Tim Young

Abstract

This paper re-examines some archaeological examples of hammerscale in the light of mode rn investigations of millscale, attempts to provide a partial framework for the interpretation of archaeological hammerscale and assesses the potential of hammerscale to provide further archaeologically-useful information in the future. In particular, the controls on the chemical composition of the hammerscale are described and the relative inputs from the substrate (the iron and its slag inclusions), the fuel ash, the hearth ceramic and welding fluxes are discussed for different systems by employing new data from several sites that employed different materials and technologies. It is argued that there is no single dominant source for the non-iron component of hammerscale, but that each of these inputs is important in different settings.

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References
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How to Cite
Some preliminary observations on hammerscale and its implications for understanding welding. (2021). Historical Metallurgy, 45(1), 26-41. https://hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/139
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