DARC - Fall Smelt : November 2006

Virginia Rock Ore in Norse Short Shaft

    EVENT ORE       CHARCOAL   AIR  
ELAPSED COMPARE   ADD (scoops) AMOUNT TOTAL COMPARE TOTAL COMPARE SETTING VOLUME
      (410 gms each) (as KG) (as KG) (AS LB) (1 KG each) (AS LB)   (litre/min)
                     
    start preheat                
40   addtion of rough carcoal             B 700
10                 D 1060
5   start graded fuel                
                     
0             1      
4             2      
6             3      
7             4      
5   burn column to top of clay         5      
8   start of ore charges 5 2 2   6      
7 15   5 2 4 8.8 7 4.4    
7     5 2 6   8      
4 11   5 2 8 8.8 9 4.4    
8     5 2 10   10      
5 13 first ore hits tuyere? 5 2 12 8.8 11 4.4    
7   rod tuyere 5 2 14   12      
6 13   5 2 16 8.8 13 4.4    
7     6 2 18   14      
5 12   6 2 20 8.8 15 4.4    
6   last ore charges 2 0.8 20.8   16      
6             17      
8             18      
7   start burn down         19      
                     
31   start emptying furnace             B 700
                     
    TOTALS LBS   47   42      
      KG   21.00   19.00      

NOTES:

1) Significant error was made in the amounts of charcoal used per charge. After the actual measue used was wieghed - it was found the additions were NOT in 4 lb amounts
as had been originally intended. The actual charge amount was only 1 KG / 2.2 lbs.
2) After weighing the ore scoop amount, it was found each scoop was in fact .9 lbs / 410 gms.
3) A new charoal source was used for this smelt. The material was well dried, and composed of more evenly broken pieces than had been used in the past. The source wood was
all oak.
4)  The base of the smelter was NOT fixed via the addition of compressed charcoal fines as had been done in the past. The base was allowed to establish itself from the collected
wood ash from the pre-heat, plus addtiional charcoal. This resulted in the slag bowl forming significantly lower than what had been seen in the past. (roughly 10 plus cm below the
bottom of the tuyere.

Last Updated on 6/11/06
By Darrell Markewitz
Email: smelt@warehamforge.ca

Text and photography © 1998 - 2007, Darrell Markewitz