In the Cantabrian municipality of Vega de Liébana, framed by a beautiful wooded landscape at the confluence of the Valtiero and San Andrés streams, is the small town of Ledantes. After the union of these two streams, the river channel takes the name of Las Viñas stream. Apart from the beautiful popular architecture and the magnificent natural environment, this small stream provided the driving force to start up one of the most important hydraulic devices in past centuries: La Pisa de Ledantes. It is possibly one of the last two treads or fulling mills left in Cantabria, which makes it an element of great ethnographic value. “This hydraulic device that we are working with is one of the most important elements in the region. Along with the Aniezo tread, they are the only two fulling mills in the region. Historically, it is known that this type of sugar mill existed in the Middle Ages. In Liébana, according to the cadastre of the mid -18th century, several specimens are known to exist. Curiously, this one was not registered in 1750. It was possibly built at the end of the 18th or 19th century, there is no record.” In the model built by the father of Primo González, it can be seen how the water entered through a channel and moved the hydraulic wheel, which in turn was attached to an axis or tree provided in its center with two pieces of wood called cams. These, being arranged at 90 degrees, alternately raised two wooden mallets, which were responsible for hitting the clothes. The fabric was placed soaked in water to prevent the beating from heating it up and damaging it. The operation lasted one or two days, changing the position of the clothes during the morning, afternoon and night. Then all that was left was to let it dry. Since the Middle Ages, the function of this contraption was to beat, degrease and furry the fabrics that were so roughly woven on the looms, so that a thick and resistant cloth was obtained. “Since I was born I already knew her like this. It was already working from my grandparents and great-great-grandparents “Well, first my grandparents worked and then my father started and then us. We helped my father, us.” “Well, the work there was arduous too and sometimes the nails that you arrived that you didn't have the urge to get left. Because the fabrics we called had to be cast. As you brought them you were throwing them in that drawer, folded like this in doubles. It came to you rolled up and you had to unroll them and throw them in doubles, and then the mallets began and water entered the fabrics through a channel and the mallets began pim, pam,... and they all wound up in a roll and you had to go back , stop it and remove them all. That sometimes you weren't even able to take them out, because they joined one another and weighed... full of water. Take them all out again and fold them again, because if they didn't separate and those mallets crushed them and broke them, they destroyed them. And then throw them back. Two or three times you had to do that. And then we would take them out and right there we would roll them up and put them like this backwards on some wood that was there so that they would drain a little because if not, there would be no one to bring them, they were very heavy.” “Look, everything. Well, I was also, I tell you, loose, loose, you put your fingers. And when you stepped on it, it would look like this. And then the women would trim it. Some had a brighter trim, others…whatever they could have.” “Well, about 16 or 17 years, that we restore it, it will do. Well, because it had already fallen, that is, it was already damaged in everything and had to be put back together again. Only one castle, the other no longer, because there was very little left and no...” “The castle that is leaning now, we made that new one, and the wheel, which is the wheel, also completely new. The blades, the blades and everything new. And then over time it has deteriorated again.” The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Government of Cantabria has promoted the restoration, reconstruction and action in the surroundings of the Pisa de Ledantes, within the project drawn up by the architects Luis Alberto Alonso Ortiz and Joaquín Barrientos García. The work has been entrusted to the team of professionals specialized in carpentry, belonging to the Cantabrian company Artesonados Navarrete. Of the two castles, with two decks each, that made up the Pisa del Tío Ceto, as it has always been called in the area, only the remains of one of them can be seen. To start the work, a photographic sampling and measurement of all the existing elements is carried out for a planimetric study that allows it to develop a conservation project. “This is the footsteps of Ledantes, what we have found. This is the castillete, the castle that is made up, which currently has the tread. And here we find all of this full of debris, garbage, that we will have to clean and that is practically covering the wheel. The wheel, which as I explained before, we find the blades, the cambones, the blades that are the ones that, with the driving force of the water that comes through the wooden channel, are