Canadian IRON Syposium : ORES!

 Canadian IRON Symposium

September 4 - 7 (Labour Day)

Sanctuary Armoury - outside Peterborough ON

https://www.warehamforge.ca/Canadian-Iron/index.html 

The focus on this event will be on ORES. 

Participants will construct a proven 'short shaft' bloomery iron furnace, but each team will work with a different iron ore type.  This will include natural source, commercially prepared and analog ores. Each team will be provided with at least 25 kg of their ore (in some cases additional will be available).  Each type has it's own wrinkles towards creation of the best possible bloom. 

 'Lexington Brown' Goethite - Bratton's Run Virginia

This is an ancient Fe2O3 rock ore, used for the pioneering work by Lee Sauder and Skip Williams.  The reported elemental iron concentration is in the range of 59%.  The material on hand was gathered by myself at the abandoned Bratton's Run Colonial era mine, so the quality should be considered random and lower. There is a quantity on hand that has been both roasted and broken for size. Although there is more than enough of the raw stones available to support two more smelts, these will need to be roasted and broken still.

 

DARC Red Analog - Pottery Supply

This is the standard Fe2O3 analog for Bog Iron Ore, used for the bulk of the experiments at the Wareham Forge. In the form provided, the elemental iron concentration is roughly 54%. The fine 'Spanish Red' powder, available from pottery suppliers, is mixed wet with 10% flour as a binder, then dried into lumps ready for the furnace.

DARC Black Analog - Pottery Supply

This is an alternate analog, made from Fe3O4, again tested in our smelts. As mixed, the elemental iron content is roughly 60% (an excellent ore). Another fine powder, mixed with flour binder. Also available at pottery suppliers, this oxide is considerably cheaper (now) that the red.

 Granular Hematite - Opa Minerals

 This material is ground down from hematite ore from Quebec into very fine particles, and is sold as a sand blasting grit. An extremely pure Fe3O4, with an elemental iron content of 69%. The lack of silica combined with small particle size can make this ore tricky within these furnaces, without care to air / burn rate / temperature, cast iron can be created. With the addition of some additional sand for slag, this ore is most likely to produce higher carbon iron.

Individuals wishing to bring their own local ores for test smelting are more than welcome to do so! Be aware however, that each ore can rely on variations on furnace set up and method for best results. Any ore without at least 50% elemental iron content is unlikely to produce much by way of a workable iron bloom. At least 20 kg of a good quality ore is required.

 

 

Demo / Lecture over May 16 - 17

 

Presentations at the SCA's 'Fruits Of Our Labours' event coming up this weekend :

 

Saturday & Sunday afternoon : Forging the Viking Age.

Demo of a hypothetical charcoal sand table forge, using all replica tools. Ongoing, some potential participation. (requires all natural clothing, covered legs, closed toe shoes)

 

Sunday 10 am : Iron and the Norse.

 Lecture format, illustrated with replicas

 

Event? see : https://ealdormere.ca/fool/

 

‘The Sheep Rise Up’ ??

Do any of you actually *read* science fiction? *
You know, stories where computers and machines displace the majority of the population as the work force.
And the bulk of people live minimalist lives, distracted by video based ‘entertainments’. Packed into the most basic accommodations, with minimal food and other physical needs. All provided by ‘the State’.
Which all has to be funded by massively high taxes, paid by the overpowered corporate world, and those remaining few that actually still have ‘knowledge’ jobs.

It what is actually developing right this very instant in the West.
The United States of America is driving the Free World into exactly this version of the future. A future well illustrated by conditions in the former East Block nations and Russia of the 1970’s and 80’s. (Which that same rich and fat nation used to scorn.) 

And this is where the wheels fall off - Government has to be supported by funding.
If you shove everyone into low economic status (AI created layoffs, against massive increases in food, housing and fuel costs) the money has to come from somewhere. You can’t get blood from a stone.

How long before stones are raised and thrown at the glass windows of those ivory towers?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green

Note the  story setting date.

Filmed in 1973. Based on the 1966 novel 'Make Room! Make Room!' by Harry Harrison.

* This aimed (partially) at people who slavishly read a ‘book’ composed of many separate stories written over a roughly 1000 year span by entirely different authors - staring 3400 years ago (Old Testament). And think this somehow predicts events in our future? This is fiction - without any science.

REGISTRATIONS - Canadian IRON Symposium

 The registrations for the Canadian IRON Symposium are now LIVE.
https://www.warehamforge.ca/Canadian-Iron/

 
Use the secure SQUARE payment system :
https://square.link/u/VNubZkGO
 

Labour Day - September 4-7
Sanctuary Armoury : Hastings ON