2. Handbook/methods for steelmaking
Did you happen to watch Nova this week. Fascinating show about the Ulfberht sword, make around 900-1000 AD.
Made out of steel, the quality of which was not seen again for 1000 years.
Guy from Wisconsin figured out how they did it and recreated the sword. Smelted his own steel from iron ore, forged it, even did the inlaid name Ulfberht.
That was awesome. It is cool that some people still have those skills.
‘Guy from Wisconsin figured out how they did it and recreated the sword. Smelted his own steel from iron ore, forged it, even did the inlaid name Ulfberht.’
Saw that. The really funny part was that they had a second tier model (or someone was knocking it off)for guys who wanted the flash but coulcn’t afford the original.
There is something called bog iron. We had it in New Jersey, it was smelted into iron and used for weapon and tool making. It is caused by the tannin from oaks and pines in the water interacting with iron deposits in the soil. Cakes up into hard chunks along water ways. I have seen old smelting chimneys constructed of stone in NJ about 15 or 20 feet tall.