the ones that make the entire axis roll, which later in the these pieces, in the yokes, will attack the straps, the clubs, which will later hit the fabrics here in the peju.” The original pieces of oak wood were carefully disassembled due to their deteriorated condition. Some of them, like the wheel, were anchored in the ground and their extraction required more effort. Others, because of the humidity, already suffered the damage of putrefaction. With all the elements on the ground, we proceeded to labeling, photographing and recording. The difficult access to the river and the high weight of some pieces made it necessary to use tractors to transport them to the town and then load them in the van to the restoration workshop. “Now what we are doing is that all the pieces are going to be registered in a file with all the measurements, with a mnemonic, alphanumeric coding, so that we can write the report and deliver it to the ministry so that it is registered.” This previous file also includes a technical sheet of each of the pieces with a more artistic sketch, highlighting the textures of the wood, the shadows and the fit between them. The traditional freehand drawing, which collects that artistic touch of the author, contrasts with the figures made by means of a suitable computer program. “We are also taking the opportunity to do a preliminary simulation in what will finally be a reconstruction of what was originally the tread. Originally we have already talked about the pisa that it had two castles, so the decision is to rebuild them again and on this basis that we are already introducing what we do is we give it shape to conform in an orderly and organized way the two castles attacking or attacked by the same axis. In a sawmill specialized in oak wood, which is the one that is going to be used, the carpenter must select the logs with the appropriate measurements and characteristics for the construction of each of the tread elements. “We need two important pieces that have to be 2.20 x 75 x 75 meters, which are pieces that we call peju, which are logs of wood, that we have to cast, and that we need some important wood or billet. .” “Well, this could be one.” The carpenter to assemble plays an important part of his work in the selection of wood. It is essential that the trees have been felled between the second half of November and the end of December, since that is when they have the least amount of sap. As the sap is made up of sugar compounds, its tendency is to ferment and also to be a lure for insects that can deteriorate the wood over time. Quality, size, good color and having straight fibers are some of the characteristics that are checked when buying wood. But each piece requires special characteristics depending on its size or function to develop on the floor. “If he gave us a measure, this piece would be very good for the shaft. We need a 5.20 meter piece that is 40 x 40… Measure the diameter, let's see what diameter it has... look, see if it fits...-70...-, 70, perfect, tall too ? Well, we are going to check if it has a length of 5.20 and if that we mark it as an axis.” Okay, well, it's 5.85, it's not good for the shaft . The logs to build the cambones must have a certain degree of curvature, as close to the shape of the piece as possible, so the fibers will have more resistance. "Roberto, that one could be worth it, it's curved, it could be worth it for a cambón." - Once the pieces of wood have been selected, they are passed through the saw in order to give them more approximate proportions than the final measurements. The already roughened and treated pieces are transported to the facilities that have been prepared to house the construction of this great assembly carpentry work. The axis, in which the grooves of the blades and the corncobs are already traced, is a four-sided trunk whose ends must be cylindrical. With a special chain saw with a built-in table, which allows for inclined cuts, the carpenter lowers the corners to give them an octagonal shape. Today, the electric mortiser, with a chain long enough to go through the thickness of the wood, makes the job of drilling open boxes much easier. Four long beams that will be buried in the ground are the almanques. One of the recesses in this piece must have an angle of 79º so that the post that is embedded there enters with that inclination. The rest of the almanque recesses are at 90 degrees. Between recesses and tenons, it is about achieving a reinforced structure through assemblies, without the need for lag bolts or fittings. The eight posts are thick wooden beams that make up the towers or castles of Pisa and that are adjusted in the boxes that have been drilled in the almanques. Therefore, in their lower part they must have a pin with an angle cut so that it fits in the inclined box. At the upper end they have some lowered pins where the first keys will be attached. While the almanques and poles have been prepared, another working group has already shaped the ends of the shaft into cylindrical shapes and the surface is polished with the mechanical adzer. In order for the finish to be more precise between the cylindrical