Hammered Out Bits

DARC to LAM - July 2012

2012-01-24T10:05:00.008-05:00

The Dark Ages Re-Creation Company
will be returning to
L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC!
July 19 - 27, 2012

The Wareham Forge is pleased to announce that it has an agreement with Parks Canada to mount a living history presentation, with interpreters provided by DARC.

At this point the exact interpretive program has not been established. The specific physical demonstrations will depend largely on what additional members of DARC chose to enlarge the core team.
What you can certainly expect to see:

Green Woodworking - including a spring pole lathe
(Grimmi roughing out, Thorgir on the lathe)

Weaving on the Warp Weighted Loom
(Ka∂lin preparing the warp)

Small Textiles - Spinning, Naelbinding, Tablet Weaving
(Jorin working in the sunshine.)

Domestic Tasks, including food preparation
(Kadja - 'A woman's work is never done - especially when she is a slave.')

Trade and Gaming
(Ragnar - ' Would you buy a used longship from this man?')

Some Other Guy who also seems to talk a LOT.
(Kettil ponders a question)
Daily Life in the Viking Age
(Snorri looking on)

All the images above by P. Halasz - taken during the August 2010 presenation

(late) Medieval Images of Blacksmiths

2012-01-19T07:38:00.002-05:00

Those interested in historic trades, re-enacting are likely to find this of interest. I got to this via a link from a link posted by someone on Facebook.
From a fast Google search:

Das Hausbuch der Mendelschen Zwolfbruderstiftung zu Nurnberg,1965 German craftsmen from 15c & 16c, two vols 275 pages of plates 150pp G+ (E30-40)

The on line version has searchable terms in English - by Occupation / Tools / Materials

The index is cut up a bit different that you might think. Blacksmithing is broken down into specializations (Bladesmith / Armourer / Smith /...) so some hunting might prove fruitful.

Under 'Blacksmith' There these images which are of interest:

Dated 1425

Dated 1450
Dated 1504
Dated 1595

Disreguard (or not) the obvious link in all with farrier's work.
Do Note:
- the bellows set up and type
- design of the forges
- size and shape of the anvils
- profile of the hammers

Revising the Web Site

2012-01-17T08:46:00.003-05:00

- As long time readers / followers of the Wareham Forge well know, the web site has undergone many changes since its inception in the 1990's.

The original site was heavily text based. Those with long memories will remember that initially the internet was solely text, my involvement goes back to the days when the primary interactions were through bulletin boards (!) As producing content for the internet got ever easier, and transmission speeds have vastly increased, the internet has become dominated by images. Video has now become an increasingly larger segment of how information (in its widest sense) is being communicated.

For good or ill, I have added much to those few original sheets of information that composed the Wareham Forge web site. Rightly or wrongly, as I creep into the second half of my 50's, I find myself writing more, and yes, working at the forge less. (Although I like to think the quality of the work has also greatly improved!) Through this all, I have rarely *removed* anything from the web site. There is also the addition of two large theme sections, the Norse Encampment and Experimental Iron Smelting. Although enclosed in the Wareham Forge domain, either of these are significantly self contained and large sections in their own right.

The result is that currently, the total volume of content of the Wareham Forge site is some 220 megabites. There are over 100 separate 'sheets' and well over 1000 images.

Through it all, I have attempted to hold to a couple of primary concepts:
1) To keep the transmission rates for viewers fast, so as to better accommodate rural users (no high speed).
2) Design for those using *older* computer systems (and smaller screen sizes) - and purposefully avoiding 'the latest thing'.
3) To have a balance between interesting and valuable text and illustrating with images.
4) Avoid using anything that annoys me personally when I see it on other web sites.
5) Design the site so it reflects my own personality and taste (You don't like the site, you likely will not like me - and maybe I'm not the one you should be working with on that project.)

Now, one of the results of so much content is that the site has become almost impossible to navigate.

I'm in the process of re-evaluating the overall design of the whole site. To my mind, there are four primary tasks here :
- evaluating the actual content available
- gathering & converting images, writing commentaries
- determining the graphic layout
- physically producing the code and installing the web site

I have been aided in the most recent design changes by some people on Facebook, who have provided comments and advice as I worked up a potential layout. The new front index sheet (installed just this morning) is what I have come up with:

This represents the 'above the fold view, at roughly 1000 x 800 (13 x 8 inches for us old people).
- One big change from previously is the colour shift to a light faded with black text (from the previous high graphic dark with light print).
- If you look in your own browser, you will see the two top images are random selections of mainly close up v- views of forge work.
- The side bar now features pull out navigation points.
- Scrolling down, the 'Visual Guide' offers most of the same navigation points, but now via thumbnails.
- I've cut away much of the detailed descriptions to specific sub sections that used to be on the front page.

My next task is to learn (via Neil, thank you!) how to work this framework via PHP.
Then finish processing the images and writing commentary for the 'new' work (last two years!)
Then re-sort the content, splitting off the best work into a portfolio section, and older work into separate areas (for each type).
Then design the graphic backgrounds for the various sub sections
Then apply the new PHP method to all that .

At least it keeps me close to the stove this winter...

Comments extremely welcome!

EXARC journal article!

2012-01-15T09:37:00.002-05:00

Issue 2012/1

© EXARC, 2012; ISSN: 2212-8956; Publishing date: January 15, 2012

Before you stands our first online issue of the EXARC Journal. It is divided in three sections. There are two peer-reviewed sections covering ARCHAEOLOGICAL OPEN-AIR MUSEUM and EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY which are available to EXARC Members only. The third section is open to all and is called MIXED MATTERS.

If you would like to see the full scope of our most recent articles, please Become EXARC Member so you can see our most recent articles, such as: Presenting Medieval Gambling and Pub Life or What’s in an experiment? Roman fish sauce: an experiment in Archaeology...

My submission is one of the articles available only to members:

"But if you don't get any IRON..." Towards an effective method for small iron smelting furnaces

Darrell Markewitz (CA)
Few ancient processes are as mysterious as smelting ore into metallic iron. Just how, exactly, is this done? The exact processes used by the ancients are unknown, but modern experiments can suggest some possibilities...

The article gives a simple outline of how to build and operate a short shaft direct bloomery furnace. Photographs by Neil Peterson and Paul Halasz (above) illustrate some of the DARC Iron Smelt Team in our past work, especially at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC in 2010.

One of the articles from this issue that is open to the internet public is by Neil Peterson,' 50th Anniversay of L'Anse aux Meadows' an overview of that entire presentation.

Winter Work...

2012-01-08T11:21:00.004-05:00

What the HECK has he been up to?

Three primary projects:

1) DARC to LAM 2012

At this point I've compiled the working budget. The contract is between Parks Canada and the Wareham Forge, who have approached us about mounting a living history program at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC with tentative dates July 119 - 29. Needless to say, getting a contract team of eight (which may expand to as many as 14 +) 3000 km from our Central Ontario base is a major logistical effort. Waiting at this point to get a firm commitment on presentation dates - and budget approval.

2) Completing Vandy's Weaving Shed

This is a 'temporary' styled work building (frame on deck block supports) 8 x 16 base. It is intended to house the large four harness loom, with shelving for bulk weaving / textiles supplies. It is set to pull as much solar gain as possible via a pair of insulated sliding glass doors on the south face (scrounged from the dump!). In use it will plug in via an extension cord, and our old box stove will provide cold season heat.

3/4 view, to roughly NE (from the corner of the main building). The slanted steel roof is set to make best use of the winter sun angle.

3) Revamping the Wareham Forge Web site

(And maybe learning PHP?) Once again I am working towards what will be pretty much a complete graphic revision of the (huge!) Wareham Forge web site. Part of my problem is that the site was started in the mid 1990's, when everyone was on slow dial up - and sites were primarily text based.
The world has changed, speeding up and getting ever more compact. I've rarely *removed* anything from the site, which currently holds a total of some 225 MB worth of files (over 100 pages and over 1000 images!)

The prototype work so far:
This was my first design. This would be a standardized framework, with pull down menus to the left for the major topic areas. I personally *like* the use of dark backgrounds with lighter type as a bold graphic statement - however...

This is where I'm leaning on version two. (The existing content for the individual information pages goes into the white box - which will even out the layout.) It has been suggested by a number of observers that the use of lighter backgrounds generally looks 'more professional'. (??)

On design & colour - the theory used on the whole web site:
(This may be stupid, but here is why.) I decided at the inception (some 15 years back) that the whole web site should 'look like me'. The reason was, 'if you don't like how I present myself, you will likely not like me (either) and maybe I'm not the one you should be working with'. This is a two pronged decision. It strengthens some individual people's choices, but admittedly limits in some other areas (professional architects as a possible example). Question for me has always been 'Do I want to work with that kind of person anyway??' (On the rare occasion I have been contacted from that quarter, it has NEVER worked out in the end.)
The individual topic sections are marked by shared backgrounds / colour shifts. Frankly, I have no clear idea if the casual user even notices (??)
I have made some limited attempt to design the site so as to keep it high in the Google rankings. I consistently sit 'above the fold' (top 5 - 6 results) for a large number of potential searches. But frankly, that ranking system changes so quickly, I have come to think that chasing the rankings is a fools game. I manage primarily on the longevity of the site (over 15 years now) and especially on the volume of content.

This all is a massive amount of work. My pay off is that the internet is my primary source of new commissions.

Composing an F&Q

2012-01-05T10:33:00.004-05:00

- As regular readers know, I often rant about the less than well thought out questions I get asked. The instant nature of e-mail and the internet spawns (increasingly) way too many e-mails, asking questions that are covered in full inside the Wareham Forge web site - or here on Hammered Out Bits.

FAQ

"I have never done any blacksmithing and I want to make knives. Is there a one day course to teach me?"

Short - No

Long :
Forging blades successfully requires considerable hammer control. And how to make a number of basic shapes. And how to carefully judge temperatures. Then how to forge actual blades.
An extremely talented student *might* be able to forge a simple blade on the second day of a special two day program. I don't advise this however. Take a basic level course, then PRACTICE forging, *then* take the regular two day 'Introduction to Bladesmithing' course.

"I want a copy of this thing by another artisan (insert image from internet here). Can you make it?"

Short - Yes - but I *will* not.

Long :
Go to the original artist who made the thing in the first place.
I do not copy the original work of other artisans. I most certainly will *not* work cheaper.
I will discuss creating a new original design *inspired* (but significantly modified) by the works of other artisans.

"Can you make this thing faster / cheaper than the commercial version."

Short - No

Long:
The reason commercial products are cheaper and faster is that machines are set up to allow for high volume production. I make every object individually, one at a time. There is no 'economy of scale' involved.
Remember the 'Iron Triangle' : you can have something cheap, you can have something fast, or you can have something *good* - but only *one* of those. The aspect that is sure to suffer if you want it cheap and or fast is having any kind of good quality. You will get *exactly* what you pay for.

"I want this thing made in a movie / comic / illustration / game. Can you make it?"

Short - Yes, but you will not like it.

Long :
Anything seen in a fantasy, is just that - a fantasy. Objects in the real world are constrained by materials, and physics. You can NOT effectively swing a 15 lb sword. A chain mace the size of a basket ball will weigh 100 lbs.
I *can* create replicas of these fantasy objects, but because I use *real* materials and methods, the end result will be display objects (at best).

"Why does it take so long to make (insert complex object here)?"

Short - Good work takes time, and I do more than just hammer.

Long :
Developing skill takes years, and years cost you strength, I'm certainly 'better' than I was at 35, but those 20 plus years have taken a physical toll.
Don't forget the time for setting up and prototyping. Since almost everything I make is a one of a kind original object, each piece is a potential voyage of discovery.
Running a business (at any level) requires so much more than just making things. On an average day I spend roughly 10 hours on 'work', but a real productive day for me has only 2 - 3 hours actually at the forge.
I make each object one at a time, and projects are scheduled as individual commissions are finalized.
Depending on time of year, there is teaching, demonstrating, documentation, research, maintanence... all to be undertaken as well.
See : the Iron Triangle.

This is a work in progress. I hope to add the finished list to the web site in a week or two. (Yea, I know, if they are not reading the information already available...)

Peterson House - Front Supports : INSTALLED

2011-12-24T14:44:00.009-05:00

- Yesterday, with the kind help of home owner Neil Peterson, I finally installed the forged support pillars that I have been working on for the last two months:

Overview of the two supports as seen from the front sidewalk.

Each support is a bundle of forged pipe, a central load bearing support of 2 inch, surrounded by a group of smaller diameter pieces. There are four of 1 inch, plus four of 3/4 inch, the latter drawn out to long tendrils. The bundles are wrapped by tendrils of 3/8 inch round at four places.

I had made an earlier commentary on the design aspects leading to this project :

Where DO Ideas Come From - Peterson House


Looking North to the hop trellis	Looking South - to the earlier fence extension project.	The view SE - framing the church across the street.

Top of the North Pillar	Close up of the forged pipes with tendril wrap section.	Top of the South Pillar

Remember this?

2011-12-22T10:24:00.004-05:00

I do.

In fact we had just gotten our very first Video Cassette Recorder (a high tech front loading Betamax) the day before the Live Aid concert in 1985.

Take a listen (and a look) and come back...

What I hear, what I see, and what I remember - is that despite the energy, this piece of music was a lament. A cry to action. No one is featured in their glam rock perfection. A lot of sweaty tee shirts. You can see that they mean what they are singing.

Ok ?

Now take a look at this recent version:

Sorry Glee Cast (and more likely FOX television)

Are you frackin' kidding?

Now look, I really like Glee. I find it generally entertaining. I mostly like the characters. A good 50 % of the time I like the music (enough that I have scooped a good dozen for my iPod).

But this is SO far off the mark. Happy, Happy. The meaning is totally buried under all that star power.
And these are supposed to be HOMELESS? Are you bloody well kidding? Awful middle America, middle class, white bread, clean and well turned out. Don't look a thing like the Homeless I've seen in Toronto.
Hell, I just grew up 'short' (and still live short) - and *I* don't look that fat and happy!

Remember this song is supposed to be a rally cry for Africans starving to death in a famine?
One that still continues after now some 25 years?

Bah! Humbug!

Schiffer Releases Ironwork Today 3

2011-12-18T12:05:00.004-05:00

Any readers who are artisan smiths might remember that about two years back there was an open call for current work to be included in a new volume in the Ironwork Today series.

There is a bit of a story behind this series. Author Donna Meilach had written an influential volume Decorative and Sculptural Ironwork, back in the late 1970's. Donna had taken a number of courses in smithing, then spent time with the developing art smithing movement, primarily in the South West USA. Her survey book was the first to cross the divide between the practical world of working smiths and the more abstract vision of the artist and fine art curator. Along with short b&w photo essays illustrating how individual smiths created particular objects, there were collections of some of the best artistic blacksmithing work of the time.
Donna remained an active participant at ABANA conferences, and in the developing internet. In the late 1990's Donna decided to revise the original Decorative & Sculptural. At the time she made an open call through the internet discussion groups for additional images of recent work to be included in the central gallery section of the book. Yikes! She got a huge number of submissions of both high quality contemporary work - with suitable quality images. So many in fact, that she launched on a series of a half dozen additional survey works. The last of these was Ironwork Today, Inside and Out. As the series of books progressed, an increasing number of Ontario artisan blacksmiths had their work included.
But Donna was never able to complete the intended Ironwork Today 2. On her untimely death, the task of completing book two was assumed by Jeffrey Snyder. (Questionably, although Donna's hand is obvious in this book, Snyder assumes sole authorship.)

To get a submission of work into this kind of volume, not only does the work itself need to have both solid technique and outstanding design. The photographs themselves need to be both of high quality and striking in composition as well. (A word to the wise here - always take the time to get the best possible images of your work as it is completed and installed.)

Ironwork Today 3, after several delays, has just been released. In past volumes in the series, objects were grouped by type. Snyder has chosen to give each individual a separate section, listed alphabetically. A total of over 70 individuals are featured. Again there some local artisans are included, with submissions from OABA members Darrell Markewitz, David McCord, and David Robertson.

My first criticism is of Snyder's basic method. Although he is listed as an author, in reality he is at best only an editor of other people's work. It is clear that each individual contributor has written their individual statements and commentaries. Because of this, the book has no overall structure, save as an alphabetical list. This is a flaw that extends right back to the initial call for submissions, where the instructions about content were vague .
This also extends to the variation in the images themselves. Some are overview shots on white seamless backgrounds (thus lacking in detail). Some are extreme close-ups in high contrast (thus lacking context). Some have the look of the work of professional photographers, some obviously are lower quality work of the contributing smiths themselves.
I find that the variation in quality also extends to both the commentaries and descriptions. The type of content included for each artist is not consistent. It is so obvious that many of those included have learned the lingo of the art critic:

" The architectural framework of a piece becomes a canvas onto which I can paint an iron improvisation. Artistic blacksmithing is for me the place where Fire, Rhythm, Iron and Ideas meet and cause a spontaneous combustion of my spirit that I can only watch manifest"
(John Winer)

Not only are such grand pronouncements questionable, seeing page after page of so many attempting to frame up the same kind of rationalization gets extremely annoying.
On the quality of the work side, there is obviously a sliding of the scale downwards in relation to past volumes. There are more of examples of work that may be nice, but frankly not exceptional. If only speaking for myself, I was highly honoured to have been included in Donna's last book, but find the relative quality of my own work appears artificially shifted higher if Ironwork 3 was in fact the standard.

It is nice to see your work illustrated in book form, but the lack of direction and frankly lack of visible contribution by Snyder results in a volume that is little more than a vanity publication.
So taken in total, I would suggest that the cover price (roughly $55 US) on Ironwork Today 3 might be better spent on one of the earlier books by Donna Meilach. Most especially a copy of Decorative & Sculptural Ironwork, if that is not already in your library.

Other books by Donna Meilach :
Architectural Ironwork
The Contemporary Blacksmith
Decorative and Sculptural Ironwork
Direct Metal Sculpture
Fireplace Accessories
Ironwork - Dynamic Details
Ironwork Today, Inside and Out
Ironwork Today 2 (although not credited)

On a strictly personal note, although I was happy to be included, I was displeased that neither my web site or my e-mail address had been included on my own section. Both were given for most all the other contributors.

PS - I was highly annoyed by Schiffer's shipping costs. My $175 order of books cost some $70 to mail to Wareham (from Pennsylvania).

CanIRON 9 - Quebec

2011-12-13T13:35:00.002-05:00

I just got this from event organizer (and fellow Early Iron member) Antoine Marcal :

Antoine Marçal posted in Caniron IX
Antoine Marçal 13 December 11:56
Bonne nouvelle!
Nous avons confirmation du lieu et des dates de Caniron IX:
du 28 juin au 1er juillet 2013 sur le lieu historique national des Forges-du-Saint -Maurice!

Good news!
We have confirmation of the dates and location of CanironIX!
From the 28 June to the 1st July 2013 on the Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site of Canada

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/qc/saintmaurice/index.aspx
Parks Canada - Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site - Forges du Saint-Maurice National His
www.pc.gc.ca
Located 20 minutes away from downtown Trois-Rivières, Québec, the Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site...

BTW - that logo is most certainly NOT official! Just something I whipped up quickly to grace this post.

Russian VA Iron Smelt...

2011-12-12T11:08:00.003-05:00

This video clip was suggested by one of the Early Iron gang:

As seen on YouTube - posted by 'zoomantiq'

The clip shows a team from Russia (given the Cyrillic text) working at a large living history (Viking Age?) event.

I quite like the simplicity of the basic construction method. Use of bundled straw for interior form is elegant.

I do wonder at the purpose of the base construction.
The built up earth plinth may be primarily to raise the height of the furnace. This appears to be explained in commentary. Other than raising the furnace for ease of access, its hard to understand why.
Considerable care is taken with the construction of the base, with a layer of straw, covered with a clay cobb plate, this in turn with what appears to be a semi refractory layer. (Light coloured clay that appears to be mixed with charcoal fines.
This same light material is used as the inner layer for what looks like the first 10 cm of the furnace wall.

The interior diameter of the furnace looks to be roughly 20 - 25 cm.

Note the bellows size and style (medium size double action - Late Medieval) Depending on pump rate (hard to determine from the video) this equipment should be able to supply plenty of air volume.
Use of steel pipe for bellows tube / tuyere
Set at basically flat angle (only slight downwards)
Very shallow base distance below tuyere (perhaps 10 cm??)

The is use of round port for tapping. Appears to be at same height as the tuyere.
There was no tapping event recorded, and no tap slag visible in later parts of the smelt.

Total furnace height looks quite short, the entire furnace may achieve (barely) 40 cm total. Considering placement of the tuyere, this suggests a very short reactive column.

Charcoal is roughly broken for size, scoop from pile method for screening out fines.

Ore appears to be hematite / iron sand or oxide powder (brown ochre) ?
Laid in a large slabs rather than sprinkled through charges. Only two charges shown, and it would be important to know how much ore was used.

There is use of flux (a fine white powder - may be borax?) near end of smelt.
May be explained in commentary, but why?

Furnace is allowed to burn out and basically go cold.
Extraction is by breaking out rear wall to expose interior.

When the interior is exposed, the slag mass certainly looks considerably above the height of the tuyere. Was the smelt halted because the tuyere was blocked? (Commentary may explain?)

On the extraction, three pieces are pulled aside.
The first (which is the piece in the smelter's hand near the end) is holding heat in a manner that at least suggests there may be some iron in it. If so, it is extremely lacy and small. The second piece is dense and dark, and looks like iron rich slag. The last piece (seen again near the end of the video) is light coloured green, typical of an iron poor slag (melted furnace walls).
Obviously the comments of the team would be important to understanding their results.

It appears the smelt master has determined the pieces containing iron by look and weight. It might have been more instructive (for him and us) if these fragments had remained hot enough that they could have been hammer compressed. Just quenching will sometimes break away some of the loosest slag component, but normally not enough to get a really accurate read on just how much iron might be included in such lacy pieces.

A Historic Tool ??

2011-12-10T08:25:00.006-05:00

A recent question came in about a historic object:

... I was looking into historic blacksmithing in the area of Peterborough, Ontario. I am an art conservation student at Fleming College in Peterborough and I recently completed a project treating a heavily rusted 19th century tool made of a mild steel (which I was told may be a blacksmithing tool). However, I am completely baffled as to what the tool is and what it was used for!

Megan

Click to see at approximately life sized.

The image above was altered from Megan's original -
Rendered via Photoshop because of possible copyright concerns

From the scale, the object is roughly 38 cm long by 16 cm wide (so roughly 15 x 6 1/2 inches). The overall construction is rather 'light' - with the components of the frame looking to be about .5 cm / 1/4 inch in thickness. The maximum width of the clamp is about 5 cm / 2 inches at full extension. This strongly suggests not a metalworking application, but something to be used for much lighter materials. (My WAG is for wood working??)

There is no doubt is was 'blacksmith made' (hand forged, forge welds, hand cut threads). I take it you have tested to ensure that it is made of mild steel, which dates it to post 1855 at the very earliest (Bessemer furnace date).

Although I can see the object is intended to be mounted to a wooden bench in roughly the same position as in your image, I can't for the life of me think of what it would be useful *for*.

Maybe one of my readers (a lot of blacksmiths and history types) will be able to identify this tool?

Personally, I have not a clue!

Later Addition

Those that caught this first thing this morning did see an actual photograph. When I e-mailed Megan for permission* she asked that the image not be published due to possible copyright concerns. (Since I've been working with artifacts for a long time, I'm personally less concerned about this - see a past commentary )

I've gotten a couple of questions :

Yes, the lower 'wing nut' does screw / move to push against the sliding bar near the top. It would place pressure on to the bar, but gravity would release it.

The first 'more likely suggestion came in from Matt Balent (via Facebook) :

"Perhaps for compressing/clamping broom straw?"

When I was at Black Creek Village, we had used a simple clamp made ourselves (well, by Ian Bell) from two slabs of wood and a couple of bolts. After the straw had been wrapped to a circular stick handle, the clamp was placed just bellow this attachment point. Then a needle and string were stitched through the flattened straw. Several courses of this would convert the cylinder to a flat oval cross section when the clamp was removed.
Doing this with a bench mounted clamp would be even easier. (If you look at a modern corn broom, you will see the same basic method used.)
It was pointed out by a couple of comments that the six inch width of the clamp might make it a bit small for this purpose.

Even Later!

From Sheldon Browder :

"It's a string mop holder, purely and simply. A mop handle goes on the tang and 1/2 of the mop strings go on each side of the clamp. The photo is upside down."

Now Sheldon was a master blacksmith at Colonial Williamsburg for a good long time. His knowledge of Settlement / Colonial Period objects has always impressed me.

Image scammed via Google from www.attitudeproduct.com

I must admit that I am old enough to remember using a modern version of the same purpose tool. Details a bit hazy at this point, but there was a roughly similar arrangement of a D shaped frame with a plate that could be tightened against the flat bar, gripping the centre of the string bundle. In that case the construction was stainless steel, and there was a bolt and thumb screw on either side of the gripping plates. The handle fitted into a conical socket (which is a stronger arrangement).

* The Price of Advise!
"By contacting the Wareham Forge, any individual or organization is presumed to have given consent for the collection of such information as is required for the Wareham Forge to carry on its normal business related activities."

Standard Web Site Disclaimer

Those sending me e-mails asking for advise (unpaid consulting) may see my answer to their question re-formatted and turned into a posting here on Hammered Out Bits. I normally echo these posts on to Facebook (at least as a short description and link back). I do take care to remove any personal data (for their own security) and normally will request permission before posting any personal image that may be sent to me. (This does not apply to images pulled down off the open internet by the way).

Gamer's View on Metals, Armour & Weapons

2011-12-04T11:35:00.001-05:00

- There is a interplay between material, technology and application throughout history. In our real world, the reason why a specific type of metal was used for a specific form of armour & weapons can have to due with more complex factors than 'what is most effective. (My favourite example is the Trojan War being fought with *bronze* armour and weapons - although *iron* technologies had been developed at least 1500 years earlier!)
This piece may not necessarily be insightful to a good number of my regular readers. It maybe does represent a kind of creative thought experiment however.

I am a private game designer and am in the middle of writing a game that utilizes different metals for forging primarily armor and weaponry. I have a compiled list of most metals and alloys but I'm having extreme difficulty in generating a 'generalized' list of the most common metals / alloys used, and maybe with a few durable rare ones I'm not aware of, that are used for weapon and armor forging and what their comparable strengths are when compared against one another based on damage type received (blunt, slashing etc.)
...
Could you, or would you please, help me to figure out the best types of metals for armor and weaponry over the others and why they're better or why they shouldn't be used either for weapon crafting, armor crafting or both?

Dan

So - your problem (as with all *game* designs) is the line between the real world and the ideal in a game universe

First thing I should mention is that the melting points are not (basically) important here. They may give you some idea of the working temperatures, but most of the *functional* metals and alloys are in fact not cast (melted and poured) but either cold hammered / hot forged.
So here is some basic information for you / I have re-ordered the list in terms of 'effectiveness' - plus added some stuff you have not considered. The way the individual materials is worked - or the form of the armour itself is also an important factor to consider.

'skilled' means a generally useful individual with basic knowledge and tools
'specialist' means a trained individual with specifc tools
'expert' means an experienced artisan with highly specific tools

Listed 'lowest to highest'

ARMOURS

Quilted cloth (non metal)
soft (minimal protection, but cheap and easy)
some resistance to thrust and slash (but minimal at the 'seams') minimal against crushing
no special tools

Leather (non metal)
soft (minimal protection, but cheap and easy)
some resistance to thrust, better against slash, not good against axes
no special tools

Boiled leather (non metal)
boiled or baked with wax
better resistance to thrust, good against slash, slightly better against crushing
no special tools

Horn (non metal)
most typically used as scale construction
slightly better resistance to thrust, good against slash, less effective against crushing
very materials intense to produce

Scale
overlaping pieces of metal (horn, boiled leather) on cloth or leather vest
varies with material used
very good against slash, good against thrust, less effective against crushing
labour intense to produce

Chain
interlocked rings of metal
1) butted ends
2) rivet closed
3) welded
very good against slash, good against thrust (only fair against arrows), less effective against crushing
extremely labour intense to produce
extremely fatiguing to wear

Coat of Plates
'vest' of leather or heavy cloth - contains bars or small plates of metal
varies with metal used
bars - very good against slash, not great against thrust, good against crushing
plates very good against slash, thrust, good against crushing
minimal metal working required

Primary Plate
large pieces cover non moving body areas (chest, thigh, forearm)
varies with metal used
very good against slash, thrust, crushing
skilled metal working required
good balance of protection vs fatigue

Articulated Plate
larger plates over front sides of target areas, moving plates over major joints (knees & elbows)
usually worn over chain (to protect inside of joints)
excellent against slash, thrust, crushing
specialist metal working, careful fitting
extremely fatiguing to wear

Full Plate
entire body covered with fully moving plates (may include inside of joints)
exceptional against slash, thrust, crushing
expert metalworking, careful fitting
moderately fatiguing to wear.

METALS

Lead and Lead Alloys (pewter)
extremely soft (virtually useless as armour)
almost no resistance to thrust, slash crushing
could be either cast to shape or cold hammered from sheet
widely available

Tin (melts at 232 degrees C)
marginly better than lead (virtually useless as armour)
almost no resistance to thrust, slash crushing
could be either cast to shape or cold hammered from sheet
remote and limited sources, used as an alloy component for bronze

Copper (melts at 1083 degrees C)
soft, but can be slightly work hardened
typically cold hammered to shape (difficult to cast)
possible use for scale, coat of plates
weapons - slashing, crushing
alluvial deposits
skilled working

Silver (melts at 1064 degrees C)
soft, but can be slightly work hardened (varys with alloy)
typically cold hammered to shape, could be cast
high cost against lack of function (never used )
alluvial deposits

Gold (melts at 1064 degrees C)
extremely soft (varys slightly with alloy)
typically cold hammered to shape could be cast
extreme high cost against lack of function (never used)
alluvial deposits

Electrum (gold-silver alloy) (melts at 1064 degrees C)
soft, but can be slightly work hardened (varys with alloy)
typically cold hammered to shape could be cast
high cost against lack of function (never used )

Bronze (copper-tin alloy) (melts at 950-1083 degrees C, depending on the proportion of tin)
Speculum (high-tin bronze) (melts at 850-950 degrees C, depending on the proportion of tin)
Tin in this alloy has the effect of lowering the melting point, and increasing the hard / brittleness of the mixture. So at 15% plus the alloy casts very easily, but is so brittle it breaks if dropped on a hard surface. Depending on alloy, the lower tin contents can be hammered cold. All alloys can be cast, or hot forged.
the advantage to bronze is that it is easily cast into moulds, making mass production possible
primarily seen as primary plate
weapons based on thrust rather than slash (spears)
specialist working

Stone
depending on stone type, finished blades can be *extremely* sharp, problem is that they are also very brittle.
no armour applications
weapons slashing or crushing
skilled working

Iron (melts at 1536 degrees C)
Pure wrought iron is actually *softer* than a high tin bronze. Wrought iron is quite flexible, so resists impact damage (sword may bend, but not break)
Iron ores are everywhere, and althought the production of ore to iron is difficult, working iron bars into objects is relatively easy.
Iron is hot forged to shape. Armour may have cold hammering to finish
suits all armour types, especially chain, plate
weapons of all types, especially slashing
specialist work to smelt
specialist work to forge
skilled work for basic repairs

Steel (iron-carbon alloy) (melts at 1300-1536 degrees C, depending on the proportion of carbon)
Small quantities of carbon (typically .2 - 1 %) allow radical changes to the qualities of the metal via a complex heat treating process. As carbon increases, so does potential hardness, but also potential brittleness. Individual alloys best suit specific applications only (.5 carbon for swords, .75 carbon for knives)
The 'case hardening' process bakes a thin layer of higher carbon over the surface of a softer wrought iron core. This method was often used for plate armours.
suits all armour types, especially plate types
weapons of all types, especially slashing
Steel is hot forged to shape. Armour may have cold hammering to finish
expert work to smelt
specialist to expert work to forge
skilled work for basic repairs

Layered Steels
The best way to create exceptional weapons (to the advent of modern exotic alloy steels) was to layer together thin plates of wrought iron (flexible) and carbon steel (hard). The resulting layered block combines the primary desired qualities of the two components.
Layered steels are hot forged to shape
weapons - primarily slashing
expert work to forge
specialist to expert work to repair

Note : The sole *historical* exotic alloy used was nickel iron - sourced from metallic meteors. Nickel contents typically 7 - 15 %. (For comparison, your modern table knife is roughly .5 % nickel) Likely you would place it on this simple chart between Steels and Layered Steels

Note : The iron alloys were never used as a cast material (carbon content over 1.5 %) for either weapons or armour. Although easy to mass produce, the metal is brittle -and because of the process extremely heavy.

Yule Sale!

2011-12-03T15:23:00.001-05:00

YULE SALE
December 1 - 31

Discounts on Overstock Items!

'Iron' Broaches - FREE SHIPPING : Saves you 25 % +

Romano-British Utility Knives - FREE SHIPPING : Saves you 25 % +

Norse and Celtic Pewter Castings - TWO FOR ONE : Saves you 50 % +

FREE SHIPPING on DVD / CD ROM


Introduction to BLACKSMITHING	Historic BLADESMITHING	Forging the VIKING AGE	IRON SMELTING in the Viking Age	Exploring the Viking Age in Denmark

Just in case you might be wondering 'Just WHAT does he spend his time on?'
I started working on this: writing, taking images, formatting, coding, inserting... about 10 Am this morning. Its now 3:30 PM - and I worked straight through without lunch.

What is True - or what they want?

2011-11-30T14:24:00.001-05:00

'Wrought Iron Work'
What it really is - what it really means...

Wrought Iron was the metal of the ancient smith :
• It is a specific type of material, both chemically and physically much different than modern mild steels. Wrought Iron is typically forged (hot worked) at different temperatures, when finished is softer and more flexible than our modern day steels, and is more resistant to basic oxidation (rusting).
• The truth is that real wrought iron has not been produced in commercial quantities since the late 1970's. It is basically NOT AVAILABLE anywhere in the Western world, save as re-cycled antique material.
• Despite what may be claimed by some, all modern smiths work with industrially produced mild steel bars.
• Today, most self described "wrought iron workers" are in fact using machine formed, cold twisted, mild steel elements which have been mass produced over standard forms - then arc welded together. Typically these shops employ not blacksmiths, but welders and production fabricators. Most often the poor design, and frequent duplication, of the objects they manufacture clearly reflects these limitations.

A truism among actual artisan blacksmiths :
When some one says they are producing 'wrought iron work' - the first question should always be -
"Where did you get the iron?"

Opening segment from 'Wrought Iron Work' - new commentary / description on the Wareham Forge

So - how does this relate back to the title?

I have been concerned of late about the way the internet is shaping information. Increasingly, useful content is becoming buried under the dross - the noise. *

I was early involved in the developing internet - my first service provider was back in the days of bulletin boards (although they call that kind of thing 'chat' these days). I started working up the original Wareham Forge web site in the mid 1990's (some point about 96 - 98)/ Over the years I have been able to maintain a Google ranking 'above the fold' (top 10, often the top 5), based on longevity, lots of content - and I hope accurate (or at lest interesting) information.

But more and more, I see other sites with far less to offer (on so many levels) edging me out. I see individuals catering to the whims of an increasingly trend driven population.
'Sure, I *know* I don't actually work with wrought iron - but its what people want to find...'

Might just be me.
Expecting to be able to shape the world to what is true - rather than just giving people what they *think* they want...

*Sturgeon's Rule : 95 % of EVERYTHING - is garbage.

Forging the BIG Time (again!)

2011-11-26T17:08:00.001-05:00

...more on the Peterson House Project.

In the last post, I described the creation process leading to the final design.
Now, that looks great on paper, or even as a sample piece, there are some practical realities that need to be considered.
'Expand the diameter to six inches for visual weight' :

Calculating pipe sizes against desired bundle width. Locating the tendril wrap locations.

This is a 'size as' drawing I used to visualize / convert my available stock sizes into the layout. I'm working with standard schedule 40 mild steel pipe (most typically used for water lines). One ongoing problem for me is that the material is defined by its *interior* diameter, but as an artist, I'm more interested in its *exterior* measurement. Of course all the specifications are in thousandths of an inch, which messes me up even more. (Additionally, something I just found out - and should have known - is that as the diameters increase, so does the individual wall thickness increases!)
So what I ended up with is using 2 inch (2 3/8 OD) for the central support. To evenly distribute a bundle of tubes around this circle, I have a total of four at 1/2 inch ( 3/4 OD) and four at 3/4 inch (1 inch OD).

Physical strength was NOT going to be a problem here! Physical WEIGHT on the other hand...

I've got a handy little booklet (from Canada Steel) which lists the weight per foot of many standard industrial steel stocks.
On my scratch notes, you can see the unit weight for the various pipe sizes.
Now, bare in mind that I will be working with pieces roughly 10 feet long. The central support pieces (that 2 inch) may not seem like much, at roughly 58 lbs total, but when you make that 10 feet long...
Try forging one end while your are holding (balancing) the other *with one hand*. And consider moving that length, part of it orange hot, around the shop.

My new 3 burner gas forge (rebuilt largely for this project) with the two main support tubes heating.

A larger view, giving some idea of how long those tubes really are!

Anvil? Using my heavy layout table (3/8 plate steel top) as a forging surface. Working with a 5 lb hammer.

Detail of the finished profiling. The surfaces more deformed than aggressively shaped.

Just to put the work into perspective (for those that don't know me).
Those 58 lb tubes represent over 1/3 of my own body weight!

The surfaces are deformed with slightly flattened and spiral shaped grooves. Because it is important to retain the load baring strength of the main tubes, the circular cross sections are not 'pinched' too much.

The next step was to work up the smaller sized pipe. Because this material was not really adding (much) to the structural strength, it could be much more aggressively flattened and folded. The smaller cross section also means that even as a flattened oval cross section, it was possible to twist sections.

Showing one end of the 3/4 ID pipe as forging was completed.

One last note:
On the calculation of weights is also seen the costing for the materials. For *small* objects, normally the cost of the steel is minimal next to the contribution for labour. Not so for architectural work, especially for pieces as massive as these structural uprights. Each finished support, roughly 8 1/2 feet long, will consume almost 200 feet of the various pipe diameters. The cost of this material is approximately $400. (An indication of the relative price for the finished project.)

Oh - one last thing. With the tendril wraps, and some vine work at top and bottom, each completed support unit is estimated to weigh roughly 150 lbs. (And yes, there is a 'large object tax'!)

Where DO Ideas Come From (3) - Peterson House

2011-11-26T08:53:00.001-05:00

My current commission is for a replacement set of supports under a front porch at Peterson House in St Agatha.
The house is late 1800's, a nice 'short two story' brick, what could be considered an affluent farm house of the period. The front porch covers the entry for the original entry door, with a small balcony above off the master bedroom. The original sculpted wooden pillars have rotted out. Part of the project has included replacing some of the timber support beams underneath.


Peterson House - This image altered to 'remove' existing structure

As with any project of this nature, there is a structural component, plus an artistic consideration. I had done some work earlier in the year for the clients, in that case an extension to the existing fence. (To the left side of the house.) The first possibility was to continue working in that theme - a design based on the natural lines of vines with large leaf end terminals. As usual, I sat down with the clients and had them pour over a number of book collections of contemporary work by other artisan smiths. We marked things they liked, with me making notes on their specific comments. Later, I took a more careful look at those pieces, narrowing down the general outlines from all the specific illustrations.

From this I was able to generate a number of rough layouts. One specific structural requirement was going to come to dominate the possibilities - that there had to be a strong vertical line of metal to support the weight of the heavy porch roof and its upper deck. In most cases, this reduced the visual aspect of the potential designs to look too much like 'a beam with stuff stuck on to it'.

In the end, I was struck by the potential from something else entirely:

Runnels of slag - Slag Pit Smelt 1 - October 2011

Neil has become my enthusiastic right hand for the ongoing experimental iron smelts here in Wareham. The massive slag block produced in our 'slag pit' smelt in October was composed of individual runnels of slag, running downwards through a bundle of willow sticks. Even at the time, we both remarked on the artistic possibilities.
So I was struck by a potential design - using a bundle of individual tubes, instead of one major structural elements. In fact, a bundle of smaller tubes would be *stronger*, with the many side wall cross sections combining to the load carrying capability. Inspired by the folding and bulging of the slag, individual tubes could be partially flattened, twisted, folded or surface deformed. The bundle would be both welded and then wrapped with tendrils of round rod. This would both massively reinforce the welds, but also add an additional decorative feature.

Of course - I couldn't really draw this concept effectively!
Faster to make a sample piece :

This is the original sample, composed of a total of five individual pieces of pipe. The central core is larger diameter (roughly 1 1/4 OD) and the outer pieces of smaller (thus more flexible!) pipe (roughly 7/8 OD). The sample is about two feet long, and has tendril wraps of 3/8 round at either end. A number of different forging techniques have been used on the individual pieces.
The competed sample bundle is roughly four inches wide.

At this point, I played some hoo-doo with Photoshop.
- First I photographed the sample piece from a number of different sides.
- I then spliced the images together to create an impression of what a full sized support would look like.
- I then scaled that image to fit the proportions of the modified image of the front of the house (with the existing structure removed digitally).

The problem here is the at the four inch width, the bundle just looks too small in proportion to the rest of the structure. Note that there is no problem with physical strength! The original pillars were roughly 6 x 6 inches, but turned into cylinders (which reduces the apparent visual 'weight').

Next I played some games with scale - and this is what the result was :

Here you see the bundle increased in size so it 'looks right'. Measuring from the known dimensions, the bundles should be closer to six inches wide. (The total height of each is roughly 8 1/2 feet.)
Also in this last illustration is a very rough concept for the lower hand rail. This element is not required by code, with the concrete porch only 18 inches above grade. The landscaping plan is to place a large plant into the current central gap. So the rail is more about a 'leaning' support. (The clients actually rarely even use the front entrance to the house.)To that end, the hand rail will be a simple arch shape, further supported by some organic and asymetrical curved elements on either end.

Next : Forging the BIG Time - converting design to reality

Bill Short on VIking Age Weapons & Combat

2011-11-25T09:01:00.001-05:00

My readers will be interested in this note from Bill Short, researcher, author and fellow Viking Age re-enactor. Bill is associated with the Higgins Armoury Musueum, and we of DARC have worked along side him on several occasions.

Generally, his Hurstwic web site is an excellent overview of many aspects of Norse archaeology, live and that group's ongoing experiments and research.

(The following was scooped from a recent Facebook posting from Bill)

William Short
I've been updating some of the Hurstwic web articles with additional and updated text, and with many dozens of new photos. A lot of the photos were shot for my next book and illustrate our current interpretation of Viking fighting moves from the sagas. The new material is interspersed with the old, but most of it is in the arms and armor articles:
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/arms.htm
and in the turfhouse article:
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/Turf_Houses.htm

Hurstwic: Viking Age Arms and Armor
www.hurstwic.org
Comparatively little is known about Viking age weapons, and even less is known about how the weapons were used. This limited knowledge is due to the limited sources we have available for the study of Viking age weapons and their use. This series of interlinked articles summarizes what is known ...

Archaeology & Experiment - Smelt at Brown University

2011-11-24T10:40:00.001-05:00

In April in 2011 I was able to deliver a version of the 'Archaeology & Experiment' program - at Brown University. This was thanks largely to the interest of my friend, colleague and sometime mentor Kevin Smith of Brown's Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. The program was organized in association with Krysta Ryzewski, who was teaching a course on the Archaeology of Materials.

The full written report on this experience is now (finally) available!

Brown / Haffenreffer - Archaeology & Experiment

There are considerably more photographs included than a normal, as the report covers not only the progress of the smelt, but also the teaching experience.

Lowering the slag bowl. Kevin Smith looking on, students observing the tuyere and maintaining ore and charcoal additions.

the Work and Mind of Jake Powning

2011-11-19T07:41:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you meet someone that makes you think - 'Boy, I wish that was me...'

Jake has recently posted up a series of commentaries about his most recent creation - Dagfinnr / the Day Finder :

The finished sword
The inspiration story behind the piece
A photo essay of the work in progress

I actually feel honoured that Jake Powning thinks of me as a friend and kindred spirit.
I wish my own work was even *half* as good as Jake's.

Found on the Beach ....

2011-11-18T10:34:00.001-05:00

.. but what does it mean?

On 05/11/11 2:41 PM, Peter wrote:

I'm writing to you to see if you or someone you know might be able to help me identify some items I found while walking along a beach on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. At the base of an eroding bank on a marine estuary with direct access to the ocean, I found what appears to be bloomery slag and a stone that might be a bellows shield stone.
Image by Peter Hosmer

First - remember the long history of European occupation in that area. Likely to the early 1600's, I'd think 1650 for certain.
Many of the earliest colony attempts by the English had a 'make it pay' set up. Iron smelting was one of the potential money making enterprises often attempted at many colonies.
Add to this the explosion of small bloomery furnaces all over the Colonies just after the Revolution. This to supply raw iron after the Americans cut themselves off from English industrial supplies! Many of these furnace operations used locally available primary bog ore, which is a resource quickly depleted. This, plus the huge amount of charcoal required, caused many of this kind of small operation to be relatively short lived.

The stone has a hole chiseled in the center and is about 18" long and 10" wide and 2" thick.
Image by Peter Hosmer

If this was in fact a bellows shield stone, one side would quite obviously be subjected to extremely high temperatures. There should be cracking and obvious discolouration. Depending on rock type, the stone itself might be physically melted. You might even find bits of slag attached to the stone. If both sides have the same appearance as shown in your photo - none of these effects are seen. It is very unlikely this stone has been exposed to the 1100 C plus temperatures created in a working charcoal forge.

Remember that side blast forges for charcoal were in common use up through the Colonial period into the early Industrial. Depending on just were you are located, suitable coal for forge work (a specific type and quality required) might not be available. Coastal locations often had coal shipped in from England. (See Revolution effect again). Until canals / rail systems are established, many locations were forced back to charcoal fuel. So even if this stone shows heat effects, it could easily be Colonial activities.

Although you did not expressly state 'Viking Age', I wonder if you were considering this?
Remember there is absolutely *no* physical archaeological evidence of Norse activities further south than central New Brunswick (and that most likely on the Bay of St Lawrence side). (Note that the 'Maine Penny' is held as a chance find - likely via First Nations' internal trade.) See this article by Dr Birgitta Wallace

The slag varies in size and appearance, and some pieces have shell fragments embedded in them. There is a relatively small amount of slag - perhaps a small pail full and over the course of the last 8 - 10 months could be seen emerging from the embankment as erosion took it's toll.
Image by Peter Hosmer

So - it is clear that the material is coming from the bank - not washed up out of the water?

Slag is produced from other high temperature activities, but the colour certainly suggests iron smelting slag. The dark colour indicates the presence of iron, as does the fluid shape of the pieces.

The shell fragments suggest a furnace set at natural ground level, this and the shape of the flow, from a slag tapping type. That type of furnace (as above) was used up to the 1800's at least, especially for small scale operations. What is the change in shore line at your location over the last 200 - 400 years?

The small amount suggests a small furnace - but you can not tell if you are just getting the first edges of a larger field.

Remember that there is a 'rough' balance in an iron smelting furnace :

Ore IN = Slag + Iron OUT

Now, this is pretty rough in an actual working furnace. Another consideration is yield, which is most directly modified by the iron content of the ore (but also relative furnace size, experience of the iron master, total size of the smelt itself). This all is going to effect how much slag is going to be left over from a given smelt attempt. Any way you look at it, the slag amount should be in the range of tens of kilograms. Much more than your photograph suggests.

If you really want to nail the potential dates, the shell fragments might be carbon dated. This would not be definitive, but might give you a kind of 'no older than' type of date.

I would first suggest checking local records and history to see if there is any record of Colonial iron smelting activities. Such are usually noted, both as 'proof of progress' in a settlement - but also because such operations usually were taxed as well!

As Regular Readers know, I often take this kind of request and turn it into a blog posting. Be Warned!

(In fact, it was the time I was spending on this type of information that lead me to start this blog in the first place.) If you want to know more about the mechanics of contacting me for a personal research request such as this, check the 'fine print' published on the web site.

why OCCUPY?

2011-11-13T08:43:00.001-05:00

"We are the 99 %" is a great rally cry.

It is not a statement of principles, or a demand.

I got lead into this via Jim Wright : Stonekettle Station :
http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-lessons-from-tea.html
http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/11/occupy-stonekettle-station-follow-up.html

And Jim had suggested taking a look another (opposing) viewpoint :

Eric Van Newkirk : Standing on the Shoulders of Giant Midgets :
http://shouldersofgiantmidgets.blogspot.com/2011/11/welcome-to-occupation.html

Go off and read all those. You might be gone a bit if you read some of the comments attached (I certainly took the time - and felt it was worth it).

The following list was placed in the comments to Eirc's article 'Welcome to the Occupation':

OCCUPY WALL STREET OFFICIAL DEMANDS PASSED, AS OF OCT. 21, 2011  

1. Repeal of the Patriot Act  
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." -- Fourth Amendment to the Constitution  Forty-five days after 9/11, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act without reading it. This new law was supposed to protect you from terrorism, but it has really left you unprotected against lawless federal agents. The Patriot Act contains numerous violations of the Fourth Amendment. It gives federal agents vast new powers that have been abused to investigate innocent Americans.

  2. ELIMINATE "PERSONHOOD" LEGAL STATUS FOR CORPORATIONS  

3. Forced Acquisition of the Federal Reserve for $1Billion  
No Congress, no President has been strong enough to stand up to the foreign-controlled Federal Reserve Bank. Yet there is a catch - one that President Kennedy recognized before he was slain - the original deal in 1913 creating the Federal Reserve Bank had a simple backout clause. The investors loaned the United States Government $1 billion. And the backout clause allows the United States to buy out the system for that $1 billion. If the Federal Reserve Bank were demolished and the Congress of the United States took control of the currency, as required in the Constitution, the National Debt would virtually end overnight, and the need for more taxes and even the income tax, itself. Thomas Jefferson was concise in his early warning to the American nation, "If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."  Article I, Section 8, Clause 5, of the United States Constitution provides that Congress shall have the power to coin money and regulate the value thereof and of any foreign coins. But that is not the case. The United States government has no power to issue money, control the flow of money, or to even distribute it - that belongs to a private corporation registered in the State of Delaware - the Federal Reserve Bank. 

4. Re Investigate the Attacks of 9-11-2001  
More and more evidence is being released to the public surrounding the suspicious circumstances surrounding 911. This measure would be included in the list of demands to show that the original investigation was significantly flawed.

5. What to name the Occupy Wall Street "Demands"

  6. CONGRESS ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY BY REVERSING THE EFFECTS OF THE CITIZENS UNITED SUPREME COURT DECISION
  which essentially said corporations can spend as much as they want on elections. The result is that corporations can pretty much buy elections. Corporations should be highly limited in ability to contribute to political campaigns no matter what the election and no matter what the form of media. This legislation should also RE-ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES IN THE U.S. SO THAT POLITICAL CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME FOR FREE AT REASONABLE INTERVALS IN DAILY PROGRAMMING DURING CAMPAIGN SEASON. The same should extend to other media.  

7. End the War On Drugs  
The war on drugs has been going on for more than three decades. Today, nearly 500,000 Americans are imprisoned on drug charges. In 1980 the number was 50,000. Last year $40 billion in taxpayer dollars were spent in fighting the war on drugs. As a result of the incarceration obsession, the United States operates the largest prison system on the planet, and the U.S. nonviolent prisoner population is larger than the combined populations of Wyoming and Alaska. 21 Sep 2011 - 15:17 21 Oct 2011 - 17:17 6570

 8. Require all Corporations to have Labour Representatives on Company Boards   

9. National Repeal of Capital Punishment   

10. Nationalize Health Care
(ALSO SEE "REAL HEALTH CARE REFORM" BELOW, VOTE STILL OPEN)

  11. Free education Kindergarten through college
  Redraft education financing legislation. Lower educational expenses for students instead of raising tuition costs. Pull money form the "WAR" system to refund education and continuing education. Forgive Student Loan Dept or restructure the Student Loan System so that students are not punished for self improvement and made into corporate slaves upon educating themselves. Standardized testing does not account for stereotype effect or cultural differences in learning styles in elementry schools. Reform education to make it either free or affordable to all. Reappropriation of tax to focus on educations subsidies.   

12. CONGRESS PASS HR 1489 ("RETURN TO PRUDENT BANKING ACT)  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-1489 ).
THIS REINSTATES MANY PROVISIONS OF THE GLASS-STEAGALL ACT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass--Steagall_Act --- Wiki entry summary: The repeal of provisions of the Glass--Steagall Act of 1933 by the Gramm--Leach--Bliley Act in 1999 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. Most economists believe this repeal directly contributed to the severity of the Financial crisis of 2007--2011 by allowing Wall Street investment banking firms to gamble with their depositors' money that was held in commercial banks owned or created by the investment firms. Here's detail on repeal in 1999 and how it happened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass--Steagall_Act#Repeal .    

13. Outlaw flash trading

  14. End Gender Discrimination - Equal Pay for Women   

15. Office of the Citizen  

16. The United States must sign and ratify all human rights agreements with all other countries

  17. USE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY AND OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL AGENCIES FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS

There is a second set of 'demands' listed, via the Huffington Post. This has been compiled by on the street interviews. Its a lot less structured, not surprisingly:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-hayat/occupy-wall-street_b_1089079.html

I realize that as a 'movement' - Occupy Wall Street has virtually no structure. Sorry, since there *is* not any structure, no leadership, no agreed to principles - its just a flash mob. No one really should be surprised there is no control, and that things get out of hand. It is more remarkable how little violence there has been, the lack of command and control taken into account.

You Canadians involved with the Occupy Movement!

Read that list again. See anything that even applies to Canada?

Maybe a couple of the most vague human rights related clauses. Almost all of which are actually ongoing processes already.

Its hardly surprising why most of the rest of us in that '99%' don't understand what this is all about, when the PARTICIPANTS don't even have much of an idea....

(and yes Steve, I know you warned me about political commentaries!)

Sauder on SMELTING

2011-11-12T08:42:00.001-05:00

Lee working with an Aristotle Furnace - Smeltfest 09

Lee Sauder, with his smelt partner Skip Williams, are in no doubt largely responsible for the current 'Early Iron Iron' movement in North America. Their quick and open friendship and guidance have been of critical importance to my own development and understanding of the Bloomery process.

Lee has recently re-vamped his own web site : www.leesauder.com

Most importantly, he has made a number of his research articles available as PDF downloads:
(this list copied directly from Lee's site)

Published Articles:
A Practical Treatise on the Smelting and Smithing of Bloomery Iron
This is the paper I wrote for Historical Metallurgy back in 2000, reporting our early work and challenging some of the prevailing notions about bloomery smelting.
Update on "The Practical Treatise"
An excerpt from a paper I expect to be published in the proceedinbgs of the 2010 conference. This summarizes some of the changes in my technique since the above paper.
The Basics of Bloomery Smelting
An introductory paper I wrote for The Anvil’s Ring back in 2000.
Practical Bloomery Smelting
A paper from 2001 for the Materials Research Society. Similar to the HMS paper, but a lot more concise.
Aristotle's Steel
Another paper forthcoming in the HMS 2010 Conference proceedings, describing an easy way to convert iron into steel.
A Journey Into Medieval Ironmaking
Written for the Anvil's Ring in 2010, reporting on my trip to England, and the work inspired by it.

Shop Reports:
Bloomery Construction
Step by step instructions for building a clay bloomery furnace.

Afghanistan ... and Viet Nam

2011-11-11T08:40:00.001-05:00

So now we're getting out of Afghanistan...

To Hear this Sound Clip

... And now, of course, we're leaving Vietnam... We're leaving through Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. It's the overland route. It's the long way out. Ya gotta go through China and Russia to get out that way. What'll we tell them, man? "We'll only be here six weeks. Just looking for the Ho Chi Minh Trail!" Wow. Maybe they'll buy it, y'know. Of course, you have to remember why we're over there in the first place...
Oh, yeah! It always comes to me. To free those people...
So they can have industry- yeah! US industry- YEAH! Those are the middle two letters of the word 'industry'..US. And that is our job around the world. Run in, free some people and whip a little industry on them. "Here's your industry. Cool it awhile, willya?"
...
Then you have to have to remember the sexual side of Vietnam which a lot of people don't notice. ... But they're always afraid of pulling out. That's their big problem, y'know? "Pull out? Doesn't sound manly to me, Bill. I say leave it in there and get the job done!"

'Cause that is, after all, what we're doing to that country, right?

