Brian,
You might be interested to read the following:
http://wealdeniron.org.uk/bull1.htm#1976 on pp. 23-4
Jeremy Hodgkinson
Wealden Iron Research Group
www.wealdeniron.org.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Dolan" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, November 26, 2009 11:40 AM
Subject: Bog Ore Query
> Dear All,
>
> I have a query I hope the list can help with. Essentially I would like
> some advice on both how to identify and how to prospect for bog ore.
>
> I am heading out to the raised bogs of the Irish midlands in two weeks
> to collect bog ore for an experimental smelt I plan on carrying out
> next year. I will be accompanied by a colleague who worked for many
> years in the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit and knows his bogs. His
> understanding of 'bog iron' as he calls it, is of patches of yellow or
> red staining made up of pasty, slimy or grainy residues.
>
> My vague understanding from what little practical discussion of the
> 'ore' I have found in the literature is that it is very heterogenous
> but that it is often found in the form of hard nodules. Indeed, I have
> a vague notion that one can find it using probes - which would imply
> it is quite hard.
>
> Anyway my question to you knowledgeable iron people out there is what
> should I be looking for and how should I look for it? Photos, tips and
> funny stories of getting stuck in bogs all welcome.
>
> All the best,
>
> Brian
>
> p.s. I plan on XRF-ing the material I do collect. What kind of Fe
> content should I be looking for in bog ore that would make it viable
> for smelting?
>
> --
> Brian Dolan
>
> IRCHSS Doctoral Researcher and NUI Travelling Student
> UCD School of Archaeology
> www.seandalaiocht.com
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