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:

• demonstrate an iron smelt for the SCA
• allow a lot of people participate in the process of an iron smelt
• the smelt was also conducted in a carefully defined space.  It is very close to the dimensions of the "smelter" at L'anse aux Meadows.  As much as possible the elements of the smelt were placed in the positions they were presumed to occupy there.

Experiment Notes - Norse Short Shaft Smelter

The Team:

Leader	Darrell Markewitz
Staff	Too numerous to mention
Recorder	Neil Peterson

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".

Starting space	Initial equipment	Overview	Bundle of Sticks
Wet smelter	Layout	Preparing base	Preheat leftovers
Dry smelter	Wiggly smelter	Tools	Tool ends
Jiffy pop	Bellows	More bellows	Bellows
Bellows	Bellows	Bellows	Watching
Breaking charcoal	Breaking ore	Breaking ore	Overall space
Extended smelter	Tapping	Overview	Burning
Adding charcoal	Raking slag	Tapping	Slag run
Breaking through	Scooping charcoal	Onlookers	Consolodating
Tuyere blockage	Hot Smelter	Cool smelter	Bloom
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