Iron Bloomery

Fascinating stuff! Just added it to my links list. I hope you go on recording your work.

Does the end result exhibit grain, like traditional wrought iron? Or is it more homogenous like modern mild steel? What is the final carbon content like, pretty low I'd assume?

Regards,

Adam Smith Midland, ON

:(

Access Denied. Bandwidth limit exceeded.

mark h

Me too. Looks like you guys are better at metal than Web. - GWE

Carbon content is low, as evidenced by the ability to hammer a bar.

We have not spark tested nor micro-looked for grain. I tell visitors it'll penetrate your bronze armour. I do have photos of a cut and polished section: it shows the usual embedded slag and porosity of the bloom. I'll try to post that as well.

It's "Charcoal iron", from local rock. And trees

~Dave

Apologies. Bellsouth cannot handle the visitorship. I'll fix that

~D

Try again....

Yer i cant get to it either.

I'm available (at my lowest price) to help with optimizing the pics on your website so you don't go over-bandwidth again, Dave.

------------------------------------------ Do the voices in my head bother you? ------------------------------------------

You might try compressing your images to conserve bandwidth; IrfanView is free and can be used for this purpose.

Jon

Ditto, I'll have to catch it after midnight I guess...

That's what you get for posting your link on RCM, Dave.

Tim

-- "California is the breakfast state: fruits, nuts and flakes." Website:

I got on - nice set of pictures that is for sure. How many days did you cook wood for charcoal ? I would guess a number for that melt and for home.

Nice to take material out of the local forest and come up with something that you can work with and improve. Real metal.

Martin

Cool stuff. Is that built out of local limestone? How does that fare?

Tim

-- "California is the breakfast state: fruits, nuts and flakes." Website:

Worked great for me, Dave, first try. What a wonderful experience for you. That must be very rewarding.

Keep up the good work.

Harold

Cool. I seem to remember reading that the vapors from charcoal making are used to provide the heat to make the charcoal. It looks like your vent is on top. Have you tried it at the bottom to use the vapor as fuel? Have you made anything from the steel? Karl

Magnificent! Well done.

-- Jeff R.

On Thu, 19 May 2005 23:30:22 +1000, the inscrutable "Jeff R" spake:

I still get the "Bandwidth Exceeded" message today.

=========================================================== Save the Endangered Boullions from being cubed!

Dave wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@Bellsouth.net:

Very cool! I have wanted to do this for some time. Maybe you could include some text and drawings describing your work.

brad

Hello, Dave.

I finally got through!

My first impression is that this is by far the most attractive looking catalin forge which I have ever seen. Whoever did the rock work on it is certainly a first class mason.

I first learned about the bloomery process from Thomas Powers, who is one of the "gurus" at the Anvilfire forum. I am sure that he will want to take a look at these pictures.

I understand that there was once a time when making and working wrought iron was what blacksmithing was all about, and that blacksmiths still prefer wrought iron to steel, because of its superior working characteristics.

Mike Mandaville Austin, Texas