Article ID: CBB166077602

Material Evidence of Ironmaking Techniques (1995)

unapi

Field observations and analyses of wastes found at five early ironmaking sites in Connecticut coupled with analyses of artifacts of known age and provenance illustrate aspects of the development of iron makers' techniques and skills from the 17th through the 19th centuries. The data show the difficulties early colonial artisans had making sound metal, how subsequent experience at small bloomery and finery forges enabled New England iron makers to supply the early republic's manufacturers with wrought iron that would pass smoothly through mechanized production processes, and how artisans subsequently learned to adjust the composition and structure of their wrought iron to meet the requirements of specific applications. They made products such as gun iron, phosphorus hardened iron for rails, and phosphorus-free metal for crucible steelmaking. Waste materials collected at the forge sites show how finers at the Mount Riga works developed an early form of the American charcoal-hearth process while, later, those at the Canfield & Robbins forge degraded the quality of their metal when they attempted to substitute anthracite for charcoal in their fining hearths. [1997 Norton Prize winner]

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Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB166077602/

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Authors & Contributors
Gordon, Robert B.
Michael S. Raber
Paul White
Dan Trepal
Ross F. Allen
Jeremy Lowe
Concepts
Industrial archaeology
Iron and iron industry
Iron, Cast
Iron, Wrought
Charcoal and charcoal industry
Blast furnaces
Time Periods
19th century
18th century
17th century
Places
United States
Connecticut (U.S.)
Springfield Armory, Springfield, MA
Valley Forge, PA
Carp River
Southern states (U.S.)
Institutions
West Point Foundry
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