MOTnews 55 (25/11/2004)

St Nicholas returns to the Liermolen!

The time is fast approaching: only six more nights of sleep until St Nick visits the MOT... This year Jolly Old St Nick will be visiting the museum for the third time, and once again he will be bringing a little something for all the children.

On the evening of Thursday, 2 December, everyone is welcome at the Liermolen for our special St Nicholas evening. On this occasion, you can see the exhibition "Bread, more than just your bread and butter" free of charge, see grain being milled in the water mill and currant buns being baked on stone in the bake house. You can also enjoy the great outdoors: warm up by the fire with a nice cup of hot cocoa or coffee.

Just like in previous years, there will be storytelling for children in the granary. These story sessions are actually already fully booked, but you can always take part in the other activities. More information is available at www.mot.be or by phone on 02/270.81.11.

We would once again like to invite you and the kids and the grandparents to brave the cold to come greet St Nicholas at the Liermolen on Thursday, 2 December, starting at 5.00 p.m. See you then!

GRANDMOTHER'S RECIPES

Chemistry doesn't have to be boring! Did you know that the names of certain chemicals were derived from Dutch? In this case we're talking about the Dutch word "potas", a chemical substance that has been used for thousands of years. In English, it's referred to as "potash" or "potassium carbonate", while in French it's called "potasse carbonatée".

Potash is made of wood ashes. Preparing potash was a time-consuming procedure, which involved burning birch and oak, the ashes of which were then leached with water and dried. A lot of wood was needed for this process: 1000 m³ of wood was only enough for 0.43 m³ of potash. The ashes were originally leached in pots, which explains the name.

Potash was very important for glass making, as it was used to lower the melting point of quartz sand. As great quantities were needed and since transporting wood was difficult, potash was made locally and traded from there. Potash was only replaced by sodium carbonate in the 19th century.

Potash was also useful in daily life. The gardeners among us know that every garden can benefit from potash to enjoy more extensive blooming and to prevent diseases. In cooking, small quantities of potash are used as rising agents in all kinds of baking. Potash was used above all in making soap. It was mixed in with animal or plant fats and formed into bars of soap. To get rid of grease stains, people would prepare a lye solution, which is a blend of potash and water. Our great-grandparents would often prepare lye from ashes at home.

SAY WHAT?

In this MOT-news item we try to explain proverbs and sayings that have their roots in our technical history. Similar proverbs are found in different languages, but each language has it's own typical sayings. Therefore we do not translate this item in English.

KIDS news: something to tell your children tonight

And now let's talk about the profession of rope-maker, which dates back centuries. Since prehistoric times, mankind has been making rope from plant fibres, such as flax or hemp, which are woven together.

To make rope, you had to start with a single thread, which was spun with a spinning top or a spinning wheel. Using an ingenious device, the so-called rope mill, threads were first twisted into strands. These strands were then twisted into a thick, strong rope. In other words, every rope consists of many intertwined strands. Look at a rope up close and you'll see...

>From the 19th century onwards, ropes were increasingly made by machines, which could do the same work much faster. Ropes can now be made in any length, whereas before they were limited to the length of the rope-yard.

The rope-maker's profession has since disappeared, but the name continues to live on through people's last names. If you're called Roper, Raper or Corder, you can proud yourself on having an rope-making ancestor.