The job of an ash burner () or potash burner (''Pottaschbrenner'') was to burn

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

for industrial purposes. From the ashes, the

potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.

needed in

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

, in soapmaking and in glassmaking could be made by leaching and

boiling Boiling or ebullition is the rapid phase transition from liquid to gas or vapor, vapour; the reverse of boiling is condensation. Boiling occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, so that the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to ...

(hence the term "potash boiler" or ''Pottaschsieder''). Historically potash was also used in the household as a

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with Cleanliness, cleansing properties when in Concentration, dilute Solution (chemistry), solutions. There are a large variety of detergents. A common family is the alkylbenzene sulfonate ...

bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...

and

baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot Baking stone, stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is ...

aid.Helmut Seebach: ''Altes Handwerk und Gewerbe in der Pfalz.'' Vol. 3: ''Pfälzerwald. Waldbauern, Waldarbeiter, Waldprodukte- und Holzwarenhandel, Waldindustrie und Holztransport.'' Bachstelz-Verlag, Annweiler-Queichhambach et al., 1994, , pp. 114ff. As forests increasingly dwindled and when, in the 12th century the cutting and burning of wood was limited or banned, ash burners collected dead wood from the

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s as well as fireplace ash from homes. Towards the end of the 19th century the occupation of ash burner declined with the increasing importance of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and improved means of transport through the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s. Potash as an industrial raw material was replaced by

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

minerals obtained by

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

. Contemporary witness, teacher and local historian, Lukas Grünenwald, recorded the recollections from his youth in Dernbach in the

Palatinate region The Palatinate (; ; Palatine German: ''Palz''), or the Rhenish Palatinate (''Rheinpfalz''), is a historical region of Germany. The Palatinate occupies most of the southern quarter of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate (''Rheinla ...

:Helmut Seebach: ''Altes Handwerk und Gewerbe in der Pfalz.'' Vol. 3: ''Pfälzerwald. Waldbauern, Waldarbeiter, Waldprodukte- und Holzwarenhandel, Waldindustrie und Holztransport.'' Bachstelz-Verlag, Annweiler-Queichhambach et al., 1994, , p. 116. {{quote, These potash huts were small, rectangular stone houses with a parlour and kitchen and a wood store above them. In the corner of the kitchen a large, round iron cauldron used for potash boiling stood on the brick stove and a chimney rose from there up to the gabled roof. In the three walls opposite the entrance were small windows. The requisite

wood ash Wood ash is the powder (substance), powdery residue remaining after the combustion of wood, such as burning wood in a fireplace, bonfire, or an industrial power plant. It is largely composed of calcium compounds, along with other non-combustible ...

was bought in all the villages far and wide and often laboriously carried home in sacks on hand carts and wagons on the then still poor roads. In the hut the ashes were first stored cold in grey

wicker Wicker is a method of weaving used to make products such as furniture and baskets, as well as a descriptor to classify such products. It is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as . Wicker was first documented ...

baskets, lined with linen, and stood on top of leaching vats. Water was poured over the ashes and they were thoroughly soaked until they were completely leached. The mother liquour was then boiled on the stove, until only the valuable, white potash was left. This was sold for a high price to the glassworks., Lukas Grünenwald, 1875

References

History of forestry Forestry occupations Obsolete occupations