archandcraft1.doc
Morgan: Practicum 1 forced me and my group to consider the multitude of factors that went into a smelting operation besides the mechanics of the furnace itself. Our every decision was dictated by the topography of the Adirondacks. During the 19th century there would have been no way for large amounts of coal such that a blast furnace would need to be transported over the mountainous terrain. Thus we were limited to charcoal and hence a bloomery furnace. Although iron mines were plentiful in a 5 mile radius from Raquette River, our limited transportation resources and the mountains of the Adirondacks prevented us from traversing so far. Therefore we decided to use bog ore which could be found readily in the area immediately adjacent to Tupper Lake. The need for a dam-able stream of water in order to power the bloomery furnace led us to a small tributary of a tributary off Raquette River. The proximity of our ironworks to the town will connect our operation to iron demand and allow us to exchange ideas and tips with other bloomery operations in the area. On the other hand, competition with the other bloomeries for bog ore will be a problem, and careful management of our bog ore supply off of our small tributary will be needed to ensure that we do not exhaust the ore. We optimistically concluded that after we established ourselves, we would begin to access iron mines further north along Raquette River, towards Saranac Lake, and expand our sources for ore and our operation with it. Taking into account the myriad social factors that went into the establishment of a bloomery was an eye-opening experience and suggests the different kinds of expertise the Adirondack bloomsmen must have had in order to run a successful smelting operation.
Experimental Smelt Write Up
I arrived at the Haffenreffer on Friday afternoon to continue the work of building the furnace and preparing for the smelt. After a brief introduction to what the previous team had done, Darrel set us to mixing clay to complete the furnace. We mixed the rest of a 50 pound bag of clay powder with chopped up hay and water. We kneaded the clay in a wheelbarrow with the goal of getting a softball sized chunk that came away clean from our hands when we slapped it. We placed the bricks on the edges of the furnace and, bracing the inside with one hand, compacted the top of the brick. We then smoothed the seams into the existing structure. Having built up the furnace to match the height of the steel sheet forming the mold, which also used up the last of our clay, we then molded the top edge into a point that leaned outwards. This would make it easier for ore and fuel to funnel down into the furnace in the smelt on Saturday. We removed the steel around the furnace and discovered many large gaps in the outer wall, which needed to be patched and smoothed.
I then cut the slag tap hole, about 10cm tall and 20cm across, into the bottom of the funnel. I rolled the door to the hole in sand and placed it back into the opening so that the structure above would not slump. I then helped place the tuyere into the furnace, ensuring that it was at a 22.5 degree angle downwards about 15cm from the bottom. Matt made a series of punctures in the side of the furnace vertically so that temperature readings could be taken during the smelt. At this point we recorded the dimensions of the furnace, including diameter at various heights, wall thickness, circumference, dimensions of the slag tap hole and the tuyere. Darrel then started a wood fire in the bottom of the furnace and I tended it by adding a few pieces of wood at a time, and ripped up paper if necessary. Darrel used his electric bellows to give the fire some air when it needed it.
After a while I switched places with Matt and I began to hammer ore into small peanut sized pieces. A greater surface area would facilitate reaction, though too fine a size of particles would clog the flow of air. Hammering the ore got tricky towards the end when all of the pieces of rock that obviously contained iron were hammered. We were left with many pieces that looked like stone, which were to be discarded as they would simply result in slag during the smelt.
Participating in building the furnace and hammering the ore was very physically taxing. My wrists were definitely hurting by the end of the day. The experience gave me a good sense of how Viking smelters would have prepared for smelting, with all the many components that needed to be obtained and prepared before smelting can begin. Darrel was obviously very experienced and I found his practical tips, which he imparted continuously through the day, were very helpful and were not mentioned in the readings previously.
