Krysta Ryzewski : Archaeometallurgical Analyses of Colonial Ironmaking Materials

In my current research, I examine craftsmanship, skill, and technological & material innovations by examining metal (mostly iron) artifacts from the inside-out. Beginning with microstructural analyses of iron artifacts, I aim to understand the technical and anthropological processes and consequences of wrought and mechanical iron production in the period pre-dating the "Industrial Revolution" and mass-produced mechanized production in the United States. The images below are basic visual examples of my data

MICROGRAPHS - The specimens below are a sample of the dozens examined from Greene Farm in Warwick, RI. They represent a range of iron manufacturing technologies and craftsmanship.

All photos by K. Ryzewski

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nail, machine made in one-step operation, as evidenced by perpendicular, compact, and fairly uniform grain structure between the head and the body, 19th century, iron (KR-1, 4x)

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nail, hand wrought, made of bog ore in bloomery conditions, poor-quality iron, late 17th century (KR-10A, 4x)

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same nail as above, wrought, higher magnification shows evidence of rehammering by ironworker in the nail head (curved grains towards head edges), high phosphorous content indicating use of bog ore (hill and valley texture), and slag impurities in the body (black spots), late 17th century (KR-10A, 278x)

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cut nail, machine made in multi-step opertion, uniform iron quality, early 19th century (KR-12, 4x)

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cut nail with head added when cool, either by hand and/or with mechanical assistance, made in a bloomery operation, at least partly from bog ore, mid-late 18th century (KR-17, 4x)

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bloomery slag from same context as above nail, lines are leftover ferrite grains, mid-late 18th century (KR-31, 418x)