Artefacts relating to tin smelting from tin mills or ¿blowing houses¿ in Devon and
Cornwall, plus material from smelting sites that cover a range of dates from the Bronze
Age through to the 19th Century, were examined: these include metallic tin, furnace
linings, ore samples and slag.
Analysis of tin slags from over forty sites was carried out, to determine microstructure
and chemical composition. Techniques employed included optical and scanning electron
microscopy, X-ray fluorescence and ICP mass spectrometry. Analysis indicates that
slag appearance and composition are heavily influenced by local geology. Composition,
particularly iron content, is shown to have a strong effect on slag melting point and
viscosity, and the implications for the purity of metal produced are discussed.
Bringing together the evidence provided by slag chemistry, documentary sources and
smelting remains in the archaeological record, changes in tin smelting technology
through time, and the consequences thereof, are considered. / R. F. Tylecote Memorial Fund, administered by the Historical Metallurgy Society, and the Francis Raymond Hudson Memorial Fund.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/4906 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Malham, Albertine |
| Contributors | McDonnell, Gerry, Janaway, Robert C., Stern, Ben |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, Department of Archaeological Sciences |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, PhD |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
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