| Date: June 2007 Experiment: 23 Location: Wareham ON Team: (course) Steve Mikaff, Colin Paddin Furnace: Econo Norse firebrick backed with sand set on plinth tap arch (disassemble to extract) Size: 25 cm x 60 H Source: DARC 10/04 Tuyere: 25 mm ceramic tube Placement: 23 cm from base about 5 cm in from wall angle at 22.5 down Bellows: electric blower Air: 800 L per minute Charcoal: 63.5 kg broken hardwood Consumption: about 2 kg charcoal every 8 minutes 5.6 m/kg Ore: commercial hematite grit @ 68 % Fe 22.3 kg (roasted) Sequence: ore added about every 8 - 3 minutes charges range from .45 to 1.5 kg each 9.5 m/kg Duration: about 4 hours (not including preheat) Result: 12.5 kg bloom - good workable medium carbon Yield = 46 % Notes: - textbook smelt as course |
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| Date: June 2007 Experiment: 24 / D11 Location: Wareham ON Team: Neil Peterson, Darrell Markewitz, Ron Ross Furnace: short shaft (half banked) clay cobb tap arch (top extraction) Size: 22.5 cm x 60 (+ 15 collar) H Source: ongoing research, Tuyere: 25 mm ID ceramic tube Placement: 14 cm from base about 5cm in from wall (wall is angled) angle at 15 down Bellows: electric blower Air: 900 l/m Charcoal: 56.5 kg broken hardwood 5.0 m/kg Consumption: about 2 kg charcoal every 7 minutes Ore: Virginia Rock (poor) 23.3 kg Sequence: ore added about every 8 minutes increasing from .45 10.6 m/kg Duration: about 5 hours (not including preheat) Result: 0.9 kg bloom – good workable iron Yield = 5 % Notes: - low yield expected from poor ore first phase of 'hot swap' double smelt |
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| Date: June 2007 Experiment: 25 / D12 Location: Wareham ON Team: Dave Cox, Kevin Jarbeau Ken Cook Furnace: short shaft (half banked) clay cobb tap arch (top extraction) Size: 22.5 cm x 60 (+ 15 collar) H Source: ongoing research, Tuyere: 25 mm ID ceramic tube Placement: 14 cm from base about 5cm in from wall (wall is angled) angle at 15 down Bellows: electric blower Air: 900 l/m Charcoal: 42 kg broken hardwood Consumption: about 2 kg charcoal every 9 minutes 6.9 m/kg Ore: 50/50 hematite grit + Virginia Rock (poor) 23.9 kg Sequence: ore added about every 8 minutes increasing from .45 – 1.5 kg 8.4 m/kg Duration: about 3.25 hours (no preheat) Result: 3.1 kg bloom – good workable iron Yield = 13 % Notes: - lower yield expected from poor ore second phase of 'hot swap' double smelt significant burn through with extended smelt time |
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| Date: October 2007 Experiment: 26 Location: Wareham, ON Team: Darrell Markewitz, Neil Peterson Furnace: Norse Short Shaft clay slabs half dug into earth bank with stone above tuyere small tap arch (top extraction) Size: 20 x 24 cm x 62 H Source: suggested by LAM Tuyere: 25 mm ID ceramic tube Placement: 15 cm from base (no set base) about 5 cm in from wall angle at 22.5 down Bellows: electric blower Air: start at about 500 – finish at 800 l / min Charcoal: 54 kg broken hardwood Consumption: about 2 kg charcoal every 7 minutes 3.9 m/kg Ore: hematite grit @ 68 % Fe 12.3 kg (roasted) Sequence: ore added in smaller charges for most of smelt considerable re-cycle of tap slag 9.4 m/kg Duration: about 5:45 hours (not including 1:30 preheat) Result: 6 kg bloom – workable iron Yield = 45 % Notes: - test of stone plate above tuyere - test of simple 'blow hole' set up - start with lower air delivery |
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| Date: October 2007 Experiment: 27 / D13 Location: Wareham ON Team: DARC – Neil Peterson, Ken Cook, Darrell Markewitz Furnace: Norse Short Shaft stone slabs with clay fill small tap arch (top extraction ) Size: 25 x 35 cm x 63 H Source: suggested by LAM Tuyere: 25 mm ID ceramic tube Placement: no information on base about flush with wall angle start at 25 down, repositioned to 10 down Bellows: vacuum blower Air: 410 l/m Charcoal: 153 l / 41 kg broken hardwood 13.9 m/kg Consumption: about 2 kg charcoal every 22 minutes Ore: hematite grit with 2.3 kg Virginia rock (poor) as seed @ 65 % Fe (E) 12.3 kg total Sequence: ore added as small charges .5 to 1 kg 24.8 m/kg Duration: about 4 3⁄4 hours (not including preheat) Result: about 2 kg badly sintered high carbon (not forgeable) Yield = 16 % Notes: proof of concept on stone slab construction large amount (+ 3 kg) unsintered iron fragments recovered results as expected with low volume air |
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| Date: November 2007 Experiment: 28 Location: Wareham ON Team: (course) Peter Martin, Shawn, Scott Pond Furnace: Norse short shaft clay cob set on low plinth small tap arch (top extraction) Size: 25cm x 72 H (+ 15 cm collar) Source: ongoing research Tuyere: 25 mm ID ceramic tube Placement: 10 cm from base about 5 cm in from wall angle at 22.5 down Bellows: vacuum blower Air: 750 l/m Charcoal: 60 kg broken hardwood Consumption: about 2 kg charcoal every 7 minutes 5.3 m/kg Ore: Stelco taconite (seed of poor Virginia rock) @ 65 % (E) 18.2 kg Sequence: ore added about every 7 minutes increasing from .5 to 2 kg 11.7 m/kg Duration: about 4 1⁄2 hours (not including preheat) extra long (2 hour ) split wood preheat Result: 5.5 kg workable bloom with slight carbon Yield = 30 % Notes: - text book smelt for teaching |
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Lee Sauder Mike McCarthy DARC - Iron Experiments |