This small smelter is inspired by accounts from Aristotle, who mentions in passing that steel can be made from iron by such a process. Skip and Lee from Rockbridge Bloomery may be credited with working out the details. I suspect it may suit my purposes just fine... there are experiments and metallurgical testing which need to be done on a small scale with the wrought iron I will be producing.

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A refinement on the smelter below is running much better, and I have averaged about 4 runs on the two previous Aristotle smelters. I have found that adding sand and charcoal filings to the clay adds significant reduction in cracking and longevity. We shall see how long.

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A nice little steel bloom from some old filings... it sparks high carbon very nicely and compacted quite readily. It also shows some promising other qualities...

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Thus did the Yule-Smith smelting by moonlight hearken the cock-crow which echoed the call- long lost in legend laid in lore lasting of valorous Velent, eldest of all. Late was the hour and long was the labor when out of the womb-crock was born the bairn nourished with nail-midden gnawed by need-fire. Crowed Golden-comb when culled was the cairn! Swift through the stream-fold sent he the egg, Biding if back the birdling would come with tidings of tell-tale tiniest tellings Manifold musings: Re-making Mimung!

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