Nitram Charcoal

Mennonites as well as Hutterites from as far away as Virginia, Indiana and Saskatoon have been dropping by to see the new Nitram manufacturing facility here in Ontario, Canada. They have left their mark on the walls and have been using Nitram Charcoal as their medium of choice. I wonder if this is a first for Nitram or in fact a first for Mennonite graffiti? (We did blur out the phone numbers)

Keeping your charcoal sharp is a necessity when drawing, unfortunately dust can sometimes be an unpleasant side effect. While Nitram does produce significantly less dust than other charcoals, here are few tips to keep your studio virtually dust free.

Use a large mouth container with a handle. I prefer a plastic Folgers Coffee container because you can grip the outside and not get any charcoal on your fingertips like you would with a tin.

Take a paint stick and glue 220 grit sandpaper to both sides. When there is a lot of residue, simple turn the stick over and continue sharpening on the other side. This will cause the residue to fall into the container. Make sure that when sharpening you do not go past the edge of the container.

When you have a sharp point simply tap the stick on the edge of the container. This helps eliminate the dust around the container, and keep it out of the air!

Provided by Daniel Gros, France.

In 1914, my father, Martin Gros was born in Spain. At the end of the Spanish Civil War he moved to France just as the WWII started in 1939.

These were difficult times and work was hard to come by so he got a job working on a local farm. He started making charcoal in the forests of L’yonne, France. He did this until 1962 when the new owner for a very old charcoal manufacturer (Luxor) hired him.

He worked there until 1965 when he decided to open his own factory. I was 15 years old at the time and was expected to help. The new charcoal Company was called NITRAM, which is Martin spelled backwards.

The beginning years were very difficult. Demand was small and production was not very consistent. However, in 1968 an important client placed a large order that could not be met using current production methods and techniques. This required a new approach. Quality wood and specialized equipment, which I experimented with and designed, helped shape Nitram to become the product it is today.

In 1981 my father retired and I left my job at the post office to continue manufacturing Nitram. I invested in a larger piece of property as well as new machinery and a specialized oven. This oven, which is still in service, helped assure a cleaner manufacturing process, while maintaining quality. Over the years I refined the process with newer and larger models.

The Nitram methodology and the spirit of Nitram Fussains has been passed on to Jerzy Niedojadlo, who as a practicing artist has shown a great passion for Nitram charcoal. Jerzy has what it takes to maintain the quality of Nitram Charcoal and continue to make it available to artists worldwide.

A bientôt.
Daniel Gros,
Arces, France.