Smelt #28
Date: 1/?/01

Furnace configuration: 41" shaft height above tuyere, air preheater on, tuyere 7" above floor
Fuel type: hardwood charcoal
Ore type: goethite - victoria mine
Flux: none
Other additions:

Time

Charcoal

Ore

Slag (Recharged)

Giblets, Gromps, &Muselo

Flux
  

Air

Temp
16" above tuyere, 4" in

Notes

hh:mm

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs
  

l/min

Deg C
   

12:00
                         start preheat with wood

1:00
   40                 1625    switch to charcoal, blast on

1:30
  15  15             1275    Charge #1

1:50

15
 15             1500    Charge #2

2:10
   15

15
                  Charge #3

2:25
                  810 furnace running cold due to wet insulation

2:35
                   1625      

2:40 

15

15
                  Charge #4  (charge added late)

2:50

15

15
           1500   Charge #5, remove tap arch block

3:05

15

15
                 Charge #6

3:20

15
      5    10           Charge #7

3:40

15
    15                Charge #8

3:15

8
   8           1625   Recharge #1

4:03

8
    8          1575    Recharge #2

4:08
 13     13                Recharge #3

4:16
 10                    

4:28
  8     12                

4:35
                   1500   iron sparks visible, "seems dry"

4:45
                      1080  

5:00
  18     17                 
 5:05  17  10              1275     decarburizing charge 
5:15 20                      burndown
6:30                        bloom removed through arch, split with maul
                            
 Totals

262

130
   58   10               

Bloom weight: After splitting-one piece 13 lbs.,one piece 8 lbs., 9 lbs. of broken chunks. Total bloom wt. 30 lbs.

Billet weight:

Final art(ifact) weight:

Carbon Content:

Notes: This is the first smelt inwhich we removed the bloom through our newly enlarged tap arch.

Helpers: Usual Suspects

 


Smelt #29
Date: 2/?/01

Furnace configuration: 41" shaft height above tuyere, air preheater on, tuyere 7" above floor
Fuel type: hardwood charcoal
Ore type: goethite - victoria mine
Flux: none
Other additions:

Time

Charcoal

Ore

Slag (Recharged)

Giblets, Gromps, &Muselo

Hammerscale

Air

Temp
16" above tuyere, 4" in

Notes

hh:mm

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

l/min

Deg C
  

1:15
               start preheat with wood

1:50
   ?          1500   switch to charcoal, blast on

2:40
  15  15        1500   Charge #1

3:00

15
 15        1275   Charge #2

3:30
   15

15
           Charge #3

3:50
  15   15         Charge #4

3:55
              950  

4:10 
            1500    

4:15

15

15
       1625   Charge #5

4:30

15

4
    12       Charge #6

4:45

9
    7    2     Recharge #1

4:55

10
    8    2  1500   Recharge #2
  5:15           1625    

5:20

?
   9    3     Recharge #3. All slag cleared below bloom, 2" space between bloom and furnace floor.

5:25

9
        2      

5:35
 9  10           Decarburization charge. Lean ore from Glenwood mine.

5:50
 15                 Burndown

6:10
                Bloom removed through tap arch.
                 
 Totals

?

89
   24   12  9      

Bloom weight: 21 lbs.

Billet weight:

Final art(ifact) weight:

Carbon Content:

Notes:

Helpers: Usual Suspects
 

Smelt #30
Date: 2/?/01

Furnace configuration: 41" shaft height above tuyere, air preheater on, tuyere 7" above floor
Fuel type: hardwood charcoal
Ore type: goethite - victoria mine
Flux: none
Other additions:

Time

Charcoal

Ore

Slag (Recharged)

Giblets, Gromps, &Muselo

Hammerscale

Air

Temp
16" above tuyere, 4" in

Notes

hh:mm

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

l/min

Deg C
  

12:15
               start preheat with wood

1:00
    40 (approx)          ?   switch to charcoal, blast on

1:25
    15  15        1275   Charge #1

1:50

15
 15           Charge #2

2:10
     15

15
           Charge #3
   2:25           1500    

2:35
     15   15         Charge #4

2:50

15

15
           Charge #5

3:10

 15
      15    1275   Charge #6

3:25

13
    13         Recharge #1
   3:45           1500    

3:55

10
    10    2  1275   Recharge #2
   4:00      8    6    2 1625    Recharge #3. Trouble with tuyere blocking with gummy slag, air rate increased.

4:15

10+8
        5      Scale added near center of charge.

4:45

8+17
        5      These last two scale charges added in place of the usual decarb charge of raw ore. Worked well-gummy slag became quite fluid nand active, right up to tuyere level.

5:30
 8              Burndown

5:40
                Bloom removed through tap arch.
                 
 Totals

212

75
   29   15  14      

Bloom weight: 25 lbs.

Billet weight: Cut in two, forged to 2 two 3/4"thick plates of 10.5 and 6.5 lbs.

Final art(ifact) weight:

Carbon Content:

Notes:

Helpers: Usual Suspects
 
 
Smelt #31
Date: 2/23/01

Furnace configuration: 41" shaft height above tuyere, air preheater on, tuyere 7" above floor
Fuel type: hardwood charcoal
Ore type: goethite - victoria mine
Flux: none
Other additions:

Time

Charcoal

Ore

Slag (Recharged)

Giblets, Gromps, &Muselo

Hammerscale

Air

Temp
16" above tuyere, 4" in

Notes

hh:mm

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

l/min

Deg C
  

1:05
               start preheat with wood

1:50
    32          1275   switch to charcoal, blast on

2:20
    15  15        1.4     Charge #1

2:45

15
 15       1.4     Charge #2

3:10
     15

15
       1.4     Charge #3

3:30
     15   15       1.4     Charge #4

3:50

15

15
       1.4  1500   Charge #5
  3:55           1625   Slag has risen to tuyere. No slag draining, and bloom felt just below tuyere.
  4:10               Tap arch unblocked, poked hole in slag skull to drain slag into furnace bottom- some slag flowed out of furnace entirely.

