Puddler - A What?

[obsessedorwhat]

 
Thank you all for that interesting info - I didn't realise there was so much to this puddling business!
Checking ancestor paperwork, our Puddler ancestor was John Noble, great great grandfather, in the Newcastle upon Tyne area.

What a rotten job, even for the standards of those times - poor soul, I don't think he lived to a great age.  Someone had to do it, I suppose - glad it wasn't me!!

 

[Roobarb]

It certainly was a rotten job! My 2 x gt grandfather was a Puddler, he died aged 57 of chronic bronchitis, no doubt caused by his job. 

[Viktoria]

The query part of this post is missing, only the thankyou is posted.

What is a puddler?--- I thought it was someone who carried the molten metal in a metal foundry to pour into the moulds.The white hot liquid metal was poured into a clay container held by two men using huge pincer-like holders and then tipped over to pour the metal. I think they may also have cleared the impurities off the top of the molten metal.
The heat must have been intense and probably damaged their lungs and in addition sparks flew when the pouring was done so leather protective gaiters needed to be worn on the legs.
Is this what your ancestors did?
                                                    Viktoria.

[Roobarb]

That's the one Viktoria! I didn't see the original query either, just thought I'd join in. 

[youngtug]

Puddling is/was a process to produce steel. http://www.stahl-online.de/english/vdeh_englisch/history/A_brief_history_of_ironmakingPart_2.asp
Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puddling_%28metallurgy%29

[Rena]

I'm glad you found the answer to the iron puddler - just wanted to say there's also clay puddling done by a clay puddler.  Puddled clay was used for lining canals and I've also seen it done for repairing ye olde clay & wattle houses.

[scunscan]

There was a lot of radiation exposure to the skin of the arms and hands and also the face  from the molten metal.

[youngtug]

Radiation of heat do you mean?

[scunscan]

The molten metal emits a kind of electromagnetic radiation I think that can do damage to the skin or so I was told by an old metal worker.Also in medieval times prisoners were made blind by putting a bar of white hot metal in front of  the eyes.