George Carlin
*1972*

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

                   Afghanistan                              Viet Nam

US

'begins'        October 7, 2001                       November 1, 1955

'ends'         'Home by year's end' - 2011        August 15, 1973

'duration'    10 1/4 years                              19 1/2 years

troops        131,000 (Coalition total)             536,000 (US)

deaths        2713 (Coalition total)                 58,220 (US)

%               .02 (1 in 48)                             .1 (1 in 9)

Canada

'begins'        October 7, 2001                     unofficial

'ends'         'End of December' - 2011        unofficial

'duration'    10 1/4 years

troops            3,000                                 '30,000'

deaths            158                                    '117'

%            .05 (1 in 19)                            .004 ( 1 in 256)

Data gathered from Wikipedia, so should be considered 'soft'

I was intending to wax poetic about 'never should have done it'.
But those numbers should depress the hell out of anyone reading them.

One
in
Nineteen

Slag Pit Two - Report Ready

2011-11-09T06:59:00.001-05:00

Image by Vandy Simpson

The full report, with many images, has been published!

Go to the Wareham Forge Iron Smelting Documentation : Slag Pit 2 - November 5, 2011

'It came from the PIT'...

2011-11-07T07:46:00.003-05:00

November 5, 2011
'Celtic Iron Age' slag pit with Short Shaft Furnace.
Participating: Darrell Markewitz / Neil Peterson / Ian Fleming / Lloyd Johnson


Bloom after sectioning

Results:

Total Time : 3 hours 45 minutes (main sequence, not including compaction)
Total Ore : 19.2 kg industrial taconite
Total Charcoal : 45 kg (33 kg graded)

Total Bloom : 6.4 kg (including smaller fragment)
Total Yield : 33 %

I am extremely pleased with the operation of the furnace and the results!

It is clear that the results of the October 9 smelt were entirely due to the poor quality of the ore. With virtually identical layout, this second smelt using the slag pit system produced an excellent return of nicely compacted workable iron. The bloom was virtually slag free when it was extracted, with very little lacy 'mother' attached. Later spark testing indicates the metal has a slight carbon content, a bit less than standard 1018 mild steel (so about 1010 equivellant?)
It should be noted that our normal high volume air and furnace layout produced the type of dense 'puck' style bloom we normally expect.

Slag block exposed

The slag pit system worked virtually flawlessly, at no point was there any obstruction to the tuyere. As the taconite contains only a small amount of silica, the available slag was also considerably less than last time. Pieces of the clay 'donut' can be seen in the upper area of the pit itself, where they had broken free and sank dowwards as the heavier bloom had developed. Although not entirely clear in this image, the liquid slag hand run down through the central hole and eventually carbonized the supporting sticks.

The furnace itself remains in almost perfect condition! (In fact, the repairs made after the first use proved more durable than the original structure.) With a bit more care taken, the furnace was slid on wooden rails off to one side, then returned to place after the slag block was excavated and the pit re-filled. There is no reason that this furnace, with the original tuyere still in place, could not be used for another smelt.

Excellent work all round!

Thanks to Ian and Lloyd, who provided some much needed fresh hands for the compaction stage.

Slag Pit Two

2011-11-05T08:00:00.003-04:00

(or 'If first you don't succeed...')

DARC undertakes its annual fall smelt the weekend following Halloween each year. Although we are starting background research (on clay bodies) to return to our Hals / Icelandic series, we really did not have enough time from lab report through commercial sources to mount anything useful. I also wanted to give the 'Celtic Iron Age'* slag pit system one more try - this time with a half decent ore!

Furnace Layout

Part of the utility here is that we were able to save the actual furnace from the last smelt with minimal damage. The primary set up work (I thought) was going to be in building the pit portion of the set up. As you can see from the layout, this consisted of digging out the loose packing from the last smelt, then planting in another plastic pail.
A note to other experimenters: Although the original idea for using the plastic pail was based on simple ease and speed, in retrospect this proves an excellent method. The pails are standard - and easily acquired. As we found out from our last experiment, one holds about 40 kg of slag.

Detail of Base Layout

Acting on some advise from Lee Sauder (and after looking again at the work of others and the archaeology), I have placed a 'donut' of clay at the base of the furnace, to constrict the movement of slag into the pit. Based as much as what I had on hand, this material is a mixture of clay with about 50% charcoal fines. The sticks packing the pit are also much less uniform than those used on October's experiment. Here I did not trim off the smaller side twigs from the lengths. These were also cut from some branches I had soaking for a month in the pond (hoping to sprout them). Again, I will use the wet straw as a pad at the bottom, which worked extremely well last time. If I have any concern with this layout, it is that the space below tuyere level is going to be reduced to about 8 - 10 cm, which I think is going to prove a bit tight. Balanced against this is that the clay plug is very thin, and can easily be poked through with a rod from the top of the furnace.


View down inside the furnace - showing the clay donut.

The furnace was generally in good shape, although there had been some construction problems originally that did lead to some cracking. Not surprisingly, the thing weighs some 50 kg +, and is bloody awkward to move for one person! The net result was even more piece breaking off and needing patching.

Completed furnace

The extend of the breakage and repair work can be seen via the colours on the surface. The spotty grey material is new clay that was added to patch in some of the pieces. The very red coloured clay here is the original furnace surface. You can also see several of the loops of heavy fencing wire I bound around the body 'just in case'. Expecting some problems with venting via these cracks, I have buried the bottom 20 cm or so of the furnace with loose packing (mix of dirt, sand, ash & slag fragments) left over from past smelts. This material is slightly damp via the rain we had earlier in the week. You can see that I have shored up the front wall with a double row of house bricks. (The plastic bucket lid was just temporary for over night.)

As ore was the primary reason for lack of a bloom last time, a better quality ore is certainly indicated for this experiment. There are three possibilities (easily) on hand:
Industrial Taconite
Gromps from past smelts
Forge scale sweepings
For now, the plan is to use the half pail of taconite (given by Mark Puigmarti), a total of 21 kg. This material appears pre roasted (black colour and mildly magnetic). It is untested, and the actual iron content is unknown (although normally this type of material is in the 65 % Fe range). This quantity is enough for a small to medium bloom - estimated in the 5 + kg range. If anything, it may prove a bit 'dry' for the best use of a slag pit furnace.

Wish us luck!

(at least we *think* we know what we are doing!)

* For those sticklers for absolute historic accuracy:
I'm referring to this series as 'Celtic Iron Age' primarily because of the end use of this series. This a potential full working demonstration at the Earth, Air Celtic Festival in August 2012. Yes, I realize we are really sticking a Viking Age short shaft over a pit, which really is not the same as the know Celtic Iron Age furnaces. Bare with me - this is still early days with this experimental series! (Working from what is known to work back towards a more accurate duplication of a possible historic method.)

Stone Age to Iron Age?

2011-11-02T11:00:00.002-04:00

The question posed was "could [North American] Pleistocene man have made iron (by accident)?" From a user story perspective seemed easy enough: Man camps at base of mountain (with ore outcroppings); man uses iron ore boulders as fire perimeter; man builds massive fire (i.e.: tribal celebration): Mother nature helps with proper environmental conditions (perhaps storm or strong wind surges);Fire burns to ashes while all sleep. Next day - small lumps of partially reduced ore (iron) found in remains of fire.

Thomas - Missouri

First thing : No one has figured out how people originally figured out that red crumbling rock could be made into anything like metal - or how it was actually done in practice.

(I had to do some Google / Wikipedia work here to supply some dates for the next bit - which because of the sources have to be taken with a grain of salt.)

Humans show in North America something like 15 - 10,000 BC (depending on what research you look to). The first record of human copper working is something like 9000 BC, but that is in the Middle East. I found some references to copper use in the Great Lakes area to something like 4000 BC. First record of actual copper smelting in the new world is not till 600 AD - and that is in Central America. Balanced against this is that the bulk of tools used in North America remain stone - up to European contact. I'm not sure North Americans (specifically) ever independently developed any smelting technologies.

Meteoric iron is known in ancient times, but as far as I am aware, the only surviving artifact examples are mainly from cultures that already have some metal working experience. Meaning working native copper or gold, which was found in alluvial deposits in lumps big enough to cold hammer work.
In North America, the exception I know of are the Inuit of Canada's North, who would pick up iron meteors off spring ice, then cold hammer fragments into small points and edges. (In fact there is was a well documented huge meteor that was exploited seasonally - until the Smithsonian grabbed it in the late 1800's!) Note that most of the earliest iron objects from the Old World are also iron meteors - indicated by the high nickel content (sometimes 7 - 15 %.) Metallic iron without nickel is the signature of human produced material.

So a case might be made for applying copper working traditions to extremely rare meteor fragments - working cold.

Generally, the first regular intended production of metallic iron is set at something like 2500 BC, again in the Middle East. (For an overview see the Wikipedia topic "Iron Age" ) There has been suggestions made that there is a relationship between copper ore smelting process, using ores 'contaminated' with iron oxides. (Small ball bearing sized fragments of metallic iron have been found in slag blocks remaining from copper ore processing.)
There certainly appears to be a human progression from ceramic kilns to copper melting furnaces to copper smelting furnaces into iron smelting furnaces (which in turn get larger and hotter - and more efficient).

As to the concept you mention : Rocks with ore + hot fire (hardwood + wind) = reduction to metal

Reducing iron oxide in ore down to usable metallic pieces is considerably more complex than just applying heat.

I certainly have seen a number of times that a too aggressive ore roasting fire has resulted in slag formation on the surface or as small fragments remaining in the later ashes. This likely indicates local patches of reduction, but this is only part of the larger complex series of reactions that converts iron oxide ores into usable metallic iron.
(A good explanation is in : "An attempt to define archaeo-metallurgy" by Arne Espelund - published in 'Early Iron Production" edited by Lars Norbach).
You have to not only chemically reduce the oxide, but also provide some system to sinter the individual particles into a larger mass. Frankly, the whole working system is so "complicated, but not complex" (as Espelund states) that I can not imagine anyone stumbling on to a working process entirely by accident.

This should not prevent you from experimenting with the process yourself!
Good news is that there are some people who have done some ground work and published excellent operating guidelines for building small bloomery furnaces.

Two notable examples:

the Flue Tyle Furnace by Sauder & Williams :
http://www.warehamforge.ca/ironsmelting/FlueTyle/index.html

the Econo Norse Furnace by DARC :

You may be eventually looking more towards earlier / more primitive bowl shaped furnaces. To that end, take a look at some of the (excellent) experimental work being done in Europe, primarily at those at various living history museums.

As regular readers know, I often source blog posts from detailed replies I make to specific questions that come in as personal e-mails. Take this as both a complement, and the 'cost' of getting a detailed reply to a question sent!

Slag Pit Smelt - Report ready!

2011-11-01T08:23:00.000-04:00

For those interested in Early Iron:This years Thanksgiving weekend smelt was a loosely 'Celtic Iron Age' slag pit furnace. The superstructure was our standard 25 cm ID x 70 cm tall short shaft. This furnace was built over a roughly 40 cm deep by 25 cm dia pit, filled with small branches standing on end. The ore used was an untested rock ore from Bratton's Run in Virginia. This proved the failure point in the experiment. The ore proved to have hardly any iron in it!

But we did get a mother beautiful slag block...

The full photo essay report can be found on the main Wareham Iron Smelting site :

Slag Pit Iron Smelt - October 9, 2011

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T22:17:00.001-04:00

What is the scariest film you've ever seen?

Well, Alien (1979) if you like things that jump out of the dark at you.

But one of my favourite films of all time is John Carpenter's the Thing (1982)

The film is loosely based on the older 'The Thing from Another World' (1951), itself based on the classic James Campbell novella 'Who Goes There?'
The film has a wonderful atmosphere, crafted from camera, lighting and sound track. Absolutely great special effects, mainly because it was one of the last huge horror films to use actual life sized models rather than digital effects.

Why does it scare me?

Remember all those times you sat watching some film, and you saw someone flick a light switch, find the lights don't work, and said " Don't go IN there, you idiot!'!
And sure as shit, bozo walks into the dark, and straight into the monster.
Or you watched someone walking * backwards * down the hall, when they * know * there is a crazed maniac with a chainsaw loose in there someplace?
Or they are being chased by a hoard of blood sucking zombies, yet they run past a * shot gun * and instead pick up a golf club?

Ok, a bunch of American scientists in Antartica are kind of attacked by a couple of crazed Norwegians from the only nearby base. Wondering why, they go there, only to find everyone slaughtered, a huge wreck of a space craft uncovered in the ice, an empty coffin sized block of ice - and some very, very bizarre remains. Of * course * they have to haul that back to home base.
Later that night, frantic howling comes from the dog pens.
MacReady (played by Kurt Russell), on hearing the ruckus, hits the fire alarm, and his first command on the way over to the area is 'Get the flame thrower!'

What the Frack??
Who hears a bunch of dogs barking and sends for a flamethrower?
Did the character read the script before hand?
Would that be * your * first impulse?

(If so, you may be one of my close friends, but go with me here, ok?)

Now here's the part that scares me...

It doesn't do them all any damn good.
They all die anyway, mostly horribly.
Other than MacReady and one other, who might actually be alien shape changers themselves at that point anyway (and the end of the film certainly suggests this).

And the kids are scared of Frackin' ZOMBIES ...

I guess it beats worrying about glowing in the dark during a Nuclear Winter?

DARC at CanIRON 8 - Smelt Report...

2011-10-29T10:32:00.000-04:00

... is finally prepared!

Go to the main Wareham Iron Smelting web site: DARC at CanIRON 8

(Image above by David Daciw)

Measuring the HEAT...

2011-10-24T15:08:00.004-04:00

Iron Smelting Furnace Temperatures
Short Shaft over Slag Pit

October 9, 2011 / DARC Smelt Team, Neil Peterson recording

On our last smelt, we set up to record furnace temperatures over the duration of the experiment.

The furnace was our standard short shaft type, roughly 25 cm interior diameter, 70 cm total height.
Walls were clay and straw cobb, about 10 cm thickness.
Fuel was hardwood charcoal (mainly oak) graded to .5 through 2.5 cm diameters.
Air volume via the tuyere (set at 20 cm above base) was roughly 800 litres per minute.

Holes were drilled through the furnace walls at roughly every 10 cm, starting at 10 cm above the interior base.
Measurements were taken using an industrial quality digital pyrometer (HH12B from Omega equipped with standard bare metal type K thermocouples).
The probes were inserted roughly 5 cm beyond the interior surface of the furnace wall.
Measurements were taken roughly every hour over the course of the smelt event.

Because the probes did not reach into the central core of the furnace, there is every possibility that the central furnace temperatures were even higher than what was recorded.
Our thermocoples failed (melted!) at roughly 1350 C. On several recordings, this temperature was reached.

Image : Neil takes readings, early in the smelt

Time	Elapsed	base	tuyere	plus 10	plus 20	plus 30	plus 40	top
		10 cm	20 cm	30 cm	40 cm	50 cm	60 cm	70 cm
12:06	:06		653	890	749	579	343
13:05	1:05		1042	1335	1300	1145	1002	610
13:50	1:50	328	1051	plus 1350	1195	1189	1014	660
15:12	3:12	995	1226	1268	1293	1128	1011	608
16:32	4:32			1124	1265 *	909	700	719

Note : It has been suggested by some theoretical researchers that temperatures above 1200 C are impossible to achieve inside a charcoal fired furnace...

Thanksgiving Smelt - fast overview

2011-10-21T10:40:00.004-04:00

'Celtic Iron Age' slag pit furnace

October 9, 2011
DARC smelt team

Showing the initial layout of the 'pit'. A standard 20 L plastic pail was surrounded by dirt, then filled to top with cut willow branches (about 0.5 - 1 cm diameter). Use of concrete blocks would allow for easy excavation after the experiment.

Our standard short shaft furnace is constructed on top of the pit. Clay with straw cobb, 25 cm ID, 70 cm tall. Ceramic tube tuyere (2.5 cm ID), electric blower.

Total time : 5 3/4 hours
Total charcoal : 57.5 kg
Total ore : 48 kg

Slag block as excavated (furnace itself was removed in one piece and retained for further use) There was no actual bloom recovered!

A fragment of the slag block, showing how hot slag had dripped down between the sticks, solidified, the heat converting the wood to charcoal. This from the front side of the furnace, indicating lack of iron (pale green colour). Slag to the rear of the furnace was a black iron rich colour.

The purity of the ore was questionable.
There is a chance some iron may exist trapped inside the slag block. A check with a magnet at the usual location (under the tuyere) did not indicate any however.
It is possible that the existing iron rich slag might be recovered, then utilized in a second smelt attempt.

For now we want to retain the slag block itself as a sample.

The extracted slag block. In this shot the tuyere is located to the upper right, directly above the scale vertical line. The colour shift in the slag from the rear to the front of the furnace is easily seen. There is an extra bulge in the slag about at ground level (the clay furnace sat directly on the loose dirt here.

A full report is in the works!

Styll 2 - bragging a wee bit...

2011-10-08T07:12:00.000-04:00

... they used one of my pieces for the advertising!

That's my piece 'Toxic' in the upper left corner. Created specifically for this exhibit.

I'm up to my neck repairing the Wareham smelting area, and preparing for Sunday's iron smelt. This time it is a 'Celtic' style slag pit furnace. Expect an overview over the next bit...

Thanksgiving IRON SMELT at Wareham

2011-10-01T08:27:00.001-04:00

One of the traditional iron smelt events at Wareham is over Thanksgiving weekend. This is 'Darrell's Smelt' (originally a sad replacement for Early Iron after that event was dropped). The DARC team normally takes part.

Because Thanksgiving is a family day for many, and because some people get involved with the archery stuff in KW also that weekend, Smelt Day is SUNDAY.

The tentative plan for the weekend will be this:

Saturday - Furnace Build and Open workshop (self directed)
Sunday - Smelt Day
Monday - Evaluate and clean up

Vandy and I will be prepared to welcome guests any time after 9 AM.
The primary working day is SUNDAY, for those intending on a one day trip.
As usual, this is a 'limited open' event - please drop me a post back if you are intending on coming up.

Going into 2012, I want to work towards a new furnace type. I have proposed to Goderich Celtic Festival that I undertake a smelting demo at their event next August. This would be a Celtic Iron Age, slag pit type furnace. The style applies to early Danish and Anglo Saxon as well.
The upper portion of the planned furnace is going to be much like our standard types (short shaft, clay cobb construction). I have a wide number of ore types on hand, and have not determined which I may use. (Likely one of the Virginia rock ores, as I have considerable of those materials.)

Any working advice from our friends in England and Denmark, who have worked with these type of furnaces, would be helpful!

VA Glass Bead Experiment 9/10/11

2011-10-01T06:57:00.001-04:00

Viking Age Bead Making September 2011 All made in 'K' furnace (Ribe oval - charcoal fired)

A note to Readers : This was my contribution to a much larger effort, comprising of three furnaces and four bead makers. See Neil Peterson's entire report on the DARC web site.

