Primitive Technology: Roasted Ore and Shell Flux Smelt

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Then finally I recycled old slag to look at if it would produce any more iron.

The very first way was to roast the ore before smelting. This drove off the moisture and volatiles in the ore as well as searing off any sulfur present. The ensuing ore produced a higher yield of iron than usual (33g iron as opposed to about 15g iron as ever for the same volume of ore, charcoal and time).

Next lime was added to the smelt as a flux in the form of snail shells. The hypothesis was that the lime would lower the dissolving point of any silica in the ore to make a runnier slag and help the iron come together more. The outcome was really bad, no iron was produced apart from 1 or 2 prills. I suspect the ore is already basic in chemistry and adding a basic flux in the form of lime made it so basic that the slag was too viscous. The ore most probably will not benefit from a basic flux but might benefit from an acid flux for instance sand or slag from former smelts.

Next I tried smelting slag from prior smelts to look at if anymore iron would come out. It did unexpectedly, less than fresh ore but still worth doing. Because of this it could be helpful to add old slag as a flux to future smelts to help the slag form more effortlessly, while taking part some more iron to the smelt.

About Primitive Technology:
Primitive science is a pastime where you build things in the wild totally from scrape using no modern contraptions or materials. These are the stringent rules: If you want a fire, use a fire stick – An axe, pick up a stone and shape it – A hut, build one from trees, dirt, rocks and many others. The challenge is seeing how far you can go without any applying modern science. I do not live in the wild, but enjoy building shelter, tools, and more, only utilizing natural materials. To find specific videos, visit my playlist tab for building videos focused on pyrotechnology, shelter, weapons, food & agriculture, tools & machines, and weaving & fiber.

#PrimitiveTechnology #RoastedOre #ShellFlux