Machinist - The machine shop of the Hercules Powder Company 1945 - Side by Side

by Mike Savad

Title

Machinist - The machine shop of the Hercules Powder Company 1945 - Side by Side

Artist

Mike Savad

Medium

Photograph - Colorized Photo

Description

Hand photo from 1945, October
Original title: Machine shop at the Hercules Port Ewen plant
Photographer: Unknown
Location: Port Ewen, Esopus, NY

The Hercules Port Ewen plant, located in Port Ewen, Esopus, NY, housed a bustling machine shop that was central to the facility's operations. This machine shop specialized in producing precision-engineered components and equipment needed for the plant's primary production activities. Hercules, known for its role in manufacturing a range of chemical products and explosives, relied on the machine shop to fabricate custom parts, maintain machinery, and develop specialized tools.

The skilled machinists at the Port Ewen facility crafted components for chemical processing equipment, ensuring that the plant could meet stringent industrial standards. The machine shop supported the production of nitrocellulose and other industrial chemicals by repairing and modifying machinery, as well as creating replacement parts to keep the plant running efficiently. The shop's capabilities extended to both routine maintenance tasks and the design of custom equipment, making it a vital part of the plant's infrastructure.

Color notes:
Normally when I color things, I use a warmer tone as the lights are usually incandescent, but this image use fluorescent lights which has a cooler palette. There were switches on the top of each lathe, I assumed they are an emergency shutoff's so I made them yellow and lit them up, but they do look like they are glowing in the original. Almost everyone there was wearing a badge of some kind, but I think there was a loved one in each one.

Uploaded

October 16th, 2024

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