and the cubic part, one of the workers must work this recess with the adze and the chisel in the traditional way. The four spokes of the wheel are formed by two blades that cross the central axis perpendicularly. These four beams have a half-timber assembly in the center. The carpenter checks that the two blades fit perfectly together and that their angles are 90º to form the four spokes of the wheel. Twenty spoon-shaped blades are needed for the wheel to move the axle and activate the entire tread mechanism, which, distributed around the entire circumference of the wheel, will receive the thrust of the water current. The hollowed-out shape of the blades will help the water push the treadmill's drive wheel with more force. Once the bowl of the blade has been emptied, the reverse must be marked to also carve it with an adze. The 20 blades are already prepared and must be housed in as many holes that will be left in the cambones. The mill wheel is made up of four curved beams called cambones. Formerly, the pieces of wood to build the cambones, if possible, were obtained in the mountains from branches that had the appropriate shape. Five open boxes are distributed in each of the cambones to fix the blades of the wheel. Once the lines have been marked, they are emptied with the mortiser, to prepare the boxes where the blade pins will be inserted. When the cambones are already prepared, they must be presented on the blades of the wheel in order to ensure good reference lines for cutting. Following the established measurements, the carpenter marks the areas to be cut so that some pieces can be linked with others without the need for any metal fastening. The blades are housed with their spike in the corresponding boxes of the wheel without any type of metallic connection. The spigot of each blade has a small box to insert the wedge that fixes it to the wheel. To assemble the upper part of the tread and hold the braces, you will need the loaders, some connecting pieces that go on top of the posts. These pieces have a half-wood fit that is made with the notch milling machine. The mallets are pieces propelled by the corncobs that sway under their own weight and hit the tissues strongly as they fall. Then you have to go over the hole with a hand chisel so that the inner surface is as polished as possible. The mallets are topped by two stepped and beveled recesses on the striking front. The "peju" is the largest piece and the one that forms the base of the tread. It has dimensions of 70 centimeters high by 70 centimeters wide and 2.20 meters long. The construction work of this piece consists of making a hole in the central part. Traditionally, this emptying was done by hand with the chop saw, the ax and the adze, gradually lowering the wood. On this occasion, the adze is only used for the final revision of the mechanical cuts. Due to the effort that this emptying requires, the carpenter chooses to continue with the chainsaw making parallel cuts until leaving narrow sheets of wood. Then, with the blow of a hammer, he breaks the wooden sheets until the hole is free. The walls of the hitting box should not form a square with the intention of retaining the water inside and making it easier for the fabric to roll upwards. The peju also has two other notches to fit the posts, which are lowered with the same work technique as the box. This piece weighs approximately one ton, and in other times, to move it and change it, it was dragged by a pair of oxen. The iron rings needed for the shaft have been ordered from a traditional blacksmith. I usually have pretty good eyesight.” “That's pretty good. no?. In any case, when we go to weld it can be hit inside or outside. It is going well." "We'll see." pour a little water from time to time so that the coal gets wet and it always burns better “Coal gets wet and when it gets wet it burns better, it takes on more power.” Until a few years ago, this blacksmith worked as a wheelwright and that is why he knows very well the technique of giving the curve to iron pieces in the forge. “This is good for winter, but for summer it is not so good. There is. Like before, right? Yes. Get up, more, forward.” I think we should close something else... What an eye you have! I already told you that I hardly use a meter to do many things.” For his work, the blacksmith uses the forge where he heats the iron, the anvil on which he rests the red-hot piece, and a wide range of tongs and hammers of different sizes and weights depending on the work to be carried out. It could be said that, in the past, the work of the blacksmith was the most necessary in rural society since it was he who was in charge of manufacturing and repairing the iron tools with which to work the fields and obtain the much-desired fruits. Fire and blows shape the iron ring until it takes the shape and measures indicated by the project. There are four rings that are going to be needed, two for each end of the axis, and their function will be to reinforce the wood so that it does not break. The rings have been made one centimeter smaller than the shaft, with the intention that they enter with greater pressure and their