7. Station: Möllerbrücke, Gichtbühne / oberste Ebene im Hochofengebäude

The blast furnace at the Sayner Hütte was built against a hillside to obtain more height for transporting the raw materials (the so-called " burden "), via a ramp and a platform directly above the opening to the blast furnace. This was known as the "throat".

Today the throat to the 11 m high blast furnace is guarded by a railing. In the past there was no such guardrail and workers ran the risk of toppling into the blast furnace at any time.

To start the smelting process, the workers had to feed the furnace with a mixture of iron ore, coal and limestone. As the furnace gas rose to the top of the blast furnace, the molten iron and slag sank to the bottom. 36 tonnes of iron were produced at the Sayner Hütte every week.

Right next to the blast furnace stood the tubular hot blast stove known as the Wasseralfinger apparatus. Shortly after it was invented, it was installed here to heat the blast wind, which was normally blown in cold from below. The hot blast stove saved 30 % of the coal consumption.

Not far from the blast furnace opening, the limestone crusher smashed the limestone to pieces. Its huge hammer, driven by a waterwheel, rose and fell twelve times a minute. Children often worked here, placing the limestone under the falling hammer and quickly scooping up the chunks of lime afterwards. 

The rotating monitor will give you even more details about the technical equipment and the processes involved at this level.