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Within the walls of the long, grey-painted foundry buildings of the Anchor Shipping and Foundry Co., on Wakefield Quay, a team of Nelson craftsmen create their own form of art. Often their raw material is scrap metal, and their brushes and chisels, huge machines of tremendous power. Their art, however, is much more practical than that of the artist or sculptor. It may not look as beautiful, but in every case the finished product is an essential one. The skill of these men is quite amazing. At times they are called upon to manufacture small but complicated articles. These finished, they might find the next job is the repairing of a 28 inch piston head for an overseas vessel. It is fascinating work, exacting work and in these days of severe import restrictions, very essential work. In this picturestory of the work of the foundry, we have tried to show some of the thousands of jobs handled in the casting and machine rooms. The picture on this page is of the big machine room.

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In the casting room, leading hand Frank McIlroy (left) carefully finishes a mould while at right "Tiny" Vuijk charges the furnace.

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Row upon row of moulds await the white hot metal

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The furnace is tapped

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Carefully the white-hot metal is poured into the moulds

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Tom Waddell and George Willis filling the moulds

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Frank McIlroy displays articles taken from their moulds, at left a purification pipe for a gas company and right, a bearing for a ship's engine.

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The foundry staff outside the main building.

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Blacksmith Ken Kernohan watches a bar of metal heat up in his forge.

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With the assistance of Don Cook, Ken uses an air hammer to pound a piece of hot metal into the shape he requires.

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Factory foreman Bruce Berryman makes a minute adjustment to the lathe on which a speed pulley is nearing completion.

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This piston crown from the "Cumberland", machined by Alex Gray (below) has its studs inserted by Ian Schaab and Ian Erskine.

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This ring gear being milled by Ken Gullery was once a piece of straight steel before it was rolled by the blacksmiths, welded, turned and milled on the premises.

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Testing a cylinder liner: Dick Hasse, Ted Coppins and Graham Scowens