strength is maintained over time. To adjust them, these joiners burn the surface of the wood with the torch in order to compress it. At the same time they heat the rings so that they dilate. With the hot wood, you have to put the iron ring under pressure and hit it with a mallet so that it is as compressed as possible. Once the ring has entered, they cool the wood and the iron with water so that each element recovers its initial position and stability, that is, the wood tends to expand and the iron to contract. There are two rings that go on each end and those that with their pressure will prevent the wood from falling apart and breaking, since the entire weight of the axis will only be supported by two metal rejones. These rejones, about 60 centimeters long, are nailed to each of the ends of the shaft. The carbonization of the wood is favorable because it creates a crust similar to creosote, which makes it more resistant to humidity and especially to the attack of xylophages. Once all the pieces of the tread have been manufactured and assembled in the workshop for the initial tests, the management team travels to Ledantes to do a stakeout on the ground. Based on the actual dimensions of the pieces to be assembled and on land free of materials carried by the river, the levels are passed. In this way, it establishes the points where a small earthwork has to be done to locate the supports of the axes and for the location of the almanques and their corresponding supports. The time has finally come to assemble the tread. Until Ledantes have moved all the parts manufactured in a truck. As a large tonnage vehicle cannot access the location of the footprint, it is necessary to transfer to another smaller and more appropriate truck to move along the track that was opened for this purpose. As the origin of building the tread with two castles was resumed, it was essential to carry out some conditioning works in this space and open the corresponding ditches to place the axis. Cleaning and sanitation of the entire area was also essential, because the runoff and floods of recent years had filled the land with dragging materials and destroyed the existing cobblestones. The preparation of the land culminated with the consolidation and recovery of the walls so that the vegetation could proliferate again. To prevent the danger of an immediate degradation of the almanques, they will be raised on supports, instead of being buried as originally, so that all the parts remain aerial. "We are coming. Two more hits. Another one. Give him one more. Voucher." Once the supports are positioned, leaving the corresponding separation between them so that the wheel can turn, it is time to place the axle. Starting from this element, it is possible to pull perpendiculars over the almanques and compose the entire structure as it was manufactured in the ship. In this assembly of the axis in front of the supports of the almanques, it is necessary to achieve a perfect alignment with respect to the channel. The rotation of the shaft will be facilitated by two bearings placed at each of its ends. The almanques are adjusted and leveled on the supports parallel to the axis and one of its ends pointing towards it. These four identical pieces must fit perfectly on the supports that have been prepared on the ground because, in addition to holding the posts, they will fulfill the function of receiving and withstanding the thrusts of the blow of the maces when they hit the peju. A taut rope serves to check that all the elements are perpendicular in relation to this line that marks a parallelism with the axis. The four almanques will also serve as solera for the two pejus. When the axis is already positioned and aligned with the carcass and the almanques adjusted, one of the pejus is mounted on the hearth. Once the peju is seated and adjusted to the two rear posts, the front posts are fixed on the almanques, which will also serve as support, forming the towers or castles of pisa. The front posts are angled slightly forward to help withstand mallet strikes. At the same time that they place the posts, they take the opportunity to adjust the longitudinal keys in the lowered spikes of its upper part. Its configuration prevents accidental disassembly due to horizontal loads. The adjustment of the second front pillar with its corresponding longitudinal key leaves the peju completely boxed against the rear posts. This fastening framework of the peju will allow it to withstand the force of the blows of the mallets during the work. The transverse keys are connecting pieces that at the top of the posts are responsible for assembling the upper part of the tread and supporting the landings. The two transverse keys are recessed on the longitudinal keys, presenting recesses that fit into the corresponding posts. The two keys fit into the front of the posts. Other connecting pieces are crossed over the transverse keys, called loaders, which must also fulfill the function of supporting the hanging straps of the mallets. The exterior piping of the upper part finished in a chamfer stand out in these pieces. The two blades that will form the wheel must be