Eliot's Travels

This museum was all about things Dutch - water and windmills (clogs too - see next posting). Today, two mills were in operation - the Verfmolen (paint mill) and the Oliemolen (oil mill). The Zaan people built their first windmills around 1600. Initially they used the wind to keep their feet dry (and reclaiming land), but later they used it to develop an entire industrical area. Barley, rice, paper, wood, cooking oil, mustard, tobacco, hemp and other products wer processed in the 1000 windmills in the Zaan region.

The bright green windmill (a favorite with Eliot) was a Houtzaagmolen - saw mill. We decided to view the paint mill (entrance fee). Outside you could hear the wooshing of the windmill blades. Inside the cogs creaked as they turned against each other. It was really cool. What you'd never be allowed to enter in the US for liability fears, we were able to wander around at will.

The product of this dye mill de Kat dating from 1780 is color- rather, dyestuff. From 1600 onwards, tropical dye woods were imported on a large scale in order to dye fabrics. The heavy pieces of wood were cut into chips by choppers in a big vat. The chips were then pulverized by edge runner stones eighing 5000 to 7000 kg and later sifter in a rotating drum. They were then packaged into bales or barrels to be delivered to customers. By 1700, the windmills were also put to use to process mineral dyes, chalk, and abrasives. The wet stones first had to be dried off in warehouss. Painters made paint by rubbing the dye powders into a medium such as linseed oil. This is how Rembrandt and his contemporaries created such wonderful colors in his paintings.

The shed on the outside of the paint mill is used to dry chalk. The windows are opened to let the air flow thorugh the bags of chalk. Eliot stands by the huge stone wheels used to make chalk and grind dyes. After looking at the crushers and the wheels, we climbed the rickety stairs that the miller would have climbed 350 years ago. Up on this level were the cogs that convert the wind into energy for the powerful machinery below. We could also go out to the deck where the blades could be adjusted. We saw barrels stained on the inside with red, green and blue pigments matching the color seen in this display of dyes.

posted by Whitney @ 11:10 AM