Just a possibility - pottery sherds would arise in silver refing through
all sorts of routes: silver melting crucibles, assay crucibles or possibly
smashed up for 'grog' to mix with furnace or cupel hearths. At the end of
all of this they would have been broken further and then resmelted to
recover silver. Depending on the furnace the sherds may have survived but
with signs of smelting such as erosion of sharp edges. If just 'washed'
with litharge there would be little change other than glazing.
This is the normal fate of furnace bricks in modern refineries.
Unfortunately only a small amount of recycled material is compatible with
the normal charge and the chaps working the furnaces don't like doing it
because it gives problems - so old untreated rubbish usually builds up and
is left around when the works closes..
Richard Smith
3M UK Bracknell,
Environment, Safety and Security [log in to unmask]
Tel: 01344-858154 (Trim. 8-230-2154)
Fax: 01344-858367 (Trim. 8-230-2367)
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