Experimental IRON SMELTING - Turf to Tools : The collected documentation for this series by Darrell Markewitz

Experimental IRON SMELTING
Turf to Tools Project

Turf to Tools was a special project undertaken jointly at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Lumsden Aberdeenshire Scotland, and at the Wareham Forge, Ontario Canada. The project leads were Darrell Markewitz (WF) and Eden Jolly (SSW). The work was based on the archaeology of Pictish Scotland (so post Roman / pre Viking) primarily the excavations at near by Rhynie by Gordon Noble. The primary series of *** bloomery iron smelts was followed with the bloom to bar stage, leading to the replica and eventual deposit of a specific artifact axe. The project was conducted in three phases, 2014 / 2016 / 2023. Related work includes tests of slag pit furnaces and demonstration smelts in Scotland (2016 / 2017), Poland (2016) and Ireland (2023)(an additional **** smelts).

Project Outline

Turf to Tools - Official Release (2014)

A Scottish Late Iron Age Smelt

Some Considerations for Iron Ore

Turf to Tools - 2014 Project Schedule

Turf to Tools - 2016 Project Schedule

Ireland & Scotland 2023

blog postings

Individual Experiment Reports
Description / Sequence Data / Furnace Layout / Additional
Some links away from this web page

Primary Turf to Tools Project

#56 - Turf to Tools Prototype Smelt June 14, 2014	Smelt Overview Bloom to Bar brief reports	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing	Pictish Iron - Bloom to Bar blog post
#57 - Turf to Tools 1 - Smelt One SSW - Lumsden Scotland August 12, 2014	Smelt Overview brief report	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing
#58 - Turf to Tools 1 - Smelt Two SSW - Lumsden Scotland August 2014		Smelt Sequence experimental data	as above
#59 - Turf to Tools 1 - Smelt Three SSW - Lumsden Scotland August 2014		Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing
Turf to Tools A - Peat Test SSW - Lumsden Scotland August 2014		Firing Sequence experimental data	as above

#66 - Turf to Tools 2 Smelt One / Lecht SSW, Lumsden Scotland September 17, 2016	Experiment Overview (brief) blog posting	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing
#67 - Turf to Tools 2 Smelt Two / Peat SSW, Lumsden Scotland September 24, 2016	Experiment Overview blog posting	Smelt Sequence experimental data	as above
#68 - Turf to Tools 2 Smelt Three SSW, Lumsden Scotland September 27, 2016	Experiment Overview blog posting	Smelt Sequence experimental data	as above

Related Work / Also During the Project

#48 / D26 - Slag Pit Furnace Wareham ON October 9, 2011	WrittenReport detailed overview	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing	Furnace Temperatures experimental data
			Slag Pit Plan field drawing	Bellows Test experimental data
#49 - Slag Pit Furnace 2 Wareham ON November, 2011	Written Report detailed overview	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing
#64 - ARTEfakty Smelt One Proszkow Poland September 9, 2016	Experiment Overview blog posting	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing
#65 - ARTEfakty Smelt Two Proszkow Poland September 11, 2016	Experiment Overview blog posting	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing	Interviewed blog posting with video clip
#69 - Smelting Furnace Test Scottish Crannog Centre, Aberfeldy October 3, 2016		Firing Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing
#75 - Celtic Iron Age Scottish Crannog Centre, Aberfeldy August 6, 2017	Background Research one / two / three / four blog postings	Experiment Design blog posting	Furnace Design theoretical drawing	Bellows Design one / two blog postings
	Experiment Overview blog posting	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevations field drawings
# 76 - Slag Pit Furnace #3 Wareham June 23, 2018	Experiment Overview blog posting	Smelt Sequence experimental data	Front Elevation field drawing	Furnace Construction blog posting
				Excavating Furnace blog posting
# 93 Caherconnell Furnace Festival the Burren, Ireland August 2023	Irish Hematite Smelt detailed report	Smelt Sequence experiment data	Furnace Layout field drawing	Bloom Forging blog posting

Turf to Tools - Final Reports

Experiment, Archaeology & Art - The Turf to Tools Project (2023) This is the full version of the paper behind a presentation at the European Archaeology Association EAA23 conference at Belfast, Ireland, September 1, 2023, Session 729 - EXARC: Reconstructing Past Narratives Through Experimental Archaeology. A shorter version, covering just the experimental iron smelting and bloom to bar processes (less lavishly illustrated) is pending publication. Continue to : Experiment, Archaeology & Art As a PDF download
Turf to Tools - An Artisan's View (2016) Originally prepared as a contribution to a planned, and never completed, book to accompany the project. (much of this earlier material continues in the full paper) Continue to : An Artisan's View
Bloom to Bar to Axe (2023) A photo essay detailing the conversion of T2T blooms into working bars, then those bars into the finished reproduction of the Rhynie Man Axe. Continue to : Bloom - Bar - Axe
Who is the Rhynie Man? (2014) A speculative piece, originally prepared as a contribution to a planned, and never completed, book to accompany the project. Continue to : Rhynie Man

Additional Blog Postings

November 2016, 'Ancient Iron Smelt at Tap o'Noth ??' :
https://warehamforgeblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/ancient-iron-smelt-at-tap-onoth.html

September 2026, 'T2T2 - Considerations towards an Object (2)' :
https://warehamforgeblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/ttt2-considerations-towards-object-2.html

September 2026, 'T2T2 - Considerations towards an Object (1)' :
http://warehamforgeblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/ttt2-considerations-towards-object-1.html

November 2014, 'Turf to Tools - Online Presentation' :
https://warehamforgeblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/turf-to-tools-online-presentation.html

September 2014, 'Turf to Tools - Input and Output' :
https://warehamforgeblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/turf-to-tools-input-and-output.html

Related Publications from Darrell Markewitz

		Turf to Tools A Final Summation with a commentary by Deirdre O’Mahony ISBN : 979-83215146-1-0 April 2024 A richly illustrated 76 page report on the Turf to Tools project, from 2013 - 23 at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop and the Wareham Forge. The project combined archaeology, practical experience, and artistic elements over 8 individual bloomery iron smelts and object creation. (8.5 x 11, colour) Kindle Edition Amazon Paperback
		'20 Years Before the Blast' Experimental Bloomery Iron Smelting 2001 - 2024 with Neil Peterson ISBN : 978-1-0691597-5-5 March 2025 This 212 page volume is a survey of 101 iron smelting tests by the author and his working team, presented in a more formal academic style. Includes assessments of furnace builds, air systems, ore types and bloom qualities. There are overviews of four major experimental series; iron smelt in Vinland, Icelandic turf walled furnaces, the Turf to Tools project, and Norse Bellows equipment. 8 1/2 x 11 paperback format, 99 colour colour photographs, 25 illustrations, 48 charts and graphs. companion to 'Basics of Bloomery Iron Smelting' Kindle Edition Amazon Paperback

The Turf to Tools - TWO project, at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop, September / October 2016,
was supported by a
Crafts Projects - Creation and Development Grant.
The Ontario Arts Council is an agency of the Government of Ontario.

The original Project Grant covered air travel to Scotland and four weeks on the Turf to Tools Two project. I was able to apply additional funding to extend the trip for an additional three weeks to cover:
• Participation in the Ypres 2016
International Blacksmith's event
• Participation in the ARTEfakty Iron Smelting event
• Research at the Scottish Crannog Centre

Those interested in tracing the activities, check the many postings on the blog over September & October, 2016

The Turf to Tools - Part ONE project, at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop, August 2014,

was in part supported by a Travel Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts

"We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $157 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 157 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays."