1952 Press Photo Frank Wilke Jr. using a hydrosandblaster at Falk Corporation.

Like a navy gunner inside a turret, Frank Wilke, Jr., 3226 N. 42nd st., stands in a dust and water-proof steel cage and uses a lever to direct the nozzle in cleaning castings at the Falk Corp. foundry. The apparatus , a hydrosandblaster, shoots a powerful stream of sand mixed with water at a pressure of about 2,000 pounds per square inch, or about eight times the force of a fire hose. The castings, dirty with foundry sand when they come from their molds, must be thoroughly cleaned for further processing. In the old method, the operator dressed in a rubber "man from Mars" suit and squirted the powerful sand and water stream at the castings. Four powerful lights now illuminate castings and the operator observes through a heavy glass windshield. Other Milwaukee firms have hydrosandblasters, but Falk is the only one with a turret that "crawls." It is mounted on a U-shaped rail that goes around three sides of the room.

Photo is dated 1952.

Photo measures 10.5 x 9 inches.