clear out, and try to spill as little as possible. Really made a mess, especially on bottle tops.

We also did 50 ton castings in the pit, making our own cast iron slag pots. Since the iron was cooler than steel, you'd have to keep them flowing all the time. Iron makes those feathery, sparkler looking sparks. That was always fun pouring those. Always a spectacle.

Oh, someone else mentioned explosions. The worst one I saw was in the winter, and there was a big puddle of water next to one of the open hearths. The floor crane had just poured the hot metal into the furnace, and the charging car was moving the spout. (think brick lined funnel). He tipped it to get the molten iron out, right onto that puddle. Instant steam!!! Was so loud.
It wasn't uncommon to have bottle tops blow off of molds in the pit, but that iron on water was the biggest, loudest I saw.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk



He was certainly an iconic character most people over 40 would recognize, with or without the popcorn.


Very interesting post, thank you. It certainly fleshes out who he was to know about this connection with the steel industry there. A testament to American ingenuity for sure.

a reply to: Uberdoubter

America is a blending of cultures from all over the world.

One thing that comes from that is celebrations of other cultures happen here often and communities of immigrants from other countries tend to hang on to the traditions they brought with them. Depending on what part of the country you are in, there are always events happening celebrating other cultures.

I met an Imam from Kuwait in Montana right after Desert Storm ended who had an interesting take on us. He had fled Kuwait after one of Saddam's sons had butchered his family in front of him and settled into a town in Montana, working as a teacher in a local University.

I don't know when I've been treated better or made to feel more welcome than as a guest in his home for an evening. He shared with me about how he ended up being here and I lamented I'd not traveled more to him. He looked at me and said the whole world is right here in America, you do not need to travel. He was right and as you travel through the US each area has celebrations of the cultures the local residents came from. We just kind of absorb them into our own culture, a blend of the whole world.

We don't have a single culture at all here. The US is like traveling through many countries, with each area being unique according to it's history and what immigrants settled it. When we are called a melting pot, it is real.

a reply to: jhin1place

A little off topic, but at Great Lakes Steel they had a loaded torpedo car train derail on the bridge between Zug Island and the main rolling mills. One of the rail cars went over the side of the bridge and into the Detroit River!! Talk about a BOOM!!! Shattered windows for about a half a mile (fortunately not a lot of people live near Zug). They heard as far away as Flint!!

I didn't see that one (thank Gawd), but I heard about it from a bunch of guys who were there that night. Couple guys got killed and a whole bunch got hurt in that incident.

a reply to: Blaine91555

He was a character for sure. I never met him personally, but I remember one story Dad used to tell about the Gary Steel program where he met him. Apparently he was introducing Reddenbacher to some other Engineers. Dad said he introduced him by saying..."Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Orville Reddenbacher, and Agriculturalist who...."

Reddenbacher immediately slammed his hand down on the table, loudly interrupted and stated very emphatically, pointing his finger around the room..."I...am NOT...an 'Agriculturist'....I am an 'Agronomist'!!...and if you want my assistance you would be wise to NEVER repeat that mistake again!!!!

I guess the room got dead quiet following that little outburst, and there were a bunch of looks around like...'well, I guess he made his point pretty clear, now didn't he???'

Funny story Dad always used to tell about Reddenbacher. I guess he was a pretty eccentric fella, pretty much all his life. Dad always used to crack up when he'd see Reddenbacher on the TV commercials and say he looked/talked exactly like the day he had first walked into his office...big bow-tie and all.


ETA - I guess it was all the funnier to picture my father, this battle hardened steel engineer who'd been on the wrong side of the tracks since he was a kid, got shot down a couple times in WWII, had clawed his way up from nothing and fought for every bit of it, who had seen it all and done it all, get lectured so abruptly by this skinny little man in a bow-tie as he pointed his bony finger at the group. LOL! The old man was a tough sum-bitch, just relentless, and he always laughed that he guessed he met his match that day! (and on an equally odd side note, this incident was one of the very rare times I ever saw my father openly admit he got 'schooled' about something...very rare indeed). Almost human even.

We can see what's left of the place looking down Lake Michigan from Weko Beach.

a reply to: jhin1place

# happens so fast too man
youre just doing your thing then all of a sudden a bomb is going off

i have seen some crazy # for sure

I don't make it over to ATS all that often, but so glad I was able to view this post. Thoroughly enjoyed the read. Great story!