Furnace Layout


'K' Furnace Measurements	Theoretical Air Flow

Furnace Details


Showing Air System	Cutting Loading Port	After Loading Charcoal

Working Port A (used for experiment)	Working Port B

Note : open your browser window REAL wide to see the full table!

BEAD

BASE COLOUR

PATTERN COLOUR

PATTERN TYPE

SURFACE

IMAGE

GLASS

SHAPE
see below

DIAMETER mm

WIDTH mm

MANDRIL

HOLE MAX mm

HOLE MIN mm

WORK LOCATION

WORK DETAIL

BREAK?

PIECES

SHAPPING

9-11A

red

blue

stringer

9-11A.jpg

cane

flat oval

10.4 E

5.6 E

ss rod

3.7 E

chimney

removal

2/3 only

9-11B

red

black

stringer

9-11B.jpg

cane

flat oval

9.6

4.6

ss rod

3.6

chimney

chip in annealer

9-11C

red

black

line

9-11C.jpg

cane

oval

12.6 E

9.1

4.6

chimney

removal

1/2 only

draw to one end

9-11D

orange

9-11D.jpg

tesseri

flat oval

11.5

5.5

iron

5.3

4.7

port A

9-11E

yellow

blue-grey

line

9-11E.jpg

tesseri

oval

10.3

7.2

iron

3.6

2.9

port A

points both sides

9-11F

yellow

rolled

9-11F.jpg

tesseri

barrel

12.4

12.5

iron

4.1

3.5

port A

off floor

next day

thirds

ash coated

9-11G

blue

brown

blob

cut bars

9-11G.jpg

tesseri

barrel

13.7

11.8

iron

2.6

port A

9-11H

blue

red

stringer

9-11H.jpg

tesseri

oval

9.5

5.3

iron

3.1

2.8

port A

off spoon

removal

half

9-11I

light blue

black

dots

9-11I.jpg

cane

oval

13.6

8.9

iron

3.5

chimney

off bottom surface

in annealer

half

slightly irregular

9-11J

blue

black

stringer

9-11J.jpg

tesseri

round

10.6

iron

3.3

2.3

port & chimney

stringer off spoon

removal

1/2 only

Definitions of SHAPES indicated above:

Individual Beads Described above :


Bead 9-11 A	Bead 9-11 B (chipped)	Bead 9-11 C (half only retrieved)

Bead 9-11 D	Bead 9-11 E	Bead 9-11 F

Bead 9-11 G	Bead 9-11 H	Bead 9-11 1(broke later)

Bead 9-11 J (half only retrieved)

OUT OF THE STORM - Fundraiser for Goderich

2011-09-30T12:02:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends,
Goderich looks different after the devastating tornado back in August. Here is a fundraising event you can participate in, with proceeds going to Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Fund, that promises to also be a good time. If you can't make it you might consider donating anyway. Any monies raised will be matched 2 to 1 by the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program. Besides the obvious practical purpose here, it is also a celebration of the resilience of the community.
Brigitte

Out of the Storm

Saturday, October 8, 2011

1pm – 1am, 12 hours of amazing entertainment!

$45.00 (hst inc.)per person, 12 & under free

Music, Local Food, Children’s Area, Artisans and Beer Tent!

Happening on the Square in Goderich

Band Line-up MATTHEW GOOD
ARKELLS
DOWNCHILD BLUES BAND
Serena Ryder
THE SALADS WITH CHOCLAIR
Maestro Fresh Wes
Moondog Uproar
Breaching Vista

See also......

http://outofthestorm.net/
This came in from fellow An Droichead member Brigitte Wolf. I have already committed to an iron smelt event that weekend. Hope some of my readers might attend this fundraiser for Goderich!

Truth for those who dream...

2011-09-28T09:11:00.000-04:00

... of the 'free' life of the Artisan Maker:

I think personally I'm at one of those loops 3/4 the way to the top - that is likely to suddenly reverse itself.

Stolen off FaceBook (William Clements) where it is making the rounds.

Dr Wallace at Western!

2011-09-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 13th - 3:30 pm B&GS 0165

The UWO Northern Research Group presents:
Presenters: Dr. Birgitta Wallace: Viking archaeology at Vinland: a Cooperative Approach to Research

Abstract: In the popular mind archaeology is associated with structures and the finding of artifacts, but in reality, that is only part of the story. The environment and context of the site are equally important. Modern archaeology is dependent on interdisciplinary studies in a blend of natural sciences and humanities. The role of the archaeologist has become that of coordinator, drawing on whatever branch of knowledge pertains to the project on which he or she is working. The Viking site at L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site in northern Newfoundland is an example of how natural sciences, combined with anthropological, folkloristic, historical, literary and linguistic studies, have given new insight into the world of the Vinland sagas and the contacts of the Norse with the New World.

This event is being held at the University of Western Ontario, London.
Venue (appears?) the Biological and Geological Sciences Building

View Larger Map

Birgitta is an old friend and sometimes adviser to those of us in DARC (and my special 'fairy godmother'.)

Stonekettle on Intelligent Aliens and the State Fair

2011-09-26T19:49:00.002-04:00

If you read this, and ever get amused or provoked by any of my own commentaries, you just *have* to check out Jim Wright's Stonekettle Station blog.
I find Jim's sense of humour echoes my own. He is an artisan (although Evil, a wood turner), ex military, reader of Heinlein and owner of cats - and opinionated observer of American politics and life.

Jim Wright
AK, United States
" I'm a retired US Navy Chief Warrant Officer. Nowadays I live in Alaska where I spend most of my time working in my woodshop or fishing. I occasionally consult for the Military. I have delusions of becoming a full time writer - or conquering the universe, whichever is easier..."

Anyway, Vandy sent me a link to one of Jim's recent pieces : 'Things That Chap My Ass About Going To The Fair'.
He is spinning off a quote :

“Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.”
– Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

READ IT!
(or almost anything else of Jim's, especially if you want to assure yourself there are too people living in Alaska who thing Sara Palin is a walrus...)

Charcoal in Furnaces?

2011-09-21T09:11:00.001-04:00

A recent topic that has come up on the Early Iron discussion has been about how various species of wood used for charcoal might modify the smelting process in direct bloomery furnaces.

On 20/09/11 4:00 AM, Jeff Evarts wrote:

... from a weekend-chemist perspective:

1) "pure" charcoal is just carbon, regardless of what it was charred from.
2) The difference between hardwood charcoal and other charcoal should
be in the density of the material (kilograms per liter) not in its
chemical content. Basically how densely packed the material itself is.
3) Densely packed carbon should have a proportionally higher energy
density, so it *should* be able to create more heat in the same amount
of space, resulting in a more efficient furnace.
4) N kilograms of charcoal will combine with M kilograms of oxygen to
make Carbon Mon/Di-Oxide gasses, so I would expect the burn rate
limiter would be the bellows throughput rather than a factor of the
type of wood used to make the charcoal charcoal.

Assumption alert: I am assuming that the air can come into equal
contact with the fuel regardless of its density, which may not be
correct.

Agricola, Theophilus and Biringuccio all specify hardwood charcoal as
well, for what that's worth.

That's a nice summary by Jeff of the 'density of carbon' aspect. (PS - Jeff's Blog is PaleoMetallurgy )

My own experience with charcoals should be considered limited. Here in North America, most commercially purchased charcoals are hardwood. Hickory and Oak are the primary woods. In Canada there are several suppliers who use Maple. I have also used one brand that was made from tropical woods, and appeared to be a mix of soft and hard woods (who knows what species).
I have fooled around a couple of times with making charcoal, but frankly, never did very well (!) Out in Newfoundland we did make a batch from local Alder (grows like bush willow, about like birch in terms of hardness.) We did not smelt with that stuff, although the blacksmith at L'Anse aux Meadows (Mark Pilgrim) does forge with it (using Norse equipments).

I think Jeff has given the hard facts. A kilogram of charcoal is a kilo, regardless of the species. The raw volume of the material would vary however.
This is likely (as a thought experiment) important in the *standard* smelting process.
- Most of us use fairly standard sized furnaces. If you kept the same furnace layout and size, using a less dense (soft wood) charcoal would mean less available carbon inside the same space.
- A softer charcoal would burn faster, inch for inch, than a harder material. Inside the same space, this means the rate of fall of your ore would also be faster = less time for the chemical process of reduction.
- I would think there would also be some kind of effect of air penetration through to the interior of the furnace as well. This may not prove significant in small furnaces with high air rates. It might tend to create lacy blooms if smaller hand powered bellows are being used.

The historic practice appears to use locally available fuels for smelting. The Norse at Vinland used the trees at hand for example - mainly Birch (no Ash or Oak there!) The design of the furnace would be modified for best results from what fuels were on hand.

When you look at the archaeology, there certainly appears to be some kind of 'ideal' shape and size for the furnace, which varies by location. The primary variable here is the ore, but there is likely a variation based on available fuel as well.

My gut feeling is that if you were using a softer wood, you would likely want to extend your stack height on the furnace. (??)

As if there was not already *enough* variables in the process!

Ole Neilson's team at Heltborg, Denmark, 2008. An Evenstad type furnace, designed to be fuelled with small pieces of green wood. At the end of the smelt, prying up the slag block. There was no visible iron produced.

Styll 2- Two, B

2011-09-16T09:42:00.003-04:00

I had mentioned yesterday that I would show off my second piece for the upcoming 'Style Squared' show...

'Now in 3-D'

Forged work can be very difficult to effectively photograph. Compound this with rushing, and the fact the piece contains a mirror!

'Now in 3-D'
Forged structural mild steel & polished stainless steel
Fall 2011

The concept for this piece started with some material I had on hand. My neighbour, Steve, dropped over some pieces of stainless steel - cut in error at his workplace. There were about a dozen pieces of this mirror polished material, about 18 gauge, each about 14 x 16 inches.
For the Styll 2 show, I wanted to make one piece that had some depth to it. This partially to distinguish my work from that of one of the gallery owners, who do cut and paste style (laser/plasma cut) work.
Those following my recent work have seen the 'feather' profile, which has come to be one of my signature techniques. For Now in 3-D, the starting bar was 56 inches long. After forged to contour, then coiled into a spiral, the finished diameter was about 9 inches (!). The completed spiral was then pulled outwards, to sit with the inner tip about three inches above the outer edge. The forged work was given a coating of stain finish varathane, with a copper highlight along the inner surface.
The outer frame is made of 3/4 inch wide angle, painted flat black. The forged element is welded to one edge of this. The stainless steel mirror was carefully tack welded to the inner surface of the frame.
The net result is that the spiral element is seen inside the mirror, as well as standing above it. The result is that the spiral both rises from the surface, as well as appearing to descend within it.
The title 'Now in 3-D' is an off handed reference to the current trend to take almost any old feature film and remake it as a 3-D version (This for films that were hardly worth the effort the first time around.) Also the piece specifically is intended to stand out among the other contributions to the exhibit (including my own), which have tended to be rather 'flat' in layout.

In process - a report on DARC's day with the Viking Age glass bead making furnaces...

Styll 2 - Two, A

2011-09-14T08:25:00.001-04:00

(or yet another piece on 'Where Ideas Come From')

Again this year, I will be taking part in the Styll 2 (Style Squared) gallery show.
Styll is a artisan gallery shop in Elora Ontario, in a wonderful stone mid 1800's building. It is located right on the river, at the bridge corner.

Styll 2 - 2010 version

Styll 2 is a concept exhibit and sale combining the work of many artists. The individual pieces are all wall hung, and must be 12 x 12 inches square. The selling price for each can be no more than $250. I had created two panels for last year's exhibit (one seen in the lower left above).

I often get asked - 'Where do ideas come from?'

Truth is - all over. A hint for new artists : Keep a blank book and add anything that sparks your interest. Could be magazine articles, news photos, post cards, written notes - even drawings of your own. The point is to record your ideas, and help you by the recording process to enter these into your memory. Eventually things will start to leak back out of your brain via your fingers.

I had commented here on the two pieces from last year : 'Scales' and 'Layered Stone'

Again, one of the new pieces for 2011 is based on an image cut from Discover (a general science magazine).

My point of inspiration is this photograph, an aerial shot of a mine's tailing pond. Flows of sludge filled water had created a layered pattern of circular swirls of grey.


'Toxic' - Fall 2011

To create 'Toxic' I had forged separate pieces of mild steel flat stock, working with a number of widths and thicknesses. The central pieces were set on edge, ending in spirals. The outer ones forged out to points and curved back on themselves at the center. Some of these shapes are flattened, some were allowed to retain the naturally occurring 3-D form. These were then nestled together and tack welded on the reverse side.
The forge work was laid on to a piece of mirror polished stainless steel. This had been heated with a torch in lines that echo the main contours of the forged elements. This process created a surface patina that ranges from a dull light grey through the colours of tempering - an 'oil slick' effect. Also the heating process distorted the stainless sheet, which now ripples off the wall surface. The net effect is as a distorted mirror. The completed piece has a depth of about 1 1/2 inches.

This piece will be at the top end of the pricing - $250. I do find it quite difficult to create even small objects which both have artistic flair and also are not overly complex / time intensive (read expensive).

There will be two more pieces to follow over the next week - I hope to profile these here as well...

Styll Gallery

5 Mill Street East
Elora, ON

We are open 7 days a week,
10am - 6pm
Friday nights, open until 8pm

Cooking and Cookware References?

2011-09-10T08:34:00.001-04:00

________________________________________________________________________
1a. Cooking and cookware beyond the Viking answer lady
Posted by: "KAREN"
Date: Tue Aug 9, 2011 9:05 pm ((PDT))

Certainly some of you have done some good cooking over a fire. Any suggestions? Favorite recipes?

My wife, Vandy Simpson, worked up the original foodways programming for Parks Canada at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC (Vinland). Although not massive, her blog Daga's Cauldron will be of interest to you:
http://www.dagdascauldron.blogspot.com

Does anyone know of pictures of period cookware?
Pottery, soapstone, grills, spits, ovens....?

I have put images of the original (Viking Age) artifact cookware next to my own replica ware on my own web site (the Wareham Forge) :
http://www.warehamforge.ca/NORSE-REPRO/norsecook.html

You will also find a lot of past cookware replicas, from a number of time periods on the Gallery - Historic Reproductions section :
http://www.warehamforge.ca/repro.html

Viking Age cookware replicas & reproductions

Although I have not specifically dealt with cookware as a separate topic, there is general information on VA objects on the 'Creating Norse Replicas' section of the larger Norse Encampment series:
http://www.warehamforge.ca/ENCAMPMENT/artifact.html

Also there are some individual replica plan drawings, including some cookware, also in the Norse Encampment
http://www.warehamforge.ca/ENCAMPMENT/drawings.html

I have discussed a large number of individual reproduction projects on this blog (there is a search function on the top left corner!)

Sources where I can buy period cookware?

Obviously - the Wareham Forge!

Some general observations:
1) You will get what you pay for. Accurate replicas of good quality are not cheap.
2) Watch that darn tripod! It is a problematic object on many levels!
3) Although it is possible to set dress thinner modern steel pots, the original artifacts are quite thick and massive. This drastically changes their cooking properties.
4) Cast Iron is *right out*.


Norse replica cook pot - on simple ring chain and rope hanger,		wood tripod.

Ok - I was short for a piece right now, so I dipped into my outgoing mail bag for this one...

View of CanIRON 8 - one

2011-09-08T08:43:00.000-04:00

Sean Soughton, the editor of OABA's Iron Trillium newsletter, had shot some video footage at the recent Canadian national blacksmith's conference (CanIRON 8). He has edited and posted some of these clips on the OABA YouTube channel :

Sandra Dunn demonstrates burning holes through a wooden block for the back of a forged chair.

Mark Puigmarti forges a large mushroom cap for his coatrack sculpture.

David Robertson discusses tips and techniques.

See also the last blog post - DARC's iron smelt

There are a number of other clips in this series, awaiting approvals from the individuals featured. I'll get these posted up here as part two when they become available.

See what you missed?

DARC smelt at CanIRON 8

2011-09-06T10:23:00.002-04:00

(ok - just kind of...)

This is a clip shot at the recent CanIRON 8 demo by Neil, Richard and Dave.

Neil Peterson describing ancient iron and the ore used in the demonstration.

The furnace used is our 'Econo Norse' test / teaching set up, the ore our DD1 analog.
The result was a good soft iron at 5 kg.

The full smelt report is under preparation by Neil.

Although I had worked with the team in the two preparation smelts leading up to this demonstration, I did not have any (initial) part in the action at CanIRON itself. As it happened, I had roared past the team for a fast glance in later in the afternoon (about 20 plus kg into the ore sequence).
"Hows it going?"
"Well there is this one thing, if you could give an opinion"
"Aw crap!"
Add much frantic scurry around here
We ended up pulling the bloom a bit earlier than the team had planned, due to a critical failure / air blockage.

Hey Neil! Do I get to call this one as an 'assist'??

Report from Goderich!

2011-08-26T10:58:00.009-04:00

This is a more personal piece than most, of special interest to those who have participated in the Earth, Air Celtic Festival in Goderich over the years. This is a personal report on my couple of days on the ground, helping out.

I am the only visual artist who has been at the Festival for every one of its current 19 years of operation. I have also taught at the associated Celtic College every year it has been running as well. Over the years I have gathered a lot of friends in Goderich.

I was at Summerfolk in Owen Sound, actually talking to Goderich architect John Rutledge when the first rumours of a tornado in downtown there started circulating. This was about 5 pm - so less than an hour after the storm strike. Bill's first concern was for his partner Bill, still in Goderich and normally working at the Bedford - which is on the central square. 'How can I check on him - I don't have a phone!' I quickly lent him mine. While John was trying to get through he said 'I don't have any contents insurance on my office downtown'. The line to home and Bill just kept ringing. 'No answer, the machine should have come on, I guess that means the power is out there'. Just about that point, someone came by with an iPhone, downloading fresh images off the internet. One showed John's office building (on the south side of West Street, a half block from the Square). All the windows were smashed on his second floor location. The upper third floor was basically - gone.

The next day, I made some fast phone calls to friends in town. Right off the start I found out that although there was huge damage around the central part of town, no one we know had been injured. I decided to head over to Goderich and lend what assistance I could with the clean up effort. I contacted Greg and Nina Reynolds, who offered to put me up for a couple of days. So Monday morning I offloaded my booth from Summerfolk, and loaded up the truck with cutting torches, a small arc welder and generator, various hand power tools, and a collection of various yard work tools. I got over to Goderich about 6 pm Monday.

The police had set up what turned out to be three rings of security. Absolutely no one was getting into the central Square area. Only residents were being allowed into the damaged area. The outer ring was at the various highway entrances into town, were they were discouraging anyone either not from Goderich, or having a good reason, from even entering town. Because I had a specific destination (plus I think working clothes and a truck full of tools) I was passed into Goderich.

Greg and Nina Reynolds

Image: Looking north down toward Greg & Nina's.
Use the 2 foot tall traffic cone to scale the brush pile!

