Return to Iceland - IRON SMELT

Sorry for the extremely short notice here. (Life, the Universe, you know...)

Iron Smelt at Wareham
Saturday May 26
Return to Iceland

Directions - http://www.warehamforge.ca/directions
(that's roughly 2 1/2 hours NW of Toronto, 45 minutes N of Orangeville, just off highway 10)

In 2007, the DARC team had started working on developing a working system based on the archaeology by Kevin Smith at Hals in Iceland :
http://www.warehamforge.ca/ironsmelting/HALS/index.html
We got side tracked from the Hals / Icelandic series when we concentrated on the LAM / Vinland series, then preparing for CanIRON 8.
We had run four experiments in the Iceland series, testing use of stone slabs, general work arrangements, use of the bellows plate and blow hole system.

Theoretical Hals working layout

The next point in the series would be to construct another earth fast furnace, but this time with thin (3 cm) clay walls. It will use a ceramic insert tuyere, we have enough DD1 bog ore analog prepared for a smaller sized smelt.

I also want to use the smelting bellows for enough time to at least get 'in line' air volumes recorded. Bulk of the smelt will be with the electric blower (!)

I'm a bit pressed for time this week, but will attempt to get the furnace constructed over the next two days. There may be a bit more discussion before starting the pre-heat cycle than normal

Schedule:
8 A : start equipment set up
9 - 10 A : start pre-heat
11 A : estimated start for main sequence
11 - 11:30 A : bellows volume tests
12 N : estimated first ore addition
3:30 - 4 P : estimated start for extraction
4:30 - 5 P : estimated consolidation
5:30 P : pack down

For those new to Wareham:
1) Bring a lunch if you plan a day of it (its a 15 minute drive to the nearest town)
2) Park along the north side road (less traffic, they just laid fresh gravel here!)

There is always some dirty work to help with! Those wanting to get directly involved should dress for work, I will have extra safety glasses on hand.

Hope some of you will be able to make it up

Darrell

ROM's Eye View...

Maybe not quite what really happened - but how one person saw our demonstration at the Royal Ontario Museum last weekend:

We also explored “experimental archaeology” this weekend, where Viking reenactors came in to show off how vikings would have lived. Here, a family explores and uses a loom. Elsewhere, our Vikings walked around the museum, engaging the public, showing off viking dress, life and other awesome things.

Just beside the dig we set up a metal working station, where everyone had the opportunity to see how swords, coins and all things metal were created in the past.

Photos by Gabriel Broderick, digital edits by Kiron. Gabriel is a @ROMKids assistant and is currently wrapping up grade 12

Copied directly from the ROMKids web site

The first image shows Anne in conversation at the warp weighted loom. Daughter Elizabeth cards wool in the foreground. (This was Elizabeth's first time as a costumed demonstrator with DARC!)

The second image shows Darrell demonstrating pewter casting. Sorry, I was not actually talking about sword making!

Key to DARC was that our presentation was well received by all the ROM staff I talked to - including the current Director. Dr Robert Mason, our initial contact, was also quite pleased with the whole group performance. We were able to re-new old contacts with a number of key department heads and staff members
This all adds up to a excellent first working contact to the ROM, with many decision making individuals quite eager to see us return for future (hopefully more complex) demonstrations.

The blend of living history with modern displays of experimental archaeology appeared to work extremely well. Those in costume did end up with more commentary that our usual character portrayals, but this certainly was what the audience was most interested in.

'Family Day' at the ROM does present a different audience that what most of DARC is used to. Typically the visitors were young families, with parents in the late 20's to early thirties having between one to three children. Typical ages of the children was between 4 - 8 years old. For future presentations, we will be better prepared to offer both physical samples and physical activities more in keeping with this younger age spread.

So the net result was an excellent presentation package, with good work undertaken by all. Our status increases, our reputation with the ROM proven and increased.

DARC at the ROM

Archaeology Weekend

Royal Ontario Museum

Bloor at Queen's Park - Toronto

Saturday, April 14 and Sunday April 15

Come and find out what archaeologists do to make their discoveries! Meet archaeologists showing things they’ve dug up and explaining why they are important. Get up close to objects usually hidden in the museum’s vaults. Try your hand at being an archaeologist as you learn some of the skills they use in the field and labs. Then meet people who do "experimental" archaeology by trying to do things the way they were done in the past, and "living history" re-enactors of the Viking era who try to understand the past by living it!

Pewter Casting
Canada Court (Level 1)
Watch the process of how pewter is cast in a traditional method.

Living History
(Third Floor Heritage Block, Level 3)

The Viking Age
Experience the Viking Age with the help of the Dark Ages Re-creation Company. See how people worked and lived, and displays of experimental archaeology where people figure out how things found in the archaeological record were made and used.

(text from the ROM web site)

DARC's presentation will include:

Iron Smelting - experimental archaeology, passive display
Glass Bead Making - experimental archaeology, passive display
Cloth to Clothing - experimental archaeology, passive display.
Tablet Weaving - living history / craft presentation
Domestic Life - living history / 'sea chest'
Sheep to Shawl (Warp Weighted Loom) - living history / craft presentation

See the rest of the programming available on the ROM web site

Boat Burning - 2012

An artist's view:



By Scott Caple - An old, old friend, kindred spirit, and witness to many a burning.

(Scott has also done the lion's share of boat construction over the last several years!)

DARC published in EXARC!

Our Readers may be interested in this.
The journal 'EuroREA' has shifted from hard copy to a new on line format and name. In the most current issue, there are *two* submissions by DARC members! Neil' Peterson's piece describes the group's 2010 presentation at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC. There is also a longer article by Darrell Markewitz on mounting an effective iron smelting presentation.

EXARC JOURNAL Issue 2012/1 published!

Since it started in 2004, EuroREA has grown both in terms of content and readership. After sending you a month ago our printed EXARC Journal Digest 2011, we are now proud to present the first online issue of the EXARC Journal. We expect to publish this EXARC Journal three times a year.

Following the 2011 Digest which was published for our members by early December, we have now published the first issue of the online EXARC Journal. It contains 11 articles on archaeological open-air museums and experimental archaeology. These articles are access to members only.
The third category, mixed matters is open access and contains a total of 23 articles, some of which are conference reviews or book reviews, some other refer to people and events. We hope our readers are happy with the results and wish you happy reading.
There will be two more online issues of our EXARC Journal this year.

Below, an example of two of the total of 34 new articles in our EXARC Journal Issue 2012/1.

Below is one of a total of 23 (!) articles available free on line:

50th Anniversary of L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada

Neil Peterson (CA)

Issue 2012/1

The summer of 2010 saw the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Viking Era site at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland Canada. To celebrate this milestone Parks Canada arranged a number of special events, including an August visit from the Dark Ages Re-creation Company (DARC).

You will require a paid subscription to access the eleven Member only articles:

"But if you don't get any IRON..."

Darrell Markewitz (CA) Issue 2012/1 Experimental Archaeology

Few ancient processes are as mysterious as smelting ore into metallic iron. Just how, exactly, is this done? The exact processes used by the ancients are unknown, but modern experiments can suggest some possibilities... Read more

EXARC newsletter

DARC returns to LAM in 2012!

The Dark Ages Re-Creation Company
will be returning to
L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC!
July 19 - 27, 2012

At this point the exact interpretive program has not been established. The specific physical demonstrations will depend largely on what additional members of DARC chose to enlarge the core team.
What you can certainly expect to see:

Green Woodworking - including a spring pole lathe
(Grimmi roughing out, Thorgir on the lathe)

Weaving on the Warp Weighted Loom
(Ka∂lin preparing the warp)

Small Textiles - Spinning, Naelbinding, Tablet Weaving
(Jorin working in the sunshine.)

Domestic Tasks, including food preparation
(Kadja - 'A woman's work is never done - especially when she is a slave.')

Trade and Gaming
(Ragnar - ' Would you buy a used longship from this man?')

Some Other Guy who also seems to talk a LOT.
(Kettil ponders a question)
Daily Life in the Viking Age
(Snorri looking on)


First Image by D. Markewitz
Other images by P. Halasz
All taken during the August 2010 presenation

October Bead Experiments

On a miserable rainy weekend in Mid October the bead folks got together to run more furnaces to collect additional temperatures and make more beads.

The full report can be found at http://www.darkcompany.ca/beads/bead1011/

Interesting items in this report:

• Temperatures were taken both inside and in the chimney at the same time for all three furnaces
• After the day was done the furnaces were broken down and the impact of the heat was recorded at many locations in the construction
• Some interesting beads were made
• Some interesting reticella was made
  

Now we just have a paper to write for ExArc