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Educational Projects
smelting
Smelt Your Own Iron
Steven A. Walton, Penn State STS Department

Our plan is based upon the work of Lee Sauder and Skip Williams at the Rockbridge Bloomery in Virginia and the Dark Ages Re-creation Company (DARC) in Ontario. In particular, with a 2 foot chimney liner, some cobb (a clay and straw mixture), a shop-vac, and charcoal, a bloom of iron can be easily made in a single day.
  • Photos of our successful smelt on October 6-7th, 2006 photos
  • Video of the smelt
  • Report of our results: a 22# bloom from 50# of hematite and 200# of charcoal in about 8 hours
  • Shop plans and instructions for your own smelt
  • Safety instructions