Again the best place to start is Robert Gordon's American Iron. It is  
available in paperback, or used (?) in hard cover. If you can lay  
hands on a copy of Wm. Rostocker and Bennet Bronson's Pre-Industrial  
Iron: Its Technology and Ethnology (1990 and unfortunately out of  
print) it is excellent, but more worldwide and historical. The best  
historical reference is John Percy's Metallurgy: Iron and Steel (1864  
and still used today). Again a bit difficult to get, inter library  
loan works. But if you are dealing with a mid 19C site Percy may well  
have a plan and detailed description of its operation. Avoid  
Frederick Overman, except for his book on foundries or for pictures.  
Overman was a foundryman and didn't entirely understand the other  
processes. For most modern sources keep in mind the author's  
background and training. While many historians, for example, are  
really good at dealing with archives they are not technologists. The  
same is true of ethnologists, archaeologists, geneologists, etc.

The chemistry of slag is pretty complicated, I'll have to think about  
sources for that (I still can't understand many phase diagrams).  
Adding to the complication is that very few archaeologists bother to  
do slag analysis, beyond visual (which often is not much better than  
"Thats nasty and its such an unattractive color" ;-)). So the studies  
tend to be rather specialized and by  chemists, physicists, or  
archaeometallurgists. As a result they are of limited use to an  
archaeologist.

English Heritage has a number of publications available for free  
download, but their index is a bit archane (try http://www.english- 
heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.1634 and use the search box for  
specific topics) . The CFA archaeometallurgy guide (about 2.5M) is  
quite good.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/cfa_archaeometallurgy2.pdf


On Apr 26, 2006, at 7:17, Christopher Murphy wrote:

> James,
>     Your post sounds like a concise, brief summary of iron working  
> in the
> late 18th and early 19 centuries.  I would like to learn more about
> recognition of things such as hammer scale, fayalitic slag, etc.   
> Is there a
> source or series of sources you could post to the list which would  
> bring
> those of us only vaguely familiar with the process, products, and
> by-products up to speed (or at least closer)?
>
>     Chris Murphy
>     Augusta State University
>