There was no damage at all to their place, along the cliff edge to the south side of town. I had checked with them second on my list, mainly because (as many reading will know) Greg had a construction accident about a month and a half back and broke both his ankles. Meaning he is in a chair and can't walk. Knowing Greg, he would be out trying to use his electric wheel chair like a log skidder. (And yes - he DID TOO try this - but could not get enough traction!) The trees running along the south edge of their small lot did drop a lot of branches, but these all fell into a dead space between them and their neighbour. The resulting pile of brush was the better part of 40 feet long, 10 feet wide and some 5 feet tall by the time we got it all cleared off.

Next I double checked (by heading over) to Bill and Beth Wark. 'Oh, we are just fine' said Beth on the phone. 'One small branch down is all. Maybe 10 inch diameter, leaning against the edge of the roof.'
Good news - no damage. "10 inches"?? More like two feet thick! Helping son Ian and son in law James, we three managed to get the trunk down on to the ground. My toy chain saw finally gave up the ghost, so we ended up hacking it in two with axes.

By this point it was mid day Tuesday, I checked back and went over into one of the hardest hit areas. This being the oldest section of Goderich, between the Festival's Harbour Park and the downtown Square. Most of the small houses in this area are wood frame, dating back to the early to mid 1800's.
Except for the lack of holes in the ground, the area looked like it had been subjected to an artillery strike. Virtually all the trees were down, and many houses either destroyed outright, or obviously so badly damaged they were hardly safe to even enter.

Conn & Cindy

Image: Looking roughly NE. Conn & Cindy's place is the house to the right.
The next door neighbour was actually sitting on the toilet you see in the middle room of the second floor at the time. The cast iron bathtub is what saved him from being crushed by the falling wall you can see.

Conn and Cindy were not home at the time. Their house had all the windows broken, some shingles off the roof, and some damage to the front porch you can see in the image. The initial engineer's inspection suggests the house may have twisted slightly, the top portion an inch or so off alignment to the foundation. Conn suspects this may not prove significant. A good number of the old asbestos sheet tiles that cover the house are broken from flying debris. There was a lot of wind borne mess and broken glass to clean inside, but Cindy said other than the mess, they did not loose anything. The yard was battered, with some damage to the shed, the fences all down and the pear tree destroyed. Considering the complete destruction to the house next door (and up wind) they feel they got off extremely lucky.

I did spend a good amount of time helping out with their friends and near neighbours John and Beth (who I don't know personally). The walls of their frame house bowed outwards in the middle with the pressure. The house will have to be demolished. The engineers would only let two people at a time inside the structure, so the rest of us carried and loaded trailers with their possessions. Again, they did manage to retrieve most of their 'photographs and memories' without too much loss. John was trying to be philosophical about it 'At least we will get a new house out it all...'

Other people we all know in the area (that I ran in to):

George Hoy ('Our Man in Goderich')
'A few branches down, outside of town there was virtually nothing'

Tammy Crocker
Vehicle badly damaged. Broken windows, but generally they think the house is ok.
They live in the core exclusion zone, so are effectively homeless, with only extremely limited access to their home and stuff. However they do have family in town to shelter them. Their problem is not their house, but the church next door. One major brick wall, mere feet away from their house, is threatening to collapse. Concern is that collapse will critically damage their place.
Warren and Elanor Robertson
Their specific street was well outside the serious effect area. I did drive past at one point, there was hardly even much tree damage. (And its all of four blocks from the Square.) Although I did not see them myself, word was that they were ok.

Now, at one point I did go over to the Harbour Park.

the Park House

Image: from the porch at the side of the Park House - looking south.
You can see 'Chez Hoy' across the street, and the mysterious sign exposed on the wall.

I did speak to Herb and his wife. Virtually no damage, one window broken, one other cracked. Loss of power meant loss of all their food stocks. Like all the central part of town, there was still no gas, no electricity.
One of the weird things was the wind tore a section of the old stucco surface away, in a neat rectangular patch. This revealed the word ' Restaurant' painted on the wall underneath!

Harbour Park

(click to greatly enlarge)
Image : Pannoramma, looking from SE rotating to SW while standing in the Park House lot.

Good News - there is no damage to the Band Shell, Picknick Shelter & Washrooms
Bad News - virtually ALL the trees are destroyed

Image: Looking roughly East, standing were the Port-a-Johns get set, across my normal demonstration area. 'My' tree is one of the few undamaged.

Image: Looking over to the area were most of An Droichead set their booths.
One of the large trees Laura and Catherine shelter under remains (almost the only large tree still standing). Jim Wallace's rose arbour is smashed under the large trunk extending over to the right.

Some general observations:

A curse on to:

- Rubberneckers, who 'just had to see' - but never got out of their air conditioned SUV's to help.
You could always spot someone who came to lend assitance, they drove with their windows down so they could ask who needed work done. (A special curse to the woman who started honking her horn at the truck trying to back into a drive with a trailer to load fallen branches.)

- Vacation People, who felt that they had some right to their favorite fast food items. McDonalds was one of the few who even attempted to remain open. They had no gas for grills (no one did!) so they were offering things they could microwave (mostly breakfast items). I saw someone bitch and argue because they could not get the exact thing they wanted. I was amazed the staff even showed for work, the state of town considered.

A blessing on to:

- The OPP, who I found polite, respectful, helpful, reasonable. In fact everything you'd want the police to be in a crisis situation.
- Local Teens, who just seemed to emerge from no where, any time there was something that looked like it needed doing. "Just figured I needed to help" was heard from many of them when I asked.
- Area Residents, who did not wait for the Civil Authorities, but just pitched in to help. Guys with pick up trucks and small trailers, who just kept stopping and hauling away brush piles. Everyone in the region with any tree cutting equipment seemed to have just shown up and got to work - leaving paid contracts to come work for free.

'New' at Kensington Minnesota...

2011-08-26T08:46:00.004-04:00

... but Viking Age it is NOT.

Hello, I visited your website after googling about blooms, and I know you'll want to see this object I found just two weeks ago. It looks kind of bloom-like, yet it seems to tooled by a swage. Please let me know your opinion after experimenting so much as you have, hands on. I value your opinion, especially because of your Vinland connection. Thanks. It needs some fast, serious study. I'm sorry that the pages load slow, but the wait will be worth it for you, I'm positive. Maybe the original iron came from Vinland? - Bob ****, from Minnesota (Where the Templars/Cistercians came in 1362).

www.hallmarkemporium.com/newdiscoveryatrunestonesite

I warn my readers that the indicated web site contains absolutely massive image files - in the range of 5 - 8 mgb each. It takes way too much time to load!

The measurements are given as 5 1/2 inches long, 3 inches wide, 2 1/2 inches thick
I have converted the published image into life size - and a size suitable for the web!
Original image

My Reply and Commentary:

First
I have to tell you that the weight of physical evidence, cultural practice and raw geography are absolutely AGAINST any materials found in Minnesota actually having any connections at all with Vinland during the Viking Age.

Second
The best estimates of the amount of iron bloom produced at Lief's Houses (L'Anse aux Meadows) are for approximately 3 kg. (One furnace firing only.) Once compacted down to working metal bar, that drops to something in the range of 2 kg (at best). Trace analysis proves some of that metal was used for nails and rivets which remained to be found at LAM itself.
What is the mass of your object?
To my eye it looks larger than it would be physically possible to form from the single bloom known to be created at LAM.

Third:
If you had a chemical analysis of the metal alloy undertaken, it would tell you a great deal.
First, microscopic / chemical examination of the object would certainly tell you much about how the iron was produced. The methods used in the Viking Age are significantly different than those used during the Settlement Era. This alone may serve to rough date (and exclude) the object by date of production.

As you should know, trace elements present in the parent ore are passed in the same concentrations into a finished iron mass when the bloomery furnace method is used. The concentrations of elements are known for the LAM site ores. (Check the original Ingstad excavation report.) This kind of test could be definitive.

Fourth:
Superficially, the surface of the object suggests to me a *cast* object. This method of production was completely unknown during the Viking Age. It is a common method used during the 1800's however, especially for pieces of farm machinery. A check of the carbon content of the metal would confirm this.
It also does not look like a very good quality casting, given surface folds and flaws seen in the images.
These kinds of surface effects are not seen on forged objects.

Fifth:
The raw mass and shape of the object limits its potential applications. Its far too massive to part of any hand tool. Again (machinery not being my area) the shape and raw size suggests something like a plow tip. The piece is certainly not functional for any kind of axe like tool!

In conclusion, the object, taken independent of its find location, has nothing about it that suggests it has a Viking Age creation date. It actually has any number of aspects which put it into the Settlement period (1800's) instead.
It may be an interesting object, but even casual observation places it outside the 1000 AD date of the Vinland base camp - which is on the other side of the continent to begin with.

Sorry

Wind Power comes to Wareham

2011-08-20T10:17:00.001-04:00

" The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind..."

Trying to get hard information about the development of large scale wind turbines is extremely difficult. The amount of 'spin' is immense - from both sides of the question.

One primary problem on the 'PRO' side - the outfits behind the local project - Boreas Wind Partners or Chinodin Wind Power, do not support their own web sites.

One primary problem on the 'CON' side - there is far too much reliance on 'testimonials', with little science to back up the statements.

We have had only the most general and limited of hard information delivered to our home concerning the project from the companies involved. There have been notices about a few pubic information sessions. We had delivered a sketch map with the 'project boundaries marked on it - but never any specific site locations for the individual towers.
I consider this a major failing on the part of the developers, especially since there is significant local objection (judged by 'Stop the Wind Farm' signs posted by individuals.)

But what I have found (easily) on the internet:

10 Myths about Wind Power
(PRO - industry promotional site)
Addresses major concerns, backed up with links to relevant studies.

Energy Farming Ontario
(PRO - industry promotional site)
General information site, sort on hard data.

Grey County Wind Action Group
(CON - local activist group)
Site effectively frozen, now that the local project has been approved and under construction. Little data available here.

Wind Concern Ontario
(CON - Ontario activist collective)
Set up as series of blog and media reprints. There are some (few!) reports with actual measurements included.

The only data filled report I have been able to find on-line that specifically relates to our local project area is this one:

Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment Hatherton/Maxwell Wind Farms ...
Interesting for its description of my local area - this describes the proposed archaeological study NOT its results. It also seems to be incomplete.
(It also states six towers in our specific local patch. Currently I count at least eight towers under construction.)

This map is cobbled together from the project boundary map from the Archaeological Assessment, laid on to an area map via Google. The placement of the towers and roads is rough, based on personal observation. You can see that the two closest towers are roughly 1 km to the SE and 1.5 km to the NE from us in Wareham. I suspect I will only be able to see one of these from our upstairs kitchen window, thats the SE tower.

Killing some Pseudo-Science

SOUND

Personal - I have stood underneath one of the operating wind turbines down near Shelburne. From roadside on highway 10 (500 m), you certainly can not hear anything over the traffic noise of passing cars. At a unit well removed from roadside, I could not hear any increase in sound over the noise of the wind blowing past my own ears at the time.

The stated concern appears to be low frequency noise (CON).
A study conducted by William Palmer (an engineer) is available (CON):
The measurements were made inside the homes of people claiming adverse effects after the construction of wind turbines (at roughly 450 - 650 metres). These instruments record an increase of low frequency noise of roughly 15 - 20 dB.
Right off the start, there is no comparison given between noise levels experienced by other aspects of modern life, like living in a city, near a major highway, near an airport.

I personally have to conclude from this alone that claims made by protesters are vastly overstated. The noise from the truck traffic since our recent Mennonite influx does certainly effect me personally considerably more than the nearest wind turbine will.
I am willing to accept that effects from low frequency sound is a remote possibility.

LIGHT

I have been surprised how FEW lights are used on the combined wind farm projects. There is NOT one light per tower - as I would have thought would be required by various regulations. The reality is more like one flashing red for each grouping of about five. Actual location must effect this. Also I must fairly say at this point in construction I have no idea just which towers in the neighbourhood group will have lights.

The frequency of these lights is extremely slow. The link between epileptic siezures and some flashing lights is proven - but requires specific frequencies. If anything the rate of flashing on the existing towers is even slower than that on the cell phone towers that also dot this region. Also required for this effect is both close proximity and brightness. Neither of these things is provided (or even possible) by the small flashing light on an individual tower.
The second objection stated is that sun light viewed through the blades will provide flickering light which will be detrimental. In theory, if you were standing at just the right place, at just the right time of day, with just the right brightness of the sun, you might see a moving shadow from the blades.

Certainly the placement of the individual towers in this local grouping is such that I do not think any home is in the correct alignment to allow such an effect through anyone's window.
Again personally, such alignment is physically impossible here at Wareham.

LOSS OF FARMLAND

During the construction phase, there certainly been an massive increase in road traffic, especially of heavy machinery. The areas containing the tower bases and the access roads to them have been disrupted. Road intersections are being (temporarily I was told) widened to allow the passage of tower components. The piece of ground around the base of an individual tower being used for construction / assembly appears to be about 2 - 3 acres each.
However, looking at a completed tower at the parts of the complex south of us, the amount of ground lost by an individual tower is about the same footprint as a two car garage. The individual access roads are typically sited along one edge of an existing field fence line (where ever possible). Once the construction is completed, the fields surrounding an individual tower are placed back into agricultural use.

I agree that if a tower was de-commissioned, there would remain a massive block of re-enforced concrete remaining which consisted the massive base plate. Again the surface area is about as large as a two car garage.
Any argument based on 'destruction of farm land' is defies the facts.

DESTRUCTION OF NATURAL BEAUTY
(Not In My Backyard)

Obviously, this opinion is in the eye of the beholder.

Typically this argument is raised by 'Weekenders' or displaced Suburbanites. I have to tell you that most commonly (around here anyway) those 'Stop the Wind Farm' signs appear on homes that obviously have much higher economic resources than most permanent residents. Often houses that show the 'closed weekdays and winters' look to them. I recently heard that around Goderich, a similar project was blocked by individuals placing small structures all over their vacation properties - to effectively eliminate the current 'nothing within 500 m' siting requirement. (This may be why the placement of individual towers was never identified here.)
It should be noted that the recent influx of Mennonite families onto local farms are not raising objections to the wind turbines - as far as I can tell. (Significant, when you know the first mark of a new Mennonite owner is that they remove all connections to Ontario Hydro from the property. They all run self contained diesel generator systems for working power.)

Personally I like the look of the towers. It reminds me that that future we were promised in the 60's and 70's may actually arrive some day - and I might see it.

If you want to have electricity, it has to come from some place.
I find it actually offensive that people would think that their power should come from someplace else - with others forced to cope with the hazards of coal or other large industrial sized power plants.

See me at : SUMMERFOLK - Owen Sound

2011-08-18T08:59:00.005-04:00

Summerfolk web site

I will be returning to Summerfolk this weekend after a one year absence (DARC at LAM - 2010)

On the 'Artisan Village' page of their web site, this is my description:

The Wareham Forge – Darrell Markewitz
Heat in the forge and work by hand, add years of skill and a dash of inspiration – that’s a true Artisan Blacksmith. Darrell blends over 30 years experience with his knowledge of Norse and Celtic artefacts into his signature “Rivendale” style. Since the mid 1990’s he has pleased the Summerfolk audience with the “Beach Garden” presentation. Come see the latest of his original art metalworks: fountains, gates, arbour & wind biles. Commissions always sought!

The Festival organizers were the ones to select that image from the ones I used for my application (!). Sorry to say, I will not actually have any of the 'Shades of Ancient Seas' / Windbile pieces with me this year.

With the rushing around CanIRON 8 and Goderich Celtic week, I don't actually have many / very good (!) images of my new work:
- One (prize winning) addition to the Halluciginia series
- First in a (potential) series of bowls forged from bloomery iron
- Two earlier table / benches reworked (and improved)
- One fountain, a new piece reworked from two earlier smaller pieces
- A new series of forged small bowls

Note to past friends at Summerfolk:

They are moving me and Jim Macnamara OFF our traditional 'on the beach' location, which we have dominated for over 15 years now. The new location is to the north of the beach washrooms, down the trail towards the pub. Because we don't know what the space will like, we will be drastically cutting back on our legendary (and award winning) 'Beach Garden' display.

Teaser for those who are wondering where the Viking Age got to... Two projects coming up into September: - Cooking Pot, Sea Chest and Folding Scales (for the Norwegian Embasy in Winnipeg) - Celtic Iron Age, Slag Pit style iron furnace

Art imitates Science (??)

2011-08-17T08:07:00.002-04:00

Royal Canadian Flying Trilobite
by Flying Trilobite on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 12:06pm

Circa WWI. There have been tremendous advancements since then of course.

Original artwork on The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
Glendon's Portfolio

Long back story.
Glendon was one of my students in the Saturday morning program 'When Knighthood was in Flower' back in the early 1980's. That program most definitely 'warped young minds'. There were a hand full of those grade 6 - 8 students that went on to have financially fragile, but personally rewarding, careers in the Arts. I get blamed regularly for inspiring / encouraging this insanity.

Glendon recently started a series of blog postings discussing aspects of Science and Art for (get this) the Scientific American on line magazine: Smybiartic

Introduction to LAYERED STEELS - October 22 & 23

2011-08-16T09:09:00.003-04:00

This intensive, hands on, 16 hour session will introduce the student to the basic techniques required in the creation of layered steels. Each student will create a layered billet, starting with a simple stack and leading to a pattern welded block. As well each will be provided with a prepared block of layered steel (about 100 layers) to forge a small knife

COURSE CONTENT SET!

I always schedule one 'special interest' course every year, typically in later October. The exact course content is selected from one of : Intermediate Blacksmithing, Basic Bladesmithing or Introduction to Layered Steels. The first student who sends me a deposit for a specific program request actually determines the course to be held.

That being said, I just got my first deposit - which has set the Layered Steels program. The extra cost of this program ($350 plus taxes) includes a pre made layered steel billet for each student. Potential students should already know how to forge weld. If you have already done some basic knife work, you will get more value out of the program.

INTERESTED ?
Like other training programs at the Wareham Forge, enrolment is limited to a maximum of FOUR. Book now! A $100 deposit reserves your space.

For more details see the description : Introduction to Layered Steels

Bead Making at Goderich Celtic (report) :

2011-08-13T09:55:00.007-04:00

As part of my nefarious plans * for the Earth, Air Celtic Festival at Goderich, this year's demonstration was of a Viking Age glass bead making furnace.

Now, this is really the research project of Neil Peterson, fellow member of DARC. Neil has driven the project, and has applied his (considerable) analytical powers to understanding the related archaeological remains. Much of our work has been focused on the remains from Ribe, Denmark. One of the problems is that the actual bead making furnaces are only represented by a number of clay base plates, with none of the upper portions of the furnaces surviving. There are plentiful examples of scrap and waste glass from the making process, as well as a large number of various styles of completed beads. As glass is virtually indestructible, glass beads are a common grave find as well.

My contribution to the beginning of the project was as the 'fire guy', lending my forge experience to the problem of how to construct and operate a charcoal burning glass furnace. It quickly was apparent to me that I needed some direct experience with how glass bead making works! To that end I assembled a basic set of modern lamp working tools and supplies, and made roughly 150 beads - just to get the hang of it.

