_Furnace_.--The work lasts about twelve hours per day, and three
operations of three to four hours are performed in each cadinhe, thus
making twelve per day. At each operation, 22.5 kilos. of ore and 45 of
charcoal are used. From this there is obtained a bloom of 15 kilos. The
operation is performed as follows:
While the assistant has gone to put the bloom of the preceding operation
under the hammer, the workman prepares at the bottom of the crucible a
bed consisting of a mixture of sand and very fine charcoal, and then
fills the crucible up to its edge with charcoal. At the end of a quarter
of an hour, the fuel being thoroughly aglow, the workman puts in the
first charge of ore in powder (_jacutingue_), about 2 kilos, and covers
it with charcoal.
Starting from this moment, he goes on charging every five or ten minutes
with 1.5 to 2 kilos of ore, taking care in doing so to keep the crucible
stuffed with charcoal, which the assistant places in piles around each
cadinhe.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110