Iron Smelt - L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC, Newfoundland - Aug 21, 2010

Date:Aug 21, 2010

Location:L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC, Newfoundland

See also: Darrell Markewitz's ironsmelting site

Team: Darrell Markewitz, Ken Cook, Dave Cox, Richard Schwietzer plus LAM staff - Mark Pilgrim, Jessica Butler, Jake Hill (recorder Mehgan Arnott)

Premise:

1. 1000 years ago the norse visitors at L'anse aux meadows attempted a smelt. We plan to reproduce that smelt.
2. This marked the planned replication of the viking era smelt at the original location.

Furnace Design

Burn Details

Results

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:

Live presentation at L'Anse aux Meadows, including a lack of time pieces.

Conclusions:

Photos:

Smelter with Staff	Team	Smelt Setup	Bloom
Day after

Raw Data:

CLOCK	ELAPSED	EVENT	AIR	CHARCOAL			ORE
		Vinland 5 - L'Anse aux Meadows		UNIT	COUNT	TOTAL	UNIT	COUNT	TOTAL
			S/S	bucket		kg	scoop		kg
				(‚ 1.75 kg)			(‚ .550 kg)		0.28
10:00		start wood splints pre-heat
11:25		gentle air
11:30	(1:30)	fill with ungraded charcoal				4.00
		main sequence start
11:47	:17	first graded charcoal		1	1	5.75
11:52		air measure in strokes per second	93
11:59	:12			1	2	7.50
12:02		air measure in strokes per second	84
12:10	:11			1	3	9.25
12:15	(:45)	column heated, first ore charge					1	1	0.55
12:16		air measure in strokes per second	104
12:20	:10			1	4	11.00	1	2	1.1
12:30		air measure in strokes per second	96				1	3	1.65
12:36	:16			1	5	12.75
12:49	0:13	multiple ore - combined / charcoal	92	1	6	14.50	2	5	2.75
13:02	0:13			1	7	16.25	1	6	3.3
13:05		air measure in strokes per second	84
13:14	0:09			1	8	18.00	2	8	4.4
13:20		air measure in strokes per second	104
13:24		air measure in strokes per second	92
13:30	:16			1	9	19.75	1	9	4.95
13:47	0:17			1	10	21.50	3	12	6.6
13:49		air measure in strokes per second	92
14:03	:15			1	11	23.25	2	14	7.7
14:05		air measure in strokes per second	80
14:16	:12			1	12	25.00	2	16	8.8
14:17		slag tapped
14:27	:11			1	13	26.75	2	18	9.9
14:29		air measure in strokes per second	96
14:45	:18			1	14	28.50	3	21	11.55
14:46		air measure in strokes per second	88
12:59	:14			1	15	30.25	4	25	13.75
15:03		slag tapped
15:05		air measure in strokes per second	96
15:18	:19			1	16	32.00	5	30	16.5
15:20		air measure in strokes per second	96
15:29	:11			1	17	33.75	balance		20
		extra bucket to cover		1	18	35.50
15:59	(4:30)	extraction
	TOTALS	Time - include pre-heat	6 hours
		Charcoal - include rough	35.5 kg
		Ore - DD2	20 kg
		Bloom Yield	2.8 kg
		% Yield	14%

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.

Text © Darrell Markewitz
Photographs © Darrell Markewitz
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