Smelting lead...primitive style

[hunter63]

The metals thread was kinda interesting as I recently ran into a "consult" with a fellow member of the local archaeological group I hang around with lately.
Had a talk on Saturday was kinda hoping to get pic's, but the object in question was in the car as the member wife went shopping.

Long story, but this member is a teacher caught up in a cut back in school personnel....so got a job in a new place.

Seems that his new school is a ways away...and when he started discussing Indian artifacts, one of his students related that he had found a blacken rock that appeared to have been a mold for lead effigy figures in the shape of a turtle.

So he inspected the site, and found two large fire pits on the bank of a creek.

At that point he had called me asking about smelting and pouring lead.

As the rock had the finger picked into it, but had been blackened, he figured that they had heated the rock poured the lead, then put the rock in the creek to release it.

I figured that was not the case as it would probably shatter, but the blacking indicated smoke being used as a release compound as I use on my metal molds wan casting bullets.

On a visit to a museum in central Wisc the group, (I wasn't there) they had seen examples of these effigy figures about the same size worn as amulets.

As the area for lead ore called Galina was mined extensively in South western Wisconsin, and the lack of barren ground (smelting has nasty side effects of the ground and plants, as well as people)....they are guessing that this site was used to melt lead and manufacture these amulents.

Doing a little research seem that the ore, (had to be rich was simply piled on a fire, with grass/ wood, ore/ grass/wood/ ore layer then the whole works was set on fire.

When cooled off the lead drops ware just collected out of the ashes.......a practice common to the Native Americans as well as real early settlers for lead ammo and shot, re-melted and molded to final form.

Quote>
Native Americans used exposed deposits called "float" to lead them to vast underground quantities of lead. The natives worked with a variety of tools, including sharpened sticks and antlers, long before white traders supplied them with shovels and picks.

After exposing the ore-bearing rock, the natives set large fires on the area to heat the stone. Cold water thrown on the heated rock caused it to break and therefore expose more lead. Mining was primarily considered women's work although they received some help from the old men who no longer hunted.

Native Americans dug into the ground at such an angle that they were able to walk in and out of the mining area. Vertical shafts were never dug. Native Americans were equally crude in their smelting techniques. When enough ore was obtained, layers of ore were sandwiched between layers of wood and dry brush. When a large pile was finally created, a fire was set. After the blaze burned down, the lead was uncovered in sheets mixed with pieces of charcoal, wood, and ash. Occasionally these sheets were remelted and poured into molds. These "pigs" were stacked along the riverbank for shipment. <quote

http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/i...p?title=MINING

Plans for a "dig" by our group, as well a middle school students is in the plans for this summer......should be fun.

[jake abraham]

neat read thanks for sharing

[Rick]

That's a great story. I agree, it should be a fun exercise. I, too, would think cooling the rock in a stream would shatter it and if you've worked that hard on a mold you were sure to protect it. I would think it would have a slow heat up period as well as a slow cool down period just to protect the mold. Unless the sheets or pigs were worked by hand to make the emulate, which could certainly be done. All you would need is a good piece of lead, a sharp piece of chert and some time to etch it out. Theorizing of course. I've never etched an emulate out of lead. But I have cast many a patch on lead cable.