On Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:29:04 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

I was just Wiki-walking instead of working, and while reading the
Wikipedia page on steel, came across the statement:

"Though steel had been produced by various inefficient methods long
before the Renaissance, its use became more common after more-efficient
production methods were devised in the 17th century. "

And it made me wonder -- do any of these _efficient_ methods apply to the
small-scale workshop (i.e., one or two people, or at most a dozen)

No. They involve working with large amounts of molten steel and
forcing air, oxygen-rich iron ore, or pure oxygen into them to burn
out the excess carbon, while fluxing the whole mess to remove unwanted
elements.

, or if
one were inclined to do a spot of home steel-making would one be reduced
to using methods from the 1600s?

Yes. There are small-scale ways to burn out excess carbon and to flux
out unwanted elements. They make steel about as valuable as a precious
metal, but they appear to be fun for some folks.


Not that I'm going to go digging for iron ore on my property or anything;
I'm just curious.

It's a good thing to be curious about. The history of steelmaking is
fascinating. It's a good armchair study for metalworking hobbyists,
and it will give you some very useful information to help you
understand that incredibly diverse and versatile material -- steel.

Keep in mind that steel is nothing more than iron with a carbon
content that falls into a specific range -- more or less, 0.08% -
2.1%, and that contains little or no sulfur, calcium, silicon,
phosphorus, or some other elements. Some specialty steels add specific
quantitites of these elements back in, to improve machineability, etc.

Beyond that, it's a study that can keep you occupied for a very long
time.

--
Ed Huntress