adjusted in the center of the axis. These are introduced through the boxes of the axis and are interlocked with the lace that they lead to the middle of the wood. Then they are fixed with a wedge so that they do not come loose. For the assembly of the second castle, the team of carpenters to assemble follow the same steps as for the previous one. They first seat the peju on the almanques, tight with their boxes against the rear vertical posts. Then they mount the front posts on the almanques and on the socket of the peju. The longitudinal braces will join the rear and front posts at the top, preventing them from coming together or moving apart. The cross braces will prevent the posts on the left side from coming together or separating from those on the right side, thus maintaining a solid structure. And finally, the two loaders from which the mallets will hang are assembled. A wooden platform, installed behind the pejus, will facilitate movement over the entire surface of the tread and especially access to the parts where the work is carried out. The yokes, fitted and screwed on the recesses of the landing, will serve as a support for the braces of the mallets. Through the central hole of each landing pass a strap that hangs from the yoke allowing the pendulum movement of the mallets. The gutter, carved from a trunk hollowed out inside in the shape of a U, will serve to direct the water directly towards the blades, thus facilitating the circular movement of the wheel. Each of the four cambones is already assembled with its corresponding blades and all that remains is to adjust them with their pins on the blades. Once the cambones are crimped, the blade next to the blade must be removed to be able to tighten the fixing wedges that will prevent the wheel from being disassembled. The final security of the assembly of the whole set will be given by the spikes that fix the last blades to the cambones. The four heavy mallets are the ones that will hit the tissues against the peju. Its adjustment must be perfect so that the blow falls on the previously calculated point. The mallets are crimped at the bottom of the straps that hang from the yokes. Due to their weight they must be raised with hydraulic jacks until they fit with the braces. Once the open box at the bottom of the strap is below the mallet, a piece of wood crosses it to prevent it from coming loose. Finally, the mallet is secured to the brace by means of a wedge. The corncobs are some pieces passing through the axis that, when turning, alternately raise the mallets. In the contact of the cob with the brazuelo to raise the mallet, there is a piece with curved edges that facilitates friction. This piece was made of beech wood, harder, which made it easier to replace without disassembling the cob. "A lot. Let's see, I catch him there, now he's going to hit. Let's see the other. Go ahead. The hit goes well. Comes out. When the tread is in operation, the mallets will act horizontally with a pendulum movement hitting the "peju". The tread has already been assembled ready to work. The same wheel, driven by the current of water, will serve the two castles and will set the four mallets in motion. The water is the driving force to start the tread. When the gate is raised, the water is diverted from its channel and led through a channel that, for the moment, has closed the passage to the wheel. As soon as the starting lever is activated, the passage of water is opened, and this strongly drives the wheel until it starts moving. A channel conducts a small amount of water towards the peju, since the fabrics had to be wet so that they would not break with the beating and to prevent them from deteriorating due to heating. The axis of the wheel rotates with it and in its rotation movement, the corncobs embedded in it alternately lift the mallets, which hang like pendulums and drop them by their own weight, hitting the peju, where the wet tissues that had been left were placed. what to beat The staggered shape of the end of the mallets facilitated the slow turning of the set of garments in the peju, while it was being beaten. When the fabrics, blankets or cloths, woven on the looms had to have a greater resistance or a thicker consistency due to the use to which they were going to be destined, they were subjected to this process. At the same time that it degreased the fabrics, the fulling left them softer, dense and matted, gaining greater density and weight, which improved their quality. In this fulling process, the size of the fabrics was considerably reduced. With the rehabilitation of the Pisa de Ledantes, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Government of Cantabria, has managed to recover this original ethnographic piece of traditional culture, bequeathing to future generations one of the few remaining hydraulic devices in the whole country. I'm Eugenio Monesma, director and producer of the documentary you just saw. If you liked it, I encourage you to subscribe to the channel by activating notifications from the bell so you can enjoy the hundreds of documentaries that I already have on the channel and those that I will upload weekly.
