[TheForge] Fitchburg Furnace

[Bruce Freeman]

Yup, that was all slag.  Some of it can be quite pretty, but it can be
too porous to be of much use for anything.

Impurities in ore include silicates.  The flux used was typically a
calcium compound.  Together, those make glass.  Colors come from
metals included.

When we did a smelt at Peters Valley, our slag came out very black.

On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 12:19 PM, Hufford, David <David.Hufford at eku.edu> wrote:
> I recently visited the national historic site of the Fitchburg (Red River) Furnace located near Ravenna Kentucky.  It's a well-preserved beautiful double furnace from 1869, which produced iron for the railroad.  Scattered around the site were lots of 'glass' rocks; green and other colors, some appeared to have slag on one side.  Is this glass a byproduct of the smelting process?  If so, does it derive from the limestone flux or from the iron ore?  Any information on this would be appreciated.
>
> David Hufford
> Richmond KY
>
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-- 
Bruce
NJ

The total lack of evidence is the surest sign that the conspiracy is working.