Neil had made the furnace up a week before and allowed it to air dry. The construction is made of our standard 50 / 50 mix of powdered clay / shredded dry horse manure. The base oval is roughly 30 x 60 cm, and it stands about 30 cm tall. This is the ninth rendition of the basic plan, which at this point is close to an effective layout in terms of heat generation and functional spaces. (For some discussion of alternative designs and functional aspects, see an earlier posting. )

One continuing point of experimentation remains the problem of creating the required temperatures for glass working - and sustaining them, within the furnace. Charcoal supplied with a gentle (!) air blast will certainly produce the required temperatures. One problem remains getting heat without excessive ash floating around (and sticking to the surface of the beads).
One very successful addition to the interior of the furnace is to place a triangular diverter on the wall directly opposite the tuyere entry. Combined with a slight down angle to the tuyere, the net effect is a spiral pattern to the air flow and thus heat generation pattern. In this furnace, this circular pattern was clear in the way the charcoal was consumed.

Our current furnaces provide two possible working methods.
One is inside the furnace, through a port cut into the two long axis ends. For this furnace, Neil and I made slightly different cut angles and locations. I had kept to a more rectangular shape, and also cut the angle of the upper edge so it sloped upwards into the furnace. Generally this proved more effective in reducing some of the volume of hot air blast escaping towards the operator.

The second working area is inside the exhaust stack on the top of the furnace. Although a fresh charge of charcoal certainly provides enough heat here to bring the glass to working temperatures, the effective duration remains short. I think some additional refinements in the shape of the upper structure may improve the function of the stack area.

I worked as much as possible with the two types of tesseri (broken tiles) that Neil had purchased. By this point I (more or less) have managed to figure out how to take an irregular rectangle and wind it up to a roughly ball shape on a mandrill.

One important addition to our working method was developed by Neil over this session.
I can more or less manage a bead shape, even a bead with some decoration. Where it comes apart for me (literally) is in getting the finished bead off the mandrill! Neil had looked closely at a video of traditional workers and seen that they were able to tap off a still hot bead with a metal tool. After a number of failures, he discovered the key is in tapping the mandrill first, which seems to break up and loosen the applied clay separator / resist.

Although not shot at Goderich, there is a video clip on YouTube which shows an earlier experiment in this series.

For more information on the ongoing research into Norse glass beads and making, see the area on the DARC web site.

* Evil Nefarious Plan:
Is to introduce an element of archaeology, specifically Experimental Archaeology, into the fabric of the Festival. Next year marks 20 years for the Earth, Air Celtic Festival. I have tentative approval to build and operate a Celtic Iron Age, slag pit styled, iron smelting furnace as the public demonstration. In conjunction, my intended Celtic College offering will be 'Ancient Celtic Ironwork'. Students will work with a ground pit charcoal forge, bellows air and small block anvils. The likely projects will be small knives and spear points. On the last College session, they will aid in constructing the smelting furnace.
The day long firing of the furnace will be a major demonstration at the Festival, allowing for direct participation of students and others.
It will certainly be the very first time this type of furnace has ever been publicly presented in Canada, perhaps the first time in all of North America.

Seeing CanIRON 8 ??

2011-08-10T11:34:00.004-04:00

- I sure didn't!

I was pretty much rushing around like a crazy man from 8 am through to 11 pm each day. I did not see any of the great demonstrations put on by our featured blacksmiths.

The sole exception to this was very late on Friday evening, when my friend Mike McCarthy worked on with his assistant Travis. It must have been closer to midnight when I managed to catch the last part of them working on completing his pipe tomahawk, then welding up and rough forging a draw knife.

Here are the best of the only images I managed from CanIRON 8 :

All these images are shot with available light!
The first is a composite of two images.

Viking Age Bead Making - at Goderich Celtic

2011-08-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

On Saturday August 4 and Sunday 5, Neil Peterson (of DARC) and myself will be demonstrating Norse glass bead making techniques. The presentation will run roughly 1 PM - 4 PM, as part of the activities inside the Earth, Air Celtic Festival in Goderich Ontario.

For information and directions to the Festival web site.

Neil and I will be actually continuing our experimental work with Viking Age charcoal fired glass furnaces, based on artifact evidence largely from Ribe, Denmark. This has been an ongoing research and practical skills development project largely under Neil's leadership.

This will be a departure from what you have seen me do at the Festival in the past. In previous years, I have been illustrating proven techniques, which often have a historic basis, but generally I have been using modern tools. The focus is often towards the production of a finished object.

Here the stress is on experimental archaeology. The methods, even the exact tools, used by ancient Norse bead makers are not well represented by artifacts. The furnaces are represented only by flat base plates, no intact upper portions have ever been found. There is a LOT of guess work and trial & error involved!

So come watch us work - its sure to be an adventure. New discoveries can be made at any time!

CanIRON 8 - Consider a single day admission

2011-07-28T08:42:00.001-04:00

- The CanIRON 8 organizing team did its best to offer a high quality conference, yet attempt to keep the registration cost as low as we could.

But we all realize that not everyone can manage to attend the full four days.

Remember that you can purchase a single day admission pass at the registration desk!
This is ideal for those who may not be able to get time off work, have family commitments on this holiday weekend, or are just tight on funds.

A one day pass costs $85 (+ HST)
OABA members get a $10 discount

Here's what is happening - day by day:
Click on this to get a full size copy you can print off

Its not too late to make plans for attending on FRIDAY - when programming runs from 9 am to 9:30 pm. This is by far our most information packed day of CanIRON 8

Hope to see you there!

Note to my regular readers:
I will be away at CanIRON 8 from Tuesday July 26 through Sunday July 31.
I make a frantic change over for Goderich Celtic, starting the Celtic College on Monday August 1.
I will be at the Earth Air Celtic Festival from Friday August 5 through Sunday August 7.
Expect dead air over these periods!

DARC at CanIRON 8 - Iron Smelting Demo

2011-07-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Join a team from DARC on Thursday July 28 for a public demonstration of bloomery furnace iron smelting!
This is a FREE attendance part of the larger CanIRON 8, the Canadian national blacksmith's conference.

The event takes place at the Wellington County Sportsplex, 550 Belsyde Ave, Fergus Ontario.
How to get there

Demonstration starts at roughly 9 AM, with the construction of an 'Econo Norse' style furnace. This furnace type is quick and easy to build out of commonly available materials.

Preheat is expected to start about 10 - 10:30, with full smelting sequence starting about 11 - 12 noon.
The smelt will proceed over the afternoon, with final extraction of the bloom planned for about 5 pm.

The DARC smelt team will consist of:
Neil Peterson - Smelt Master
Richard Schweitzer - Lead Hand
Dave Cox - Loader

Come Join Us!

(Note, I am team leader for the whole CanIRON 8 conference. At best I may poke my nose in now and then to check everything is running smoothly. Expect to see me for the extraction however!)

CanIRON 8 : Come see - What is FREE !

2011-07-25T10:00:00.003-04:00

Halluciginia No. 3 - Crab (more)

2011-07-24T10:20:00.004-04:00

- Just another image - close up - of the piece I just completed for 'Joined by Joints' at CanIRON 8.

The Gallery at CanIRON 8 is FREE ADMISSION to the general public:

Hours - 1:30 - 4:30 PM
Wellington County Community Sportsplex
Fergus Ontario

Maps and Directions

the Main CanIRON 8 web site

Come see what Artisan Blacksmiths REALLY create!

For a fuller description of this piece : Crab - designing to forged elements

Out of the Womb - Endlessly Orbitting (???)

2011-07-23T07:44:00.002-04:00

I am a true child of the space age.
I was born in 1955. That's just before the launch of Sputnik 1, the first successful human satellite launch (October 1957). I grew up watching the Mercury and Apollo programs. I wanted to be an astronaut.
If you are reading this, and are of the age, odds are almost certain you too were glued to the television on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. 'We came in peace, for all mankind' - and we believed it.

For those who were not raised on Arthur C. Clarke, Issac Asimov , and (significantly for me) Robert H. Heinlein, perhaps the 'Space Race' is just a vague historic footnote. I was there for the very real days of fear, when young men had nervous fingers on switches and leaders postured - and several times almost started World War Three.

One solution to the oppressive threat of nuclear annihilation was to move our fragile human egg out of one single (easy to destroy) basket (read the visionaries named above).
Or preserve the race from a Dinosaur Killer asteroid. (Read Niven & Pournelle's 'Lucifer's Hammer')

Or ensure we continue past the (now certain) period of climatic upheaval - of our own making.

But I despair that humanity, having approached the edge of the rest of the universe, has wimped out. Like a 20 something who graduated college and then moved home to live with the parents, we (in the form of the American Government) have decided its just more comfortable to just stay in our bedrooms. Sure the room is small, needs painting and is crammed full of our childhood collection of junk. But its safe and comforting, and the outside world seems so cold and dangerous.

This piece was inspired by the reflections of another blog post that was pointed out to me. Itself a commentary on the current wave of internet generated rejections of the whole concept of space research. As that writer points out, the internet, computers of any kind, personal electronics, ..., ALL are spin off secondary applications from technology developed from that same 'Space Race'.

As a young man, I might have used the F-word more frequently in my depiction of this phenomenon

...

I'm going to leave aside the patent stupidity of NASA giving up on actually traveling to space and instead address some of the commentary I've seen on the web. Specifically, the comments to the effect that space exploration is "a waste of money and isn't worth it."

'Crab' - Designing to Forged Elements :

2011-07-19T06:52:00.008-04:00

Regular readers know that CanIRON 8 is coming up in a week (!) I will have to go straight from being team leader at CanIRON - to teaching at the Goderich Celtic College the next morning. After a week in Goderich, I have all of three days to prepare for my other major show, Summerfolk in Owen Sound. For those reasons, postings may be kind of thin over the next four weeks!

Image by 'Captain Hook' - taken from his collection :
Shells encountered while sailing on a sailing catamaran off of Marco Island, FL.

I have always been drawn to the water, and since I was a kid, interested in bugs and crustaceans. Many years back, I spent a magical week in the Florida keys, and one of my treasured beach combing finds was a large spine from a horse shoe crab.

Now, those watching my work know that a recent series of larger sculptural pieces is the 'Hallucigenia' series. These are pieces based on the fantastic creatures from the Burgess Shale. (see the complete 'Songs of Distant Oceans' series pieces)

For CanIRON 8, a special theme for Gallery is “Joined by Joints”. This defined as " works employing mechanical joins which are not welded, brazed or soldered" - the use mortise & tenon, rivets and other non-welded joints.
Now, outside of rivets, I don't actually very often use those mechanical joining methods. The intent of the theme category was to get us all to try some new techniques, and I certainly wanted to get one piece ready to display. (That and I have not done too much new artistic work over the last year, and did want SOMETHING to exhibit to show I'm some kind of artisan blacksmith!)

This is what I came up with.

I decided, especially since there are a lot of better technical smiths out there than I am, to work inside my strength, which is in design. So the piece is based on the concept of a wedged joint, rather than the mere functional aspect of a wedged joint.
I also wanted to work inside a principle common to the best of contemporary artistic blacksmithing work, that being heavily sculpted shapes. I worked with generally heavier starting metal stocks than is normal for me, then each piece is so aggressively forged that the original starting stock is completely re-profiled. This also results in a work of considerable size (the finished work will be over three feet long.)

The rough form of the piece is inspired by that simple horseshoe crab, with a heavy segmented body shell that ends in a long spine. From there, the bizarre world of the Burgess Shale takes over, suggesting a creature that never survived into our modern age.

As you can see in the original layout drawing, there is one element that forms the 'hoop' which the wedges tighten against. This portrudes from the shell, then tapers into two long tentacles underneath. There are three wedge elements, a heavier central element ending in forked spirals, plus two curved 'antenna' pieces.

The two shell pieces will be folded, riveted along that line, then folded back, creating a pair of ridge lines on each. After this the pieces will be hot dished for contour. When complete, these will be riveted to each other, and the long spine piece riveted to the lower shell.
If the cutting and fitting is done carefully, the hoop holds the three wedge elements tightly as they are tapped into place.

Although I did have a rough idea were I was going, I started by forging the main elements individually. Once more or less completed, I then combined them over a full scale outline drawing of my proposed shell pieces.

You can see here how the elements have been translated from the original layout into forged metal. At this point I have not bent the central element into its final hoop shape. The last step on that piece will be contouring the two ends into fluid curves. Working with coloured markers, I am able to determine the rough shapes for the shell pieces, which will be torch cut from 1/8 thick steel plate.

Working with the individual pieces over a full scale drawing lets me generate a final paper template. These will be used as cutting layouts for the steel plate. You can see one change made in process here. I decided to take the top end of the spine (forged from 1/4 x 3 inch flat) and further forge that end. I will cut the bar back along the chalk line, then split and draw out the two sides into a kind of swimming fin on a tentacle.

I had originally intended on following this up with a short photo essay on what happened as I fitted the two shell pieces to the other elements - and what changes this imposed on the overall design. With CanIRON 8 looming, I just did not have time to record the work as I rushed to complete this major piece in time for exhibit:

The total length is roughly four feet! (And I know that is a horrible image!)

Viking Age in TORONTO - this weekend!

2011-07-13T06:56:00.005-04:00

Friends, Fans, and those generally interested in the Viking Age in the Toronto area.

I will be mounting a Viking Age camp presentation as part of Parks Canada's 'Celebrations' series on the Toronto Islands on Saturday July 16. The presentation hours are 12 - 6 PM.

I will certainly be on hand a bit later than that, if you decide to come in to also take in the free concerts!
The Parks Canada area is set up on Olympic Island. Those coming any distance are strongly suggested to park at one of the free / cheap lots around the edges of the Subway system, then take the TTC down to the ferry docks (cost of the return boat ride is $6.50).

The presentation for Canada Day in Ottawa

The display is centered on a typical 'camp' set up, tent with bed, camp fire with cooking tools, and a general display of domestic objects. A stress on the situations at Vinland circa 1000 AD (supporting L'Anse aux Meadown NHSC). In addition I will be bringing and demonstrating with the Norse sand table (charcoal) forge.

Forge set up at the Haffenreffer Museum, Bristol Rode Island

Come take a look!
This will be especially of interest to those involved in metalworking. I don't often demonstrate with the Viking Age equipment to the general public.

Hope to see you there...

Smelting and Weather?

2011-07-10T09:54:00.006-04:00

When I smelt by myself if I have inclement weather I can usually post pone the smelt. I would like to have more people participate. That makes it more difficult to post pone. Some of the pictures I see "easy up" covers. I assume they are not over the furnace. I could get 30 seconds out of it over my furnace :-). At the present time I can not smelt inside either. How do you people handle the poor weather?

Milton

NO worries on weather!

I ran a completely successful smelt one time at -20 F temperatures. It was punishing for us workers, and the preheat was somewhat extended (with wood splits). Once the furnace was to temperature, the difference of 75 degrees (F) in the input air did not make and effect to the operation energy inside the furnace.

In the spring I taught a workshop at Brown University. It pissed rain the whole day. We did keep the charcoal itself under cover. Again once the furnace was running, the small amount of water that hit the top of the furnace never even made it to the charcoal surface.

I'm never smelted in an absolute downpour, but I suspect once the furnace is at operating temperature it will not mater. How YOU react to the weather is an entirely different matter.

Having dry charcoal does make a (big!) difference, but in most of our short shaft furnaces, there is plenty of energy being produced. You will notice a difference in consumption (dry fuel does mean slightly lower volumes used)

We work with a 'farmers market' style tarp (now dedicated for smelter use) that is set about 10 feet back from the position of the furnace itself. This gives us a sun / rain shade. You certainly do get fine pin holes from burning charcoal dust. Screening your charcoal reduces this problem by the way.
At L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC last summer, we worked inside a reconstruction of the original 'furnace hut' on the site. This was a dried turf (peat) walled structure with a pole roof. Wall height was about 6 feet, about 8 feet to the peaked roof. Size was about 10 x 10 with one side open. Absolutely no problems with fire on the roof, a mere 5 feet from top of furnace to ridge line. (Mind you I would not recommend it generally!)

We have smelted a number of times in the winter / early spring here in Central Ontario inside my workshop. Dirt floor, 20 foot peak inside. Main problem is the fine ash that seems to go everywhere!

Smelting and Weather?

2011-07-10T09:54:00.000-04:00

When I smelt by myself if I have inclement weather I can usually post pone the smelt. I would like to have more people participate. That makes it more difficult to post pone. Some of the pictures I see "easy up" covers. I assume they are not over the furnace. I could get 30 seconds out of it over my furnace :-). At the present time I can not smelt inside either. How do you people handle the poor weather?

Milton

no worries on weather!

I ran a completely successful smelt one time at -20 F temperatures. It was punishing for us workers, and the preheat was somewhat extended (with wood splits). Once the furnace was to temperature, the difference of 75 degrees (F) in the input air did not make and effect to the operation energy inside the furnace.
In the spring I taught a workshop at Brown University. It pissed rain the whole day. We did keep the charcoal itself under cover. Again once the furnace was running, the small amount of water that hit the top of the furnace never even made it to the charcoal surface.
I'm never smelted in an absolute downpour, but I suspect once the furnace is at operating temperature it will not mater. How YOU react to the weather is an entirely different matter.

Having dry charcoal does make a difference, but in most of our short shaft furnaces, there is plenty of energy being produced. You will notice a difference in consumption (dry fuel does mean slightly lower volumes used)

We work with a 'farmers market' style tarp (now dedicated for smelter use) that is set about 10 feet back from the position of the furnace itself. This gives us a sun / rain shade. You certainly do get fine pin holes from burning charcoal dust. Screening your charcoal reduces this problem by the way.
At L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC last summer, we worked inside a reconstruction of the original 'furnace hut' on the site. This was a dried turf (peat) walled structure with a pole roof. Wall height was about 6 feet, about 8 feet to the peaked roof. Size was about 10 x 10 with one side open. Absolutely no problems with fire on the roof, a mere 5 feet from top of furnace to ridge line. (Mind you I would not recommend it generally!)
We have smelted a number of times in the winter / early spring here in Central Ontario inside my workshop. Dirt floor, 20 foot peak inside. Main problem is the fine ash that seems to go everywhere!

Axe forging - the video

2011-07-06T12:17:00.002-04:00

- I had commented (and linked to) a great tutorial on a method of *correctly* forging an accurate Viking Age bearded axe by Jim Austin.

This is a longish video (about 12 minutes) and well worth the time!

There are a number of tricks and methods, clearly illustrated in the shorter video above. Jim is intending to sell a full instructional DVD with information on the tooling and full descriptions of the work process.

Very great work Jim!

Historic Iron Smelt in Sweden

2011-07-05T08:15:00.002-04:00

Jens Jørgen Olesen

6:39am Jul 4

How to make iron in the old way

www.youtube.com

During the Viking market at Foteviken Museum in Sweden in 2011, one Danish and two Polish Blacksmith

This is a segment by my friend Jens from Heltborg in Denmark. Much of the narration is in Danish (or Swedish - go figure).
In the sequence shown, 16 kg of ore was used with an end yield of 6 kg (at the rough bloom stage). The clip also shows the team consolidating the lacy bloom into a (much smaller) working bar.
There are a number of interesting aspects to the method:
* Use of what looks like a rock type ore, perhaps not roasted.
* Use of a variation on the 'slit drum' bellows (which I've seen in African smelting)
* Bellows plate tuyere set up
* Use of wooden 'Troll Hammers' for initial compaction of the bloom.

