Iron Blooms to Bars - An OAC Projects Grant

 Friday, October 23, 2020 RENDERING SOME BLOOMS GOOGLE JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WILL BE DELETING STORED CONTENT WHICH THEY DEEM 'INACTIVE'. IT IS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR (FROM A BRIEF OVERVIE...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2020/12/staying-active-google-blogs.html

Although the Bloom 2 Bar Project is officially completed, I thought I might continue the occasional posting here that would relate directly to the work of the project.  I really wanted at leas...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/07/continuing-to-objects.html

 Edited from my ongoing on  Don Fogg's Bladesmithing Forum > Darrel so when you say 'weld in all the edges'... do you mean > basically turning it on it's side and hammer...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/05/forging-custard.html

Day 72 If judged by the budget included with my OAC Project proposal, the last actual 'grant day' would have been 43 days ending April 26. I decided to extend the project work to cover two last...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/05/papers-publishing-research-sources.html

 (Day 65) I would refer you back to yesterday's post for the details of the set up for this smelt. Furnace in use The first thing is don't do this alone. You *can* run a successful smelt...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/05/production-smelt-results.html

(Day 64) Although technically I am past the end date for the OAC Project Grant, one of the things I wanted to include was building a more production type furnace and running a test smelt. As...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/05/production-smelt.html

Day 62 Remember these ? F- 'Split Fire Riser' R- 'Solar Riser LH4' Thomas Patti - 1943 (Sorry - its a horrible image) When I saw these glass objects by Patti at the Corning Glass M...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/inspiration-to-modification.html

Day 60 The last couple of days have been a bit messed up, certainly in terms of how they might track back into the grant project. Just how do you count a working day? Especially if you are a...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-is-working-day.html

(Day 58 continued) For the last week in the forge I have been working to prepare materials with a specific object in mind. Generally this is *not* how I have been proceeding with the project. ...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/sometimes-great-notion.html

 Day 58 Making a bloom requires an iron smelting furnace. I have built dozens over the years, most on the 'Norse Short Shaft ' model. The work on the actual smelting end (creation of the iron ...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/building-production-iron-smelting.html

Day 54 This video clip was shot by one of the participants at my March 10 demonstration at the monthly meeting of the Ontario Artist Blacksmith's Association (OABA, through the work of editor S...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/demonstrating-aristotle-furnace.html

Day 54 This is a note of the work undertaken on Wednesday April 11 (Day 52). Lee Sauder had this to say about his use of a copper tuyere: > 1) The original inspiration to try the coppe...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/forging-copper-tuyere.html

Day 53 Setting the Record Straight! Part of the project grant was specifically to cover my participation in Smeltfest 2012, hosted by Lee Sauder at his Germinal Ironworks outside Lexington Vir...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/credit-where-credit-is-due.html

The impact of an OAC project grant may extend well past the intended application. My interest in bloomery iron started with the historic process of making the iron. Although there are some scat...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/crossover-slag-rings-in-archaeology.html

Day 50 The shop work this week has primarily been directly converting blooms to bars / plates. As a fast overview of what was accomplished: Tuesday April 3 # 15 - Smeltfest 2006 Smelt A, hemat...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/week-in-forge.html

If there is one name you will see over and over here, its Lee Sauder. Lee, working with his smelt partner Skip Williams is most certainly the single most experienced bloomery iron worker in No...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/listening-to-expert.html

Day 49 Two things define a typical 'project day'. First, there is the mornings, normally spent at my desk on the computer. This covers normal communications, business record keeping, research, -...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/typical-work-session.html

Its NEVER as simple as it seems... A saga of poor design and failed materials Day 47 In my original proposal, I had included two weeks for shop conversion and preparation directly for this proj...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/pressing-on.html

Day 45 (!) There have been few postings of late. Returning from Smeltfest, some fairly annoying work on the hydraulic press, one more bloom converted to bar (more on that later). Although not n...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/04/day-45-there-have-been-few-postings-of.html

This clip shot by participant Jesus Herandez This clip from our third smelt during Smeltfest 12 shows a number of reasons why my participation there is valuable (to me!). The concentration at S...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/03/smelting-at-smeltfest.html

(day 39) Still on the Reasearch trip... (Sorry - its a horrible image) F- 'Split Fire Riser' R- 'Solar Riser LH4' Thomas Patti - 1943 Yup - these are glass. So? Imagine this type of form...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-corning-glass.html

(Day ??) Sunday proved to be one of the best all round days at a Smeltfest from the last several years. Participants had followed their interests, attacking several aspects of a general problem....

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/03/smeltfest-b.html

This is just a fast taste of what is happening at Smeltfest. Sorry there are no images, with the confusion of working from the road, my camera cables are up at the workshop this morning. The fir...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/03/smeltfest.html

(Day 28) As the combined Smeltfest 2012 and research trip proceeds, I will only have spotty internet access - via my lap top. So postings may be less frequent and shorter... Today I drove into ...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/03/washington-cathedral.html

As part of the overall project grant, I had included funding for my annual participation in SMELTFEST. This event is hosted by Lee Sauder, at his workshop outside of Lexington Virginia. This is a...

http://warehamoacgrant.blogspot.com/2012/03/departing-for-smeltfest-2012.html