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Iron Smelt at Baron's Howe - Sep 2006

Date: 31 Aug - 4 Sep, 2006

Location: Bonfield, ON

Premise: This weekend provided us a chance to accomplish several goals:

Experiment Notes - Norse Short Shaft Smelter

The Team:

Leader Darrell Markewitz
Staff Too numerous to mention
Recorder Neil Peterson

Smelt_cd Reports of all of our iron smelting efforts along with more articles and information are available on the "Iron Smelting in the Viking Age" CD from the Wareham Forge.  Copies of the CD can be purchased here.
Discussion:
The wooden center form was 11" at the bottom, 7.5" at the top, and 90 cm long.

The smelter was built up to 70cm but slumped to 55cm.  Clay from the outside was cut off and built up on top to make the height 60cm. Once the slumping was done the top opening was an oval 7.5" x 6".

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Starting space Initial equipment Overview Bundle of Sticks
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Wet smelter Layout Preparing base Preheat leftovers
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Dry smelter Wiggly smelter Tools Tool ends
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Jiffy pop Bellows More bellows Bellows
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Bellows Bellows Bellows Watching
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Breaking charcoal Breaking ore Breaking ore Overall space
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Extended smelter Tapping Overview Burning
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Adding charcoal Raking slag Tapping Slag run
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Breaking through Scooping charcoal Onlookers Consolodating
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Tuyere blockage Hot Smelter Cool smelter Bloom
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Charcoal bed Interior
Time Event Measures
Relative Absolute Total
Relative Elapsed Charcoal Ore
-2:08 Preheat begins
0:00 00 addition of charcoal, occasional gentle air blast (begins at 1135h)        
0:30 30 charcoal 1 5 lbs* 5 lbs  
0:40 10 charcoal 2 5 lbs 10 lbs  
0:53 13 charcoal 3 5 lbs 15 lbs
1:08 15 charcoal 4 5 lbs 20 lbs
1:24 16 charcoal 5 5 lbs 25 lbs
1:39 15 charcoal 6 5 lbs 30 lbs
1:55 16 charcoal 7 5 lbs 35 lbs
1:57   seed charge 1 .75 lbs*   .75 lbs
2:09 14 charcoal 8 5 lbs 40 lbs
12 seed charge 2 .75 lbs*   1.5 lbs
2:22 13 charcoal 9 5 lbs 45 lbs
2:23 14 seed charge 3 .75 lbs*   2.25 lbs
2:35   Two people on bellows        
2:38 16 charcoal 10 5 lbs 50 lbs
2:45 22 ore 4 .75 lbs*   3 lbs
2:50 12 charcoal 11 5 lbs 55 lbs
2:59 14 ore 5 .75 lbs*   3.75 lbs
3:02 12 charcoal 12 5 lbs 60 lbs
3:11 12 ore 5 .75 lbs*   3.75 lbs
3:13 11 charcoal 13 5 lbs 65 lbs
3:23 12 ore 6 .75 lbs*   4.5 lbs
3:27 14 charcoal 14 5 lbs 70 lbs
3:37 10 charcoal 15 5 lbs 75 lbs
3:41 18 ore 7 .75 lbs*   5.25 lbs
3:47 6 ore 8 .75 lbs*   6 lbs
3:48 11 charcoal 16 5 lbs 80 lbs
3:50 3 ore 9 .75 lbs*   6.75 lbs
3:58 8 ore 10 .75 lbs*   7.5 lbs
3:59 11 charcoal 17 5 lbs 85 lbs
4:09 11 ore 11 .75 lbs*   8.25 lbs
4:12 3 ore 12 .75 lbs*   9 lbs
4:14 15 charcoal 18 5 lbs 90 lbs
2 ore 13 .75 lbs*   9.75 lbs
4:19 7 ore 14 .75 lbs*   10.5 lbs
4:21 2 ore 15 .75 lbs*   11.25 lbs
4:26 5 ore 16 .75 lbs*   12 lbs
4:27 13 charcoal 19 5 lbs 95 lbs
4:35 9 ore 17 .75 lbs*   12.75 lbs
4:39 4 ore 18 .75 lbs*   13.5 lbs
4:42 4 ore 19 .75 lbs*   14.25 lbs
4:46 4 ore 20 .75 lbs*   15 lbs
4:47 20 charcoal 20 5 lbs 100 lbs
4:55 9 ore 21 .75 lbs*   15.75 lbs
4:57 2 ore 22 .75 lbs*   16.5 lbs
5:01 5 ore 23 .75 lbs*   17.25 lbs
5:04 3 ore 24 .75 lbs*   18 lbs
5:06 2 ore 21 .75 lbs*   18.75 lbs
5:11 24 charcoal 21 5 lbs 105 lbs
5 ore 22 .75 lbs   19.5 lbs
5:21 10 ore 23 .75 lbs*   20.25 lbs
5:25 4 ore 24 .75 lbs*   21 lbs
5:33   Air flow restarted        
5:37 26 charcoal 22 5 lbs 110 lbs
5:48 15 ore 25 .75 lbs*   21.75 lbs
5:51 14 charcoal 23 5 lbs 115 lbs
3 ore 26 .75 lbs*   22.5 lbs
5:58 7 ore 27 .75 lbs*   23.25 lbs
6:04 13 charcoal 24 5 lbs 120 lbs
6:12 8 charcoal 25 5 lbs 125 lbs
    air flow reduced to minimal - remaining charcoal removed        
    consolidate bloom with wooden thumper        
    remove bloom and consolidate        

  smelt complete        
      Updated: 4 Dec, 2007
Text © Neil & Karen Peterson, 2006
Photographs © Neil & Karen Peterson, 2006
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