The overall method produces a lacy bloom, rather than the dense puck shapes we get with our insert tuyere and higher volume air systems. In the end however, its the bar of iron that counts!

Nice work Jens - and a very good documentation video.

Viking Age in Ottawa for Canada Day

2011-06-29T15:45:00.004-04:00

(1000 years in the making - less than 70 hours in the organization!)

On behalf of Parks Canada, I will be mounting a presentation of daily life in the Viking Age this Canada Day (Friday July 1) in Jacques Cartier Park, just across from Parliament Hill on the Quebec side. The Park is just across the street from the CMC on Rue Laurier, backing on the Ottawa River.

Admission is FREE
Presentation hours are 10 am - 8 pm

I will also be working as one of two historic interpreters. I will be operating a Norse type sand table forge, demonstrating simple blacksmithing techniques.
Also in camp will be Stephen Paine of L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC, who is flying in from Newfoundland for the presentation.

I'm told that there may be something between 350 - 400 THOUSAND people in attendance at the various venues of the official Canada Day celebrations. (Part of the draw are Will and Kate - who apparently are intending to visit the CMC (right across the street) as part of the Royal Tour...)

If you are near Ottawa, it would be nice to see some friendly (intelligent) faces in the massive crowds...

Recent Work

2011-06-27T08:12:00.004-04:00

- I know that individual postings here in detail have been a bit thin of late. Preparation work for CanIRON 8 is eating up a lot of time (and limited brain power).
Here are a couple of images of one of my late spring commissions:

This was a small 'Juliette' type balcony intended to match the earlier purchased (by another maker) curved back kitchen door.
In use this balcony primarily allows the home owner to open up the pair of doors to expand their kitchen into the small back yard. The deck space on it is about 12 inches deep by 40 inches wide. Although certainly not specifically 'up to code' the customer did decide to have the top rail set at the required 42 inches tall. The frame is made up of 1 1/2 outside diameter pipe. The pieces were forged into graceful curves, echoing the shapes of the earlier metal stairs.

June 11 Smelt - REPORT

2011-06-27T08:08:00.002-04:00

- for the DARC to CanIRON 8 Practice Smelt.

- is now available on the main Wareham Forge Iron smelting web site :

http://www.warehamforge.ca/ironsmelting/June-11/report11-11.html

Some things are free, but much more with Membership!

2011-06-20T08:50:00.001-04:00

On 19/06/11 6:28 PM, John wrote:

Is it true that the iron smelt is on Thurs. only? That is my primary interest at the conference ...

The iron smelt by members of the Dark Ages Re-Creation Company will take place over the full day of Thursday 28, the opening day of CanIRON 8. The team will start the furnace build roughly 9 am, expects to be ready for the start of main sequence by noon, pulling the bloom roughly 4:30 - 5 pm.

This is a free, public outreach part of the conference. I'm expecting that I personally will be stuck running around organizing, but feature demonstrators Mike McCarthy and Jesus Hernandez are members of the "Early Iron Underground" and will be able (Mike especially) to lend a hand.

Of course you might expect that I should be plugging the full four day conference!

Jesus Hernandez, who works in the Japanese bladesmithing traditions, will be taking part of the DARC iron bloom and later demonstrating forging it down to a blade blank.

If you are interested in ancient historical methods, I think you will be interested in the (amazing) work of Jake Powning, who will be demonstrating Viking Age style pattern welding (twisted composite core), plus lecturing on his blend of Celtic and Norse designs.

There is a packed schedule of feature demonstrations, hands on workshops, lectures and panel sessions for paid registrations to CanIRON 8. One of the missions of the hosting organization, the Ontario Artist Blacksmith Association, is to inform and educate the general public about the 'art and mystery' of the blacksmith. For that reason we have included a full program of public outreach events.

Other aspects of CanIRON 8 which are being presented as FREE public access:

- Friday & Saturday (roughly 9-12 a + 1:30-4 p): Come see members of OABA, under David McCort, work on completing the Fergus Park Bench project.
- the Gallery is open daily from 1:30 - 4:30 p, including 'meet the artist' sessions
- our Auction takes place Saturday starting at 6:30 p, bid on original hand forged art pieces (plus smithing related items like tools and hands on courses)
- 'Hammer In' style demonstrations, Sunday 9 - 12 a, where members of OABA will present their skills using a range of forge equipments and working styles.
- Forging Competition, Sunday 1:30 - 4:30 p, always a lot of action and highjinks as teams of smiths (stuggle?) to make an object with limited materials and time.

For further information:

CanIRON 8 web site
Registration
Schedule

Regular Readers are no doubt aware that I am heading up the working team for CanIRON 8 ...

CanIRON practice smelt

2011-06-19T08:14:00.004-04:00

- June 11 at Wareham
Smeltmaster - Neil Peterson
Lead Hand - Richard Schweitzer
Loader - Sam Falzone

This is just a very preliminary overview. The full report should be available later this week.

Furnace - Econo Norse (standard set up)
Ore - untested rock ore from Bratton's Run, near Lexington Virginia
Amount - estimated at roughly 23 kg
Bloom - 2.65 nice soft iron

Slag tap 2/3 through sequence

Neil peeks while Richard loads

Compacted and sliced bloom

De-Bunking the Kensington Rune Stone ...

2011-06-07T08:33:00.004-04:00

Yet Again.
This topic reared its ugly head again on Norsefolk 2. This was my initial offering:

Viking disappearance from Greenland

This topic was dealt with in some detail in 'Vikings - North Atlantic
Saga', which was the most up to date research at the time of the exhibit
(being 2000)

As a member of the design team for the exhibit, I can tell you there was
considerable discussion about whether to even mention (much less
include) the Kensington stone in the exhibit. It has long been PROVEN to
be a forgery.

My friend Dr Birgitta Wallace specifically wrote a section in the book
on various theories of 'Norse' occupation sites outside of the proven
location at L'Anse aux Meadows. Outside of the Maine Silver Penny find
(another thing entirely) there are NONE.

Considerable wishful thinking however. Please check your geography and a
map. There are rapids at Montreal that kept ANYONE from passing an ocean
vessel further - until the St Lawrence Seaway was constructed. Remember
Niagara Falls? That takes a portage of over 15 km - if possible at all.

Horses can not possibly walk from modern New Brunswick over through the
bush on the Canadian Shield over the top of Lake Superior. (Ever tried
it? * I * have!)

As for taking the route from James Bay to Minnesota, remember that old
warning : "Stay on the boat..."

Even the most basic research will show all these 'finds' are from the
1800's.

But this topic is like Jason from Friday the 13th - it just will not die. Rabid supporters of the WAG that the Norse did in fact travel into the interior of North America persist.

Enter Christie Ward

Christie also is known on the internet as 'the Viking Answer Lady'. I highly recommend her web site, which is an excellent resource for the serious re-enactor of the Viking Age. Her personal interests and specialties are textiles and food related topics, but the collection includes very much more.

She (with so much better patience than I have) took the trouble and effort to re-format the bulk of the text by the Smithsonian's Bill Fitzhugh from Vikings - North Atlantic Saga that I mentioned above. Using the power of the internet, Christie added web links for virtually ALL the individual references cited in Bill's original piece:

Debunking the Kensington Stone
Text below is taken from:

Fitzhugh, William W. and Elisabeth I. Ward, eds. Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. 2000. (Available at Amazon.com)

Whenever possible, I have expanded in-text references to Google Book links or other online resources to better allow readers to follow up on these sources. If I have not linked a reference in the text, it means I could not find an online version of the text: however, it will still be listed in the bibliography, with, whenever possible, purchase information. When I have inserted my own text, it will be included in [Square Brackets and Green Text].
(from Christie's introduction)

To view Christie's version of the original article : go to 'Debunking the Kensington Stone'

To view the Smithsonian's web site on the parent exhibit : go to 'Vikings - North Atlantic Saga'

Early Blacksmith

2011-06-06T08:06:00.004-04:00

Stuttgarter Psalter - Cod. bibl. fol. 23

Saint-Germain-des-Prés 0801

France : 820-830 AD

This image dug up by Jeroen Zuiderwijk who posted it to the Don Fog Bladesmith Forum.
For the full image off the manuscript page - go HERE
For various versions of the Stuttgarter Psalter - go HERE

Now, what I see here is:
- ground position fire
- use of bellows shield stone
- bellows (may?) be a simple 'bag' type
a top set plate with opening, sealed by the palm on the down stroke (??)
- smith working standing with waist height anvil
- anvil is simple T stake shape (proportions ??)

Demonstration IRON SMELT : June 11

2011-06-01T09:18:00.000-04:00

- The Dark Ages Re-creation Company will be mounting a demonstration IRON SMELT at the upcoming CanIRON 8 (Fergus, Thursday July 28)
http://www.ontarioblacksmiths.ca/CANIRON8/demonstrator/darc.html

The preparation / test smelt for this will take place on our normal
spring smelt weekend :

Saturday June 11
Wareham Ontario
Demonstration start time: 9 AM
Expected extraction time : 5 PM

Neil Peterson will be smelt master, demonstration team is Dave Cox, Sam Falezone and Richard Schweitzer.

Those interested in attending the June session can undertake the role of the general
public. This may mean that there may also be roles available as part of a
'hands on' aspect to the demonstration.

The smelter to be constructed is the Econo Norse type (firebrick with
sand packing). This is a modern system using easily available parts in its construction.
http://www.warehamforge.ca/ironsmelting/EconoNorse/index.html

In addition there will be some general grunt work to be undertaken, required to prepare materials for the two smelts. Smashing charcoal being one task. Breaking rock ore would be very
helpful.

Following the CanIRON pattern, this June 11 demonstration intended to be a ONE DAY
sequence.

How to get to Wareham?
http://www.warehamforge.ca/directions

(cross posted from the DARC blog)

Great Northern Medieval Fayre -

2011-05-27T08:41:00.005-04:00

I will be demonstrating this weekend at this local event:

The event web site : www.medievalfayre.com

From the 'Living in a Medieval Village' part of the event web site:

Metalsmiths

The metalsmith, sometimes called blacksmith, had to first make his tools before he could make metal parts such as horseshoes, nails and door hinges. A blacksmith was named because he was a 'smith' who worked in the "black" metal, namely iron. The "white" metals were tin, silver or gold.

It could take a smith as much as a year to make a full suit of armour for a Knight. If everything didn't fit just right, it could be dangerous.
The Medieval Blacksmith made a huge variety of items and objects which included:
• Medieval Weapons including swords, daggers, lances, arrow heads etc.
• Siege Weapons
• Medieval Armor and shields
• Tools
• Nails
• Church and Castle Doors - hinges, locks and keys
• Instruments of torture and chains
• Household objects including knives, light fittings, pokers etc.
• Ornaments, Jewelry & Decorative Objects

I will be working the reconstructed Norse sand table forge seen above, plus have a display of tools, domestic objects and weapons from the Viking Age :

Education Days - Thursday & Friday : 10 A - 3 P
Festival Days - Saturday & Sunday : 10 A - 4 P

No, I did not write the descriptive text above!

AFTER the event:

It rained. And it poured. And the field was mud - where it was not standing water.
But the kids came and were interested, the sun came out for a couple of hours into the afternoon Sunday so at least the canvas was packed up dry.

a new take on Debt Slavery

2011-05-24T08:51:00.003-04:00

I was recently contacted by Barry Pettit (of Pettit Integrated Solutions ) about a one day filming session here at the Wareham Forge.

Barry had a project underway to produce an educational video for a large Christian organization in the USA, one with a predominately Black congregation. Normally I would shy away from that kind of situation, but it was clear that this group was also quite concerned about improving peoples 'here and now' as well as their hereafter.

Not surprising when you think about it, people of African American decent make up a very disportionate percentage of working poor in the United States. There is a clear link to lower education levels, lower overall physical health and poor general living conditions. It may be hard to aim at a specific link in that overall chain, but it is certain that these factors relate to each other.

With recent economic events in America, the Church organization decided to target one very clear problem : that of credit card and other debts. Small short term gain for crushing long term losses and restrictions. Borrow a dollar now (often to purchase feel good luxuries) and find you end up bound to the banks.

They wanted to make a very clear and dramatic parallel between modern debt - and historic slavery in America.

Barry's concept was to show people, often elegantly dressed, trapped in a set of arm shackles as they recounted their personal stories of debt. This is an extremely powerful and highly personal image for that target community.
As a way of introducing the concept of modern 'debt slavery', Barry wanted to film a series of close ups of the actual forging of the shackles. The tight views of the individual steps in producing the object would not be clear at first. It might not be till the end of the forging process that the true nature of the object would be clear.

As forged object, this set of simple shackles are not complex. The frames are forged from 3/8 x 1 1/2 flat stock.
These are the steps we filmed:
1) Forging down a 1 x 1 stock bar into the starting 3/8 x 1 1/2 flat
2) Rounding off the rectangular end
3) Hot punching then drifting the holes
4) Hot cutting a section to length
6) Bending the end to a 60 degree tab
7) Forming the curve
(Those steps repeated a total of eight times to form the 4 half shackle segments)
8) Apply a makers mark ('branding')
9) Adjust the end tabs flat
10) Adjust the half sections to fit each other
11) Form a pair of small rings
12) Re-profile about 18 inches of commercial heavy chain by flattening end links
(assemble the finished parts into the complete shackles)

Barry proved excellent to work with. He allowed the work to proceed as it actually would - no 'fake' overheating or oil on the anvil set ups. The many repeats of the individual steps allowed him to both observe the individual steps, but also easily get several takes from different angles of each process in the series.

He showed me some of the recorded sequences as the day progressed. What a difference a professional level video camera makes!

Although Barry's original interest was just in filming the process, I suggested that the small amount of extra time involved in finishing a complete object was certainly worth doing. I was imagining the finished documentary in presentation, and how powerful it would be for a presenter to be able to hold up the actual shackles before the target audience.

Will YOU be 'Raptured'...

2011-05-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

... and if so, can I have your stuff?

Too funny not to repeat!

Stolen without permission from 'Peas & Cougars'

Most of you have probably heard that the rapture is supposedly happening this Saturday, May 21st (“the Bible guarantees it!”). So you’re probably wondering, Will I be raptured? Do I need to find care for my pets? Never fear, I’ve created a flowchart that will answer any doubt you may have.

(added 'Rapture Day')

In case you were wondering why your annoying neighbours were still there when you woke up this morning, I hear the 'official' departure time is 6 PM EST...

But someone threw this up on Facebook this morning (it sure suits *my* sense of humour!)

How Hot?

2011-05-17T06:29:00.003-04:00

To set the record straight - these are some actual temperatures recorded inside a *working* bloomery furnace:

This is what we got in terms of hard numbers off our last experimental smelt - at the Haffenreffer Museum during the program ran for students at Brown University. (a description on an earlier posting)

The furnace was a standard 'Norse Short Shaft' and was built with a series of small holes down the back side of the cylinder. This put these holes at 90 degrees to the placement of the tuyere. So effectively these could measure the middle of the furnace.
The holes were placed every 10 cm, started from the top of the furnace down. This put the lowest hole at roughly tuyere level.
Measurements were made using a digital pyrometer. The thermocouple wire was inserted into each hole in turn.
Only three sets of readings were possible. There was an equipment failure, caused by the student who installed a fresh battery not correctly closing the case of the instrument. The first set of measurements was made at a point where the charcoal column had yet to fully ignite, so do not represent true working temperatures.
The other two sets of measurements are at roughly the point where there was a full ignition of the reduction column, and at a point 30 minutes after that. It should be noted that we were still establishing the correct balance of air flow against consumption rate (which is also in effect establishing the correct internal furnace temperatures). The ideal situation would be to produce a complete set of temperature readings over the whole progress of a working smelt.

The table was created by Ian Brownstein, who took the measurements on smelt day.

Hammered Out Bits

DARC to LAM - July 2012

(late) Medieval Images of Blacksmiths

Revising the Web Site

EXARC journal article!

Issue 2012/1

"But if you don't get any IRON..." Towards an effective method for small iron smelting furnaces

Winter Work...

Composing an F&Q

Peterson House - Front Supports : INSTALLED

Where DO Ideas Come From - Peterson House

Remember this?

Schiffer Releases Ironwork Today 3

CanIRON 9 - Quebec

Russian VA Iron Smelt...

A Historic Tool ??

Gamer's View on Metals, Armour & Weapons

Yule Sale!

What is True - or what they want?

Forging the BIG Time (again!)

Where DO Ideas Come From (3) - Peterson House

Bill Short on VIking Age Weapons & Combat

Archaeology & Experiment - Smelt at Brown University

the Work and Mind of Jake Powning

Found on the Beach ....

why OCCUPY?

Sauder on SMELTING

Afghanistan ... and Viet Nam

Slag Pit Two - Report Ready

'It came from the PIT'...

Slag Pit Two

Stone Age to Iron Age?

Slag Pit Smelt - Report ready!

Happy Halloween

DARC at CanIRON 8 - Smelt Report...

Measuring the HEAT...

Iron Smelting Furnace TemperaturesShort Shaft over Slag Pit

Thanksgiving Smelt - fast overview

Styll 2 - bragging a wee bit...

Thanksgiving IRON SMELT at Wareham

VA Glass Bead Experiment 9/10/11

OUT OF THE STORM - Fundraiser for Goderich

Out of the Storm

Saturday, October 8, 2011

1pm – 1am, 12 hours of amazing entertainment!

$45.00 (hst inc.)per person, 12 & under free

Music, Local Food, Children’s Area, Artisans and Beer Tent!

Happening on the Square in Goderich

Truth for those who dream...

Dr Wallace at Western!

Thursday, October 13th - 3:30 pm B&GS 0165

The UWO Northern Research Group presents:

Stonekettle on Intelligent Aliens and the State Fair

“Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.”

– Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

Charcoal in Furnaces?

Styll 2- Two, B

Styll 2 - Two, A

Cooking and Cookware References?

View of CanIRON 8 - one

DARC smelt at CanIRON 8

Report from Goderich!

'New' at Kensington Minnesota...

Wind Power comes to Wareham

See me at : SUMMERFOLK - Owen Sound

Art imitates Science (??)

Introduction to LAYERED STEELS - October 22 & 23

Bead Making at Goderich Celtic (report) :

Seeing CanIRON 8 ??

Viking Age Bead Making - at Goderich Celtic

CanIRON 8 - Consider a single day admission

DARC at CanIRON 8 - Iron Smelting Demo

CanIRON 8 : Come see - What is FREE !

Halluciginia No. 3 - Crab (more)

Out of the Womb - Endlessly Orbitting (???)

'Crab' - Designing to Forged Elements :

Viking Age in TORONTO - this weekend!

Smelting and Weather?

Smelting and Weather?

Axe forging - the video

Iron Smelting Furnace Temperatures
Short Shaft over Slag Pit