basher Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I have recently been consolidating my own bloomery iron and was wondering what the old quality grades of wrought iron were and if there are any sources for what they meant in quality terms and number of folds etc all the best Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 There was grading of puddled iron, but it was a more consistant product. I doubt there was the grades like muck bar, refined, double refined, etc. in bloomery iron. IMO! Probably more like Bob's best or Joe's Monday morning junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Yes there were: Bloom, Muck Bar, Merchant Bar, Singly Refined, Doubly Refined, Triply Refined. However there was not a "standard" for these as the stacking would vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, (they were not folded but cut and stacked in a production facility!) The old books mention testing *every* new iron shipment to see what you really had. You would get a feel for how each supplier graded their iron. Now in the very old days they probably didn't use such categorizations but would work out the specifications as part of the deal for the iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basher Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 Id be interested in any info you have on what the grades mean . I like the term muck bar . and yes I have ended up stacking rather that folding . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 They most likely mean whatever the manufacturer *wanted* them to mean! Read "Mechanics Exercises" by Moxon; published 1703, you tested every single load of iron you got and never expected two in a row to be the same even from the same manufacturer. (though he gives general expectations for the iron from various countries) Even in the 1880's and 1890's testing your metal was a part of the job---(Practical Blacksmithing, Richardson) I'll ask over on the Archeological Metallurgy mailing list if anyone knows of export or import codifications of standards in the historical record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basher Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 how do I get on the archaeological metallurgy mailing list ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 PM sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 T. P., I should, also, like to get my name added to the archaeological metallurgy mailing list. Thank you, SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 PM sent; but not sintered or cented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.