4:15

 15

 3
      12  1.4     Charge #6
  4:20           1500    
  4:25           1275   Sparking at tuyere, fan reduced.

4:35 

11
    11    1.4     Recharge #1
   4:55    11    12    1.4      Recharge #2

5:05

11
    9    1.4     Recharge #3
   5:20      11    9          Recharge #4

5:30

8
    6    1.4      Recharge #5

5:35

8
    9          Recharge #6

5:40
     10    5    1.4      Recharge #7
  5:55    8   13   1.4     Recharge #8
 6:00    10             Charcoal only.
 6:10      8   12     .7        Recharge #9
 6:25   11  11           Decarburizing charge.
 6:35   11             Burndown.

7:45
                Bloom removed through tap arch.
                 
 Totals

240

89
   86   12  17.5      

Bloom weight: 35.5 lbs.

Billet weight:  24 lbs, forged to 1/2" plate

Final art(ifact) weight: 14 lbs.

Carbon Content: Low

Notes:  Regular additions of hammer scale kept the slag fluid throughout, basically allowing the smelt to continue indefinitely.

Helpers: Usual Suspects
 
 
Smelt #32
Date: 3/17/01

Furnace configuration: 41" shaft height above tuyere, air preheater on, tuyere 7" above floor
Fuel type: hardwood charcoal
Ore type: goethite - victoria mine
Other additions: gromps, hammerscale

Time

Charcoal

Ore

Slag (Recharged)

Giblets, Gromps, &Muselo

Hammerscale

Air

Temp
16" above tuyere, 4" in

Notes

hh:mm

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

l/min

Deg C
  

8:50
            850   start preheat with wood, blast on

9:30
    40 (approx)          1275   switch to charcoal

10:00
    15  15           Charge #1

10:25

15
 15           Charge #2

10:50
     15

15
           Charge #3
   11:05           1500    Hoping to initiate bloom formation lower in the furnace.

11:10
     15   15           Charge #4

11:30

15

15
           Charge #5
      15           15 lbs. of additional ore laid on edge of furnace, and added gradually-plenty of heat, no need of extra fuel.

11:50

 15

6 
      9       Charge #6
 12:00           1625   Slag in tuyere. Cleared under bloom, slag flowed to furnaace floor.
 12:10               Tapped slag.

12:20

12
    10         Recharge #1
   12:40      6      6    1.4      Recharge #2

12:50

8
    8    1.4  1500   Recharge #3
   1:05      10    12    1.4      Recharge #4

1:30

10
    4    3.5      Recharge #5

1:50

14
    9    2.8      Recharge #6

?
   10              Burndown. Gromp scraped off furnace wall from above.

3:00
                Bloom removed through tap arch.
                 
 Totals

200

96
   49   9  10.5      

Bloom weight: 40 lb. bloom, plus15 lb of gromp, including 2 useable bloomlets.

Billet weight:

Final art(ifact) weight:

Carbon Content: Generally low, but with a layer of high carbon on top of bloom (perhaps from scraping the furnace wall?).

Notes: This smelt was conducted as a demonstration for Professor Mike Smitka's Industrial Revolution class.

Helpers:
 
 

Smelt #38
Date: 1/5/02

Furnace configuration: 41" shaft height above tuyere, air preheater on, tuyere 7" above floor
Fuel type: hardwood charcoal
Ore type: goethite - lydia mine
Other additions: 

Time

Charcoal

Ore

Slag (Recharged)

Giblets, Gromps, &Muselo

Hammerscale

Air

Temp
16" above tuyere, 4" in

Notes

hh:mm

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

lbs

l/min

Deg C
  

11.45
               start preheat with wood
 12:00            850 start blast

12:30
    40 (approx)          1275   switch to charcoal
 1:00  2           Ritual charge to begin new year: one pound of ore from near our homes on House Mountain, one pound from Skip's trip Rio Negro, Brazil.

1:05
    15  15           Charge #1

1:30

15
 15           Charge #2

1:50
     15

15
           Charge #3
   1:55           1500    

2:00
     15   15           Charge #4

2:00

15

15
           Charge #5

2:30

 15

15
           Charge #6
  2:50           1625   Trying to get slag bowl to slump.
  2:55    15  15           Charge#7
  3:10               First tapping of slag.

3:15

23
    15         Recharge #1
   3:30      15      15           Recharge #2

3:45

15
    15           Charge # 8 (raw ore).
   1:05      10    12    1.4      Recharge #4

1:30

10
    4    3.5      Recharge #5

1:50

14
    9    2.8      Recharge #6

?
   10              Burndown. Gromp scraped off furnace wall from above.

3:00
                Bloom removed through tap arch.
                 
 Totals

200

96
   49   9  10.5      

Bloom weight: 40 lb. bloom, plus15 lb of gromp, including 2 useable bloomlets.

Billet weight:

Final art(ifact) weight:

Carbon Content: Generally low, but with a layer of high carbon on top of bloom (perhaps from scraping the furnace wall?).

Notes: This smelt was conducted as a demonstration for Professor Mike Smitka's Industrial Revolution class.

Helpers:
 
 
 

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