Spring24_Week7 – Experimental Archaeology / Experiential History

Week 7 Data Report: Group D

This week, our Thursday lab was centered around the medieval (and early modern) technology of blacksmithing. Special guest blacksmith Martin Pansch taught us the process of heating up our fires and forging roves (square washers) and nails for construction. This was largely an experiential lab, with it almost impossible to collect unique hard data and…

Week 7 Lab Data Group D: Blacksmithing

Since we had fewer forges than groups, group D split up and joined other groups. Thus, this data will be another compilation of lab data from group E, the group that I joined. Additionally, the temperature readings were wildly inconsistent. We had access to two laser thermometers which often had readings over 100°C apart. It…

Week 7 Group C Data

This week, we worked on blacksmithing, focusing more on the experience of doing metalsmithing than doing an experiment. With the guidance of expert blacksmith Martin Pansch, we created nails and roves. My group created a coal fire and kept it hot with the use of a blower, putting metal into the fire and working on…

Group A Week 7 Lab Data : Blacksmithing

This week, our data was definitely more qualitative than quantitative, as we experimented with forging nails and roves from mild steel and/or wrought iron. There was a lot of experimentation and trial and error involved in this process, but I was still able to gather some information on useful information on temperature, time, and the…

Group B Lab Data: Week 7 (Blacksmithing)

In the Week 7 lab, we learned basic blacksmithing techniques and used them to create iron nails. While this was, in many ways, more of an experiential rather than an experimental lab, I was still able to gather a limited amount of both quantitative and qualitative data. There were two fuel variables in the lab;…