Discussion:

• Initial extraction was planned to be via the top of the furnace. It did not prove possible to find the bloom from the top.
• Given the thinness of the front wall we went in that way. The large bloom we were expecting to find wasn't there, but there was a small bloom very far forward and locked within the bowl. We managed to pry it free and take it to be consolodated.
• The bloom weight is lower than we had expected but we are very confident that on additional invesigation we will find more small bloom masses within the bowl.
• We will want to re-run this lined smelter to explore the question of why it was both "hot" and "slow".
• The major modern intrusion to likely Norse / Viking Age method remains the use of high volume air via the electric blower.

Conclusions:

Will be along later

Not yet.

Photos:

Inital Setup	First Problem	Slag Samples	Slag bowl
Pre-extraction	Thumping	Compacting	Compacting
Smelter Remains